When we think about the hiring and interview process we tend to think of the candidate worrying over every aspect of what they do and say, reviewing and revising their resume to make it as clean and impressive as they possibly can, and going over again and again what they will say in the interview to make the best impression possible because we know that if the candidate fails to put their best foot forward and show the employer the best possible version of themselves then they will surely be denied the position they are vying for. What we tend to overlook is the fact that the employer should be just as concerned with making their own best first impression, making sure to carefully re-review the resumes of those candidates that they intend to interview, as well as putting a great deal of thought and planning into the development of their interview questions and assessment strategies.
What most people, employers and candidates alike, fail to understand is the precarious nature of the executive search and hiring process, particularly as a great deal more pressure to be both efficient and successful in these endeavors has been placed on the employer due to the current talent shortage, itself a consequence of the financial crisis which has also put a financial strain on companies to be as efficient as possible in their hiring practices. However, as critical as it may be for companies to avoid the unnecessary losses associated with investing time and resources into a hiring process which results in a bad hire should things go wrong, there are other factors that should be considered as well, such as the state of the organization’s reputation and the struggle to attract the very best talent at such a difficult time, and it is on the employer’s shoulders to handle these concerns.
One factor in particular which few if any employers seem to take into consideration in the application of their executive search and candidate sourcing strategies is the mentality of the applicants who submit their resumes. Once an individual has submitted their resume to a company they then spend days, weeks, even months in some cases, waiting to hear back from the employer, and all too often, if not selected for the interview process, they may never hear anything back at all. Such neglect is simply unnecessary and inconsiderate, and can create negative perception of the company for the applicant. While this may not seem like a big deal, particularly for smaller organizations, with larger companies whose applicants may number in the hundreds or thousands, and who are likely customers as well, such a shortcoming and the negative feelings it creates could have more significant impact on the company’s customer base.
What makes this issue all the more absurd is the fact that it can be solved with little to no effort on the employers part through the application of simple automated email systems, first to alert the applicant that their resume has been received and will be reviewed, and second, to alert them if their resume is still being considered or has been rejected. It is the little details just such as this that can set the tone for how the applicant or candidate will view the company and what they will take away from the process pass or fail.
Published by Conselium Executive Search, the global leader in compliance search.
