Forty-seven percent of workers are thinking about making a change in their workplace situation. Social recruiting is paving the way for recruiters to easily reach out to this wide pool of job candidates faster and more effectively than ever before. This does not mean, however, that recruiters should ignore establishing positive relationships with potential employees.
You typically expect communication between you and your top job candidates to move at light speed. An email you send would be answered in a matter of minutes. Calls would be returned right away. The rapid-fire communication lets you know just how interested the talented job seeker is in joining your company.
However, you may have noticed that your communication with some of the job candidates is now crawling like a turtle. It is taking much longer for your emails to be answered and for your best job candidates to provide you with relevant information you need. If your candidate is no longer getting back to you in a timely fashion, it could be that his or her interest in the company or the particular position is fading.
Solution: There could be several reasons for the above situation, but many can be addressed through better communication. You need to reopen the communication channels with your top job candidate. Somewhere along the line, something was lost in translation. It might be that your job candidate thinks your company has lost interest or they do not fully understand your company culture. If you were wholly impressed with the candidate, work to reestablish your connection. This might mean you have to go the extra mile to phone them or reach out using the Web, but it will be worth it to avoid losing talent for your company.
Up until this point, the relationship you had developed with your potential job candidates was extremely cordial. Through email, phone, and social media recruitment strategies, you have had the opportunity to have several conversations with this potential hire. Usually, the job candidate would be extremely friendly and optimistic in your conversations.
Suddenly, however, you are getting the proverbial silent treatment. Emails are returning with one line answers. The conversations through your social media channels have become routine and increasingly formal. A clear sign your relationship with this top talent may be failing is if your once friendly job candidate has become cold and distant.
Solution: Social media recruiting makes it easier than ever to quickly communicate with job candidates in the social spaces where they spend time. Use the power of social media to keep in contact with your potential employee and keep your company fresh in their minds. This might mean reaching out to them on Facebook, Twitter, or through a professional network like LinkedIn. Whatever method, make sure to keep the conversation going or you risk losing your top choice for good.
The best job candidates are the ones who come prepared with quality, insightful questions. These are the job seekers who have done their homework on your organization and want to show you what they know. They will ask questions about your company, your industry, and the challenges both face.
Keep an eye out when formerly inquisitive candidates stop asking questions. Good questions show job candidates are not only thinking about the issues of the day, they are also thinking about their future at the company. If the questions have stopped, it is possible your top candidates have stopped envisioning a future with your company.
Solution: Once you have reopened the communication lines with your job candidate, find out what is causing the issue. This is the reason the candidate has stopped asking impressive questions and has started pulling away from the process. Once you know the reason, you can work to resolve the problem. It might be that your top job candidate has a competing offer from another company and is trying to decide where to go. If you take time to show how valued the employee will be at your company, this could surely sway the decision in your favor.
If your once superstar job candidate is exhibiting any of these telltale signs, it’s time to act quickly. In the war for talent, every great job candidate your company fails to scoop up will be poached by a competitor. Knowing the signs to look for and directly addressing your job candidates while they are still in the decision-making mode, can help you avoid losing the top talent your company needs to succeed.
What are some signs a relationship with a potential employee is failing? Share in the comments!
Photo by CHUTTERSNAP on Unsplash