Ways Hiring Teams can communicate their interest to Job Applicants | Stop saying you're "open to anything"

Good afternoon all and happy Monday! This week's edition of my Weekly LinkedIn Newsletter I'm covering:

• Ways Hiring Teams can communicate their interest to Candidates they'd like to move forward in their process
• Why saying you're "open to anything" is detrimental to your Job Search

Ways Hiring Teams can communicate their interest to Job Applicants

Here's a hint, Hiring Teams: words will not be enough.

Most Job Applicants out there have experienced the phenomenon of getting verbal feedback on next steps which seemed positive, but ending up going nowhere - sometimes even getting "ghosted" and never getting any closure whatsoever.

At the same time, if you've met a brilliant Candidate, you understand the importance of keeping them engaged by showing high levels of interest at your end - because you certainly want them to know that you want to move them further along the process. As a general rule, I believe the best way to do this especially with the more cynical and skeptical Applicants out there is in 2 broad ways:

1. Action. As cliche as it sounds, actions do speak louder than words
2. Accumulating evidence. The more actions which demonstrate interest, the more they're going to see evidence that you're not just being polite and friendly, but do have a genuine interest in them - which will help keep them engaged (unless they just don't see the fit in working for you).

Here are some ways for you to demonstrate that interest through actions throughout your Interview process with Candidates you have a high interest in - the more of these you do in combination with the each other, the more clear it becomes to the Applicant that you appear to have a high level of interest in them which will keep them engaged:

• Keeping the communication flowing both ways and continuous. Now, I know some of you are already like "Yeah but Dean didn't you say words are not enough". This is not just about the words, when I'm referring to communication. I'm talking about the action of communication here. You're clearly making efforts to keep this Candidate informed about where they are in the process, the next steps, etc. You in fact initiate the communication and keep them updated. In the case where they've reached out to you for a follow-up, you respond - maybe not immediately as you're not glued to your email inbox - but ASAP. Through your action of keeping the communication flowing in both direction and continuously, you're letting the Candidate know you have a high level of interest in them.
• Accommodate them. They have to reschedule the Interview (within a reasonable time frame) - and you don't make a big deal out of it but figure out a better date/time which works for them and and yourself. Maybe they're currently employed and you want to call them in for their 2nd or 3rd interview but they can't take time off during work hours so you offer to even make it happen after-hours to accommodate their schedule (Say what you want to about "right to disconnect" but I've worked with Hiring Teams open to doing this and it just creates such a great impression on my Candidates, who often then insist that they'll try to figure out a way to make it work during work hours just because the Hiring Team was initially willing to Interview them after-hours). Look - maybe you don't want to do that and that's your choice. But look for other ways to accommodate the Candidate's situation and work schedule and it will communicate that you're an Organization highly interested in them.
• Move things along smoothly and quickly. Almost every Job Seeker out there has experienced getting excited about an Organization they interviewed with, only to have things go radio silent eventually. "We'll be in touch soon". They didn't. "We'll get back with feedback by the end of this week". Nobody got back. "We'd like to move you on to the next Interview stage". Didn't happen. So if you're really interested in this Candidate, try and move things along as quickly as possible. Reconnect with your Team and other stakeholders involved ASAP and get things moving to the next step of the process. If that might take time - fine. Then going back to the first bullet point above, communicate that to the Candidate accompanied by a potential timeline. In a world where Candidate are constantly ghosted or left hanging, simply moving things forward smoothly and quickly communicates a high level of interest in them.
• Team introductions. After representing so many Candidates over the years, if there's one common piece of feedback they've shared with me which they really appreciated, it was when the Hiring Team took the time to introduce them to other members on the Team - sometimes impromptu. Many of my Candidates have come away feeling very flattered whenever that's happened - and to them its always communicated that the Hiring Team must have some level of interest in them because it was like being welcomed into their home and being introduced to other members of the household. This is not just introducing them to the people they're expecting to be interviewed by, but others they might potentially be working closely with or indirectly.

As mentioned earlier, doing the above in combination with each other can be very effective in creating a strong impression that you're an Organization with a high level of interest in the Candidate you're interviewing, which will make them feel valued and important - and I'm yet to meet a Candidate who doesn't appreciate that!

Are you an Organization looking for Tech Talent anywhere in Canada? Have questions or need ideas regarding your Recruitment process? Send me a direct message here on LinkedIn or email me at [email protected]

Stop saying you're "open to anything"!

Job Seekers: Avoid saying "I'm open to any opportunity", "I'm open to any positions in [your industry]" or any variations of that.

I get the intention of why you keep saying you're open to anything.

You're saying that because you want to communicate:

? Your adaptability

? That you're multifaceted

? You're flexible/open minded

? You're a quick learner

And perhaps many other positive traits by letting Recruiters and Employers know you're "open to anything".

Unfortunately, however this can backfire as its perceived as:

?? Uncertainty about which direction you want to take your career

?? Lack of clarity about what exactly you want

?? Desperation - you'll just take anything which comes along

Now, maybe you're none of the above - but that's what it comes across as when you're not clear about what you want. So when you're reaching out to a Recruiter or a potential Hiring Manager - do NOT say you're open to anything. Be specific about the type of role you're interested in and what you're looking for.

If you're not sure about that - put a brief and temporary pause on your Job Search and figure that out first.

Then - get back in there ??

If you're an IT Professional in the Greater Toronto Area with 3+ years of professional work experience, follow me and keep in touch for Career opportunities and more helpful content to assist in your Job Search.

That's it for this week - see you next time!

Any topics you want me to cover in a future Edition? Let me know in the comments - don't forget to Like + Subscribe if you haven't already!

Dean Kulaweera - IT Recruiter | Director, Recruitment & Sales |?Tech Recruiters 360

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