Humanising the recruitment process isn’t just kinder, it’s essential for success, argues Claudia Custura
The recruitment process is probably the most ‘make or break’ element of any company’s employer brand. When working with a third-party recruiter, businesses are entrusting in someone to represent their brand in the right way. And a core element of this is the level of care which candidates receive. Job-seekers will form a very clear impression about a company, based on how they are treated during the recruitment process. And, with the rise of social media and open sharing of experiences, it’s so important to get this right.
What’s more, the process needs to be efficient at the same time, so that hiring companies don’t lose out on securing their preferred candidates.
The good news is, efficiency does not have to come at the expense of ethics. In fact, quite the opposite is true.
Here are some suggestions to ensure you are giving all stakeholders in the recruitment process a fair, ethical and efficient experience.
- Treat candidates as humans, not commodities - and provide valuable feedback at every stage
At Leonid, we are firm believers in ethical recruitment and providing a seamless experience for both our clients and candidates. Feedback is a core element of this; providing fair and detailed feedback to candidates is not only good practice, it really can sway people’s perceptions of a business. According to a survey run by the Talent Board, candidates who receive timely feedback are 52% more likely to engage with an employer again. On the other hand, unsuccessful candidates who never receive feedback are more than twice as likely to view the hiring company unfavourably.
In other words, delivering valuable feedback means future-proofing your employer brand.
- Share as much as possible on the company culture
During a hiring process, informing candidates about the company and the role is just as important as learning about their skills. Underline your commitment to aligning people with an environment where they can thrive, whether that’s through a commitment to learning and development, a culture of trust and autonomy, policies on flexible working or the work social scene, for example.
To help job seekers decide if your company is a good fit, ensure that each step of the hiring process reflects the culture. For example, think of a typical situation which a candidate may have to face in the role, and see how they would respond to it.
- Refine the interview process
Too often, the hiring process is drawn out with too many interview stages and slow decision-making which often ends with the preferred candidates taking a different offer. At Leonid, we use short video interviews via a secure platform, to pre-qualify candidates before sending a shortlist to our clients. This enables the hiring company to quickly ascertain whether or not someone will have the right personality and communication skills to thrive in the role. This can save significant time and cost in the process.
Also, it is prudent to reduce the number of interviewers at each stage. Not only can this be intimidating for candidates, but it is a time cost to the business, too.
- Making the final decision – is it quick enough?
The average time-to-hire includes multiple interviews and lasts around 43 days. However, 62% of working professionals say they lose interest two weeks after an initial interview if they haven’t heard back.
At Leonid, we developed the ‘Magic Month Methodology’ whereby we pledge to fill every role from 30 days of being instructed. So far, we have a 100% success rate this year and this is no doubt partly due to the fact that candidates love how quick and smooth the process is. We keep them informed at every stage, so they are never left wondering what might be happen next at any point.
Time is precious, and never more so in recruitment when you’re trying to secure the next rising start of your firm!
A positive hiring experience has bigger picture benefits, too
An employee that has had a poor interview experience is going to go into a company thinking their experience may be reflective of the interview process and their morale and motivation will be low from the off.
However, if they feel respected throughout their candidacy, they will have high expectations and therefore an automatically positive start to the new job. New hires with high morale will lead to higher productivity, loyalty to the brand, creativity and innovation, contribution to a positive team spirit, lower absence rates and higher employee retention rates.
All this equates to significant time and cost savings!