Communication

Communicating in this day and age should be easy ... right? We have phones that are always available to help us connect and contact others through not only calls but also emails and texts. With that type of technology and power in the palm of our hands I often wonder to myself ... why aren’t we using it more?

I recently had a client that didn’t communicate about the hiring process to both the candidate and myself over the course of a few weeks. As a result the candidate didn’t feel engaged and ended up declining an offer after it was given … three weeks after the final interview. Three weeks! And in that timeframe we rarely heard from the client. It would have been easy to pick up the phone to keep us informed of the reason for the delay but they didn’t. Then after the offer was declined the client was shocked. I then had to have the hard conversation with them about why.

I know we are all busy but we have to remember that we are not the only ones with things going on. We need to be more considerate of others and keep them informed in both personal and professional situations. In my last blog I mentioned that TIME = RESPECT and I still stand behind that statement. Three weeks for an offer to be presented after a final interview is way too long ... but it could have still been managed and had a better outcome if there was more communication involved during that timeframe.

With companies desperate for good workers it still boggles my mind that we sometimes treat those applying and interviewing more like cattle than like people. So here are some tips so this doesn’t happen to you on either side of the deal!

Employer Tips:

• Know what you are looking for before starting to search and interview people for a position within your company

• Let the candidate (and the recruiter if working with one) know what the process will look like from the application stage to the hiring/on boarding stage

• Give feedback after each step in a timely manner along with what nexts steps look like

• Make sure to stay true to the timeline you have given the candidate (and communicate if it will take longer)

Job Seeker Tips:

• Make sure to ask about next steps after each stage of the process

• Make the employer aware of any other opportunities you may have and the timeline for those (this might help speed up the process)

• Stay in contact with the hiring manager (and recruiter if working with one) to stay involved and aware of where you are at in the process

• Communicate any needs you may have in the late stages of the process if an offer may be presented*

(*Note: When working with a good recruiter they should be asking you for your salary, bonus, and benefit needs prior to submitting you to make sure that the position you are applying for is within range of what you need in order to make a career change.)

Hopefully this helps remind you that COMMUNICATION IS KEY. Don’t let an opportunity slip through the cracks because you didn’t communicate properly in the situation.

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