In a War for Top Talent, Regular Communication Wins

Are you communicating regularly with clients and candidates? Or, to put it another way, are you treating job seekers like potential customers?

It seems like a no-brainer, something everyone should do. Isn’t there a “Golden Rule” that states you should “treat others as you want to be treated?” But if we are honest, for a variety of reasons, we rarely communicate as we expect others to communicate with us.

In the staffing and recruiting world, this couldn’t be truer. Candidates lack visibility into the recruiting process, and a lack of follow-up and check-ins can create a black hole that alienates high-potential candidates. This is especially devastating for firms that differentiate based on talent and speed to market.

“Employers that think they can treat recruiting like an episode of ‘Survivor’ or ‘Wipeout’ don’t realize the extent to which candidates judge companies and their work environments by the recruiting experience,” states John Henry, director with Deloitte Services LP, in his article for the Wall Street Journal. “An organization’s recruiting process gives candidates a glimpse of the company’s culture and day-to-day operations, and a bureaucratic hiring process is likely to repel leading candidates – those who want to roll up their sleeves, get to work, and make an impact”

Right now you may be thinking that’s all well and good, but recruiters parse hundreds of resumes and speak to countless candidates daily. Is it really possible to provide this personal connection and effectively communicate with each job seeker? The simple answer is “yes” and, it may be simpler than you think.

Forward-looking firms are leaning on enterprise staffing software that designs the recruiting experience around candidates. From submission to placement, automated alerts and regular personalized touch points can eliminate the silence and do the little things that treats candidates like valuable customers.

Go even further. Why stop once a candidate is placed on assignment? Regular check-ins for the duration of an assignment builds relationships and provides opportunities to share feedback.

Eric Gilpin’s article in the ASA’s Staffing Success reviews Opportunities in Staffing data that shows most clients and candidates prefer to be contacted via email and at these intervals:

•   Two to three days before an assignment starts
•   The day the assignment starts
•   Two to three days after the assignment starts
•   Weekly throughout the assignment

So, follow the “Golden Rule” in 2014 and invest in relationships through regular, engaging communication. See what happens.