Is Your Recruitment Approach Poisoning Your Brand?

I will never buy insurance from that company! At least that’s what one of my friends said on Facebook last week. When I asked what drove that decision, he shared his frustration with endless emails and phone calls from a company asking him to sell insurance.  Despite politely responding with his lack of interest, he continued to be inundated with requests to meet. While he understands that each agency recruits independently, he felt spammed. Their sourcing technique poisoned their brand with that customer.

There is no way I'm buying groceries there ever again!  One colleague stopped shopping at a national supermarket chain after a hiring manager was a no show to an interview and didn't acknowledge the mistake.  Sure enough, he drives an additional two miles to buy milk and bread from a competitor.  Poor interviewing has poisoned their brand.

I won't ever use that consulting service again!  One of my colleagues had engaged a boutique consultancy several times and eventually applied for a position with the firm.  After investing several hours in screenings and interviews, she met with a senior person to discuss details of the job.  Her application then fell into a black hole.  Several months later, the consultancy sent an impersonal rejection note from their applicant tracking tool.  She has started using their competitors because their brand was poisoned by poor candidate follow up.

The above scenarios are all true, though some details have been changed or omitted to protect the innocent.  Each one of them shows how a company's approach to recruitment lost them a real customer and the associated revenues.  They poisoned their own brands.

These firms have lost other business as well.  My friends complained about the insurance company and grocery chain on social media, swaying people who were already on the fence about these companies.  Even more damaging is the likely effect on the consultancy, who not only lost my colleague's business but the potential revenue from her referrals. 

The antidote to this poison is simple -- respect.   Job seekers have been trained to expect lengthy online forms and the resume black hole; they expect job hunting to be unpleasant. However, these three companies went beyond mere annoyance and professional detachment; they showed zero respect for their candidate, who is also their customer.

While it may be impossible for every candidate interaction to be personal, it is possible for every candidate interaction to be respectful.  Don't spam your candidate pool. Interviewers should show up on time.  When a real person talks to a candidate, send a personal email thanking them for their time.  A little respect will go a long way, especially when your candidates are your customers.