We’ve talked about the initial Mindset of a candidate coming into a recruiting process and we’ve talked about the things to consider through the first phase of Engagement. Now lets talk about how to show some love through the next, and perhaps most important phase.

Follow Up & Feedback – So you’ve successfully engaged a candidate whom you feel possesses the basic skills and experience you company is looking for. Through a series of interviews via phone, video and in person, the team will be assessing the “fit”. Through each step, it is your obligation to provide feedback to the candidate. Remember, you engaged them. You are requesting their time. They are giving that to you. You do owe them feedback.

So feedback can be good or bad. We’re all professional adults. We know that. And we expect to hear one way or the other. Too often, companies just go silent if the feedback isn’t great. If that’s your approach, you should really consider a different profession. That’s one of the least “human” things I can think of in a professional working environment. Barb Bruno is a great recruiting trainer. I’ve studied her methods for years. One of her rules is “Swallow the biggest frog first”. Meaning get the unpleasant stuff out of the way. Do it first and move on. Those things won’t be distracting you and weighing on you while you procrastinate. I like to believe our firm does this better than anyone and that’s why we earn such incredible loyalty from the candidates we work with. Even if one doesn’t work out, we show respect, empathy and consideration for these people and they reward us by remaining open to working with us in the future.

This is where SO many companies miss an opportunity. They go silent, spoil a perfectly good prospect and likely ignite a fuse that will burn throughout their industry of examples and rumors of how poorly they treat people. I see it every day. If you think that doesn’t happen, your naive. Many times I have called a candidate, pitched a great opportunity and when I reveal the client company they say, “No thanks. A friend of mine was ghosted by them a few months ago. I’d rather not waste my time”. It happens folks…

So here is the take away – Be thoughtful. Always place yourself in the candidates shoes. Remember that you requested their time and that you owe them. Even if it isn’t what they want to hear, they will understand and appreciate the consideration and you will have a warm prospect for the future.