Having spoken to a number of frustrated jobseekers recently it has become clear that as candidates, they are being left in the dark in the recruitment process. Recently, a candidate that we’ll call “Jane” came to me for advice. Jane had been for an interview through a different high street recruiter and had gained great success through the process. So much so that she had been for her second and final interview just over two weeks ago.
However, Jane had not received any feedback since then and was growing concerned she had not met the mark at interview and frustrated at the lack of response from the recruiter. In this instance, it is clear that there has been a hold up at the client’s end – frankly, there could be a number of reasons for this, such as:
- We are in the holiday period so the decision makers and HR could both be on annual leave with little or inadequate cover in regards to recruitment.
- Spending reviews have been sanctioned putting the role on hold until a set date / further notice.
- The client wishes to interview further candidates in order to benchmark.
- The client likes the candidate, however
- not enough to make an offer, or;
- They’re waiting to see if anything better/different comes along.
- The candidate was unsuccessful but the client has yet to make the recruiter aware of this – due to offers being made to others etc.
Whatever the reason, not communicating with the candidate is not a fair way to do business. Today’s candidate could well be tomorrow’s client. Even if there is no change or no feedback, recruiters should feel obliged to speak with their candidates to keep them well-informed throughout the process. A quick call or email just stating you are chasing but there’s no news really doesn’t take up too much time and keeps candidates feeling like they are in control.
At Arras People, we pride ourselves in keeping candidates informed throughout the process. This starts at the application stage, and ensures that we respond to all candidates, whether the occasion brings good or bad news. Successful applications are interviewed about the role by one of our specialist consultants and if the role is suitable they are submitted to the client for review. We believe in striking a balance on chasing up feedback whilst being pragmatic to a client’s workload – all communications are kept active and feedback is provided on a regular basis to the candidate. Once interviews are arranged we coach candidates in the correct way to research clients and practice techniques, feedback is retrieved from both parties post interviews to ensure everyone is happy. We are here to mediate throughout the process and to ensure relationships are maintained.
Some advice for candidates who are experiencing the same issues as Jane: go back to your recruiter. If they will not take your call, email them instead, stating (in a professional manner) that you require some kind of update even if there is no news at present. An acknowledgement that you are not forgotten!
