As a startup you want to take all the precautions to ensure that your candidate not only has a positive experience but has such a good experience that they are willing to recommend you to others; having the correct image and reputation are essential to success. The following list of qualities provided by Ketan Gajjar Director – Recruitment Services at QX Recruitment Services for our Recruitment Start-up Centre.will help you to ensure that candidates will be satisfied and happy with their experience.
- Comprehensive information: When contacting the candidate about a new role, ensure they are given a comprehensive job description about the role, type of company, culture, etc. Asking if they need any further information is a good way to open the dialogue rather than just assuming what you have sent it all they need.
- Give breathing space: When having a discussion about the position, let them speak. It is poor practice for the recruiter to dictate the dialog; permit the candidate to discuss their experience and why they think they fit the role. This is an important part of the process and helps to develop the relationship.
- Set out expectations: Discuss the job in detail; confirm all aspects such as traveling, salary and benefits are mentioned upfront. Setting expectations at the preliminary stage saves time, resources and essentially, reputation with clients. This step enables you to clarify applicant commitment for the position and circumvents last a minute pull-out later in the process.
- Go over the process: Take the candidate over the entire recruitment process; eg, number of interviews, staff involved in interviews, any tests or demonstrations they’re required to appear for/work upon individually and so on.
- Effective management: Find out their availability in the beginning to minimise setting up of interviews at times they cannot make. Providing candidate availability to the clients when first sending CV’s smooths the general interview process.
- Give feedback: Most candidates complain that recruiters very rarely contact them with feedback on the interview. No news is still news to the candidates, good or otherwise. Keep in contact with the applicants regardless of your feedback situation with the clients. Candidates want to know the status of their interview performance and even if the feedback is negative, they want to be kept posted. We as recruiters play important positions in enhancing a candidates’ capability and help them deliver better results in other interviews by providing relevant feedback.
- Follow up: Contact candidates when they leave messages/email trying to contact you. There isn’t anything more impolite than not calling back at all. Remember, candidates are your currency and one can only achieve bottom line outcomes by overseeing an effective applicant association.
- Get their opinion: Asking for feedback at various stages within the recruitment lifespan gives us an opportunity to meet candidate expectations and also allows for process improvement
- Post placement feedback: Don’t leave the candidates on their own once they’re placed. This is the most important stage within the placement lifecycle; keep in mind, we work in a candidate short market and the probation period works both ways; i.e. applicant’s are also assessing the client during this duration. Hence, keeping in touch with them can help recruiters get immediate knowledge about candidate experience with the client, opportunity to find out more about the client, new vacancies, etc.
An effective process driven approach will not only ensure quality candidate experience, but also helps you to deliver client satisfaction. A step by step approach ranging from resourcing to post placement functions will enable recruiters to deliver exceptional candidate experience.
At QX Recruitment Services we already follow the steps above with our own clients. We also make sure we are communicating with you on an everyday basis until you feel comfortable with everything. Most startups are not able to achieve their potential not because they had a bad idea or concept but more to do with execution. Having the correct procedures and guidelines set in place will provide the foundation for a solid business.
If you think QX can help your new business adjust to an established marketplace give us a call on +44 845 838 2462 or email us: contact@qxrecruitment.com for a confidential and no cost discussion to see how we can help.
