We all know what it is like to be a job seeker; scouring the internet sites for the perfect position, connecting with old colleagues to see if they may have a lead on a job for us. The job search is a roller coaster ride of emotions and a lot of work! So, when a job seeker takes the time to apply for those opportunities, they are a perfect fit for and then they never hear anything back, it is incredibly frustrating!
Well, guess what, if you are a Recruiter reading this, you can do something about it. As a recruiting professional that has been involved in the industry in some capacity for more than a decade now, this is a call to action! Recruiters, Respond!
If we do not respond to applicants and candidates to let them know if they are still in the process or not and WHY then who will? Now I know, your responsibility is to focus on finding the best candidates for the positions you need to fill, but how about helping a job seeker out?! Not only that, helping yourself from having to answer additional emails and phone calls from applicants and candidates when they have not heard from you.
This “wonderful” technology called ATS’ (Applicant Tracking Systems) are supposed to help us review and respond quicker to applicants but are we using it to its full extent of support. Make sure to set up multiple templates, so even if someone gets more of a “form” response at least they know whether they are still in the running. These templates can be so simple, “Thank you for your application, but we have moved forward with candidates that already have experience in this industry”. Or, “Thank you for your application, but we have chosen to move forward with applicants that have direct experience in this role”.
And GOODNESS GRACIOUS, if you have moved an applicant to candidate status and have conducted a phone screen or even moved them past that to a video or face-to-face interview, responding on their status is a MUST! Over and over again I speak with job seekers that went through a portion or all of the interview process to never hear back on why they weren’t selected. They spend days, weeks, thinking they are still being considered. Let us lean on what we learned in our childhood years, “treat others the way you would want to be treated”. And heck why not pay it forward! If we can share with an applicant or candidate why they did not move forward in the process or weren’t offered the job, we can help them refine and improve their job search going forward.