Two BIG mistakes your company may be making

The #1 complaint I hear from job seekers is that they never hear back from the company who they either a) sent a resume/application to OR b) had an interview with.

There is no doubt that it’s a Talent Buyer’s Market and that Recruiters are getting inundated with resumes. But, this is no excuse to blow off candidates. In addition to coming back to haunt you when the market shifts, ignoring candidates is hurting your business RIGHT NOW.

We've all have someone we love and care about who has been effected by this Pink Slip Epidemic. And we've each felt that conviction to help them.

I receive over 500 emails a day. I wake up in the middle of the night worried that either myself or someone on my team didn’t get back to someone's father, mother, son.... And, unfortunately, there have been instances when we didn’t. The difference is that I find myself not sleeping some nights because I’m thinking about all the displaced job seekers and wishing we could to help them all. I find myself spending hours a day on the phone giving these folks the best advice I have for free. I can’t help but feel that it’s the right thing for me to do. The truth is that we can’t help them all, but we can help some. We can teach them to fish, and we can be honest about what we can and cannot do for them.

What pisses me off is how these people are being treated by the companies they are interested in working for. Sending resumes and never hearing a peep. Having an interview then waiting weeks to hear back. Sending multiple emails and making several phone calls only to find they will have to come to terms with the fact that they will never know what happened.

Two BIG mistakes your company may be making:

1) Blowing off job seekers. That person you just left hanging for 5 weeks is a potential guest and you just pissed them off. Also, this Talent Buyer’s Market won’t last forever and you’re gonna be hurt on the upswing. Job seekers don’t have short memories, and they will tell all of their friends about how you treated them. For years.

2) Hiring Freezes. It’s a Talent Buyer’s Market and you say, “We’re not hiring.” I don’t care if you just laid off 200 people, you should always be thinking about upgrading. Your company is going through major changes, re-inventing the business model, its brand, etc. You need innovators, game changers and change agents to lead you through this. There is amazing talent on the market. What are you doing to filter through and take advantage of this rare moment in time? What are you doing to build relationships with this talent while their interested?

What you SHOULD be doing instead:


1) Seriously focusing on your Employment Branding and Social Media Strategy.

2) Be up front and honest with the candidates. “This is a very popular job opening and we are receiving several applications. If you don’t hear from us by the end of the week that means…”

3) Automate your process and at least send a “No Thank You” letter. Our career site has a link for the candidate to check the status of their application as to whether it is open or closed. With the “No Thank You” letter, include a standard tip (best practice) sheet on finding a job, whether it’s advice on writing a resume, networking, or a list of recommended career resources to visit.

4) Genuinely try to help the job seeker by giving them advice, referring them to someone in your network or to other resources.

5) Direct them to your online communities, as well as to offline networking opportunities. Make sure those communities have valuable content for them.

6) Build relationships and online communities with these people so that, when it once again becomes a "Job Seeker’s Market" in a year or so, they will have a positive relationship with you and meanwhile they'll be loyal guest.

Amanda Hite
Talent Revolution Inc
a drastic change in thinking and behaving with talent