It's well documented that the recruiter and candidate 'relationship' can be a difficult one. Both parties need to be on the same page in order to reach the ultimate goal - a successful hire. If everyone isn't aiming towards the same goal, it tends to result in a lack of success. In this blog, we discuss our favourite top tips for any candidates that are going through the hiring process in order to have a successful recruitment journey and a better overall experience.
A recruiter and candidate's relationship is extremely important - it can make a great impact on not only a successful hire, but it can also contribute towards a brand/individual's reputation during the hiring process.
With that being said, recruitment etiquette is a highly important factor that contributes towards building a strong and trusted recruitment relationship whilst also makes the hiring process more smooth and efficient in general. With the constant development of technology, it has made it easier for both parties to lose sight of the fact that what we do and how we act can impact our image and potential job roles - and studies have shown that "ghosting" has become one of the most common negative contributions in the hiring process.
The term "ghosting" has stemmed from the world of online dating which refers to the act of intentionally avoiding a potential partner after a date or multiple messages - this term has now been extended into the world of recruitment, relating it to the relationship between employers/recruiters and candidates. "Professional ghosting" in the workplace originally started out as an act from the employers but there's a growing trend among candidates as well.
In a LinkedIn article, Peter Cappelli (Professor of Management) had stated "I think candidates have learned ghosting from the employers. Employers were notorious for never getting back to people, and only letting them know what was going on if it turned out they wanted them to go to the next step.".
This made us think about the current recruitment industry. How can we improve this moving forward and highlight the positives of recruitment?
Important Factors To Consider
Here at Talented Recruitment Group, we believe that our candidates and clients should have a similar outlook to our mission and values as we truly think that the constant communication and engagement brings positive results and experiences, so being on the same page will naturally help to build a professional relationship.
We decided to have a look into some of our top tips for candidates to consider whilst going through their recruitment journey. We think it will make the overall process a lot more efficient, whilst bringing you the best outcomes and landing you your dream role. At the end of the day, we love nothing more than to help great people, find great careers.
Communication.
When it comes to recruitment, communication is always key - and this seems to have been lost somewhat throughout the years, resulting in the term "ghosting". When in contact with your recruiter, it's important that you're always on top of your responses and clear at the same time, as this allows your recruiter to ultimately help you in the best way possible and create a smoother, more enjoyable process for all parties involved. Once you progress to further stages within the hiring process, frequent communication becomes even more important as you want your recruiter to keep you in the loop of anything that's happening behind the scenes as well.
As mentioned in our previous blog post, which you can read here, studies have in fact shown that the clear and concise communication during the recruitment process tends to result in positive experiences for both parties and this is something we're extremely passionate about.
Honesty.
Honesty is a massive part of a recruitment relationship and applies to both parties, as you need to have complete transparency with one another. Employers and candidates should always be honest with the recruitment agency they're working with as it will ensure them the best service possible and vice versa.
Being honest with your recruitment consultants will simply help us to help you. We take time to build our relationships with our clients and candidates, so when recruiters encounter dis-honesty, it can become detrimental to everyone involved. Whether it's salary, benefits, office environment or even location - every single detail matters. Bringing honesty to the process will bring you the best benefits of either landing your dream role or finding the correct candidates.
Honesty is such an important factor as it's what makes you a good consultant, candidate, and client. If you have questions, ask.
Commitment.
Commitment is also one of our top tips and can be linked with honesty and communication. Candidates, consultants, and prospective employers have all worked extremely hard, spending time, money, and resources in getting to this point in the hiring journey - so breaking down this trust could mean you end up losing the role or other potential roles through the agency.
Especially after interviews, it's extremely important to give your honest feedback to your consultant and raise any concerns or queries that you could have regarding the role or company. This is your time to question, listen, and digest your thoughts to know whether it's worth continuing to pursue the opportunity. If you feel as though the role isn't the right fit for you, vocalise your concerns and reasons, so your recruiter can help to guide you and present you with something more suitable that you want to fully commit to. So if there's ever any doubt, confusion or loss of interest, don't be afraid to mention it to your consultant.
Building a strong, trustworthy and reliable relationship with your recruiter will only ever bring you benefits when looking for a new job role - and the same can also be said towards employers and other recruiters. This is something we're extremely passionate about as we have worked hard on trying to eliminate the term "ghosting" from recruitment whilst building up the trusted and reliable service that is very much needed today.
Here at Talented Recruitment Group, we hope that some of these top tips will help you when heading into the recruitment process with an agency or directly with an employer - as these are some of our top recommendations, which are simple, yet highly effective and intrinsic to the continued success of the recruitment industry.