Recruiting is all about communication. With the endless tech advances over the past decade, we have never had more ways of finding and keeping in touch with people. As recruiters, this has flooded our pipelines with qualified candidates. But can we trust these forms of communication more than a direct verbal conversation?
Between LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, text, email, and all other forms of communication our phones are capable of, dialing someone directly is getting to be one of the least favored methods of correspondence, especially if you are speaking to someone of Generation Y or younger. We screen calls, avoid numbers we don’t know, and glare at our phones with discontent when a voicemail icon appears on the top right of the screen. How many people would rather shoot an email over picking up the phone to speak to someone? I’d guess about 7 out of 10.
It is said that in real life communication, things like volume and tone can determine connotations. When we are communicating non-verbally, however, these implications disappear. Messages are easily misconstrued, and it’s much easier for a candidate to disappear when a personal connection hasn’t been made. Time slows for no one, so as the good quote goes, “Evolve or Die.” Some of the tips below will aid in keeping ties strong between pipelined candidates when communication isn’t quite as intimate as it once was.
- When you are not making a personal connection with candidates you have pipelined, it is easy to forget about the perfect applicant whose resume you had saved three months ago after speaking to them waiting for the position to open. If you keep your organizational skills in check, you won’t forget about these well qualified resumes you have stashed up your sleeve. Whether you have drives saved on your desktop or folders saved in your email account – stay catalogued. Systemizing in layers works best for me; individual client folders leading to specific positions I’ve recruited and broken down by location make it simple to review and search the individual I am looking for.
- Having resumes arranged for easy review is a step in the right direction for maintaining a relationship with candidates, but if no contact is made after initial conversations, all the organizing may have been done in vain. Whichever ATS a recruiter is working out of contains follow-up reminders, use them! The candidate whose contract was ending in four weeks needs to be contacted in four weeks. “I will circle back to touch base” is a phrase that is overused and underutilized. As a recruiter, if you say you will circle back, than do it. It will impress and compliment the candidate that their resume was important enough to remember as well as demonstrate a great degree of professionalism.
- Listen and Remember. Setting your follow up reminders should not only be used when a candidate might be becoming available for employment. Remember little details; Applicant Tracking Software holds copious tabs for uploading any relevant documentation as well as areas for notes. If a candidate is moving, or having a baby, or accepted a position they obtained on their own; these are all reasons to touch base, build a connection and establish a rapport. Check in with them, see how things are going. Establishing solid relationships in business is one of the best stocks to invest in. Referrals happen for a reason.
Using an exclamation point or all caps in an email isn’t really comparable to hearing the excitement in someone’s tone when they are passionate about what they are speaking of, but the evolution of technology and the innovation of it has changed business in contemporary culture for the better in many ways. Learning to maximize the utilization of it will aide in all areas of a professional career. The few tips above are just some examples of how to cultivate meaningful relationships when our daily communication tactics are under renovations.
By Jaclyn Gallo | People Science – Talent Advisor – Sourcing Specialist