Did we forget there is a human being behind a cv?

A few weeks ago, I posted a job ad on LinkedIn. To my surprise, I received over 200 applications. Flooded mailbox of course and back-to-back interviews of some really great candidates but let’s face, the majority of the candidates ended up in the ‘not the right fit’ pile.

One night, I decided to get to it and send e-mails informing candidates that they were not withheld for the position. To my surprise, I had another flooded inbox the next morning. Almost half of the candidates had sent me an e-mail, simply thanking me for the time that I had taken to send them a personal message.

How did it come this far that people start thanking headhunters for a simple e-mail! Did we, in the rush for the perfect candidate, forget that there is an actual human being behind a cv, who is eager to know whether it could be a match?

Every business professional knows that delivering a great customer experience is crucial for success. And the consequences of a bad experience are equally well known.

For a recruiter, talent is the equivalent of customers for a company. And the marketing message has arrived with ‘candidate experience’ being one of the top trends in talent acquisition the last few years. Research has shown that 91,4% of all HR professionals believe that a positive candidate experience has a direct impact on the quality of the new employees.  Yet we seem to have forgotten that it also entails clear and personal communication about not being the right fit.

Admitted, I also sometimes forget to send a message letting people know that they are not withheld. Never on purpose, but it happens. And yes, I have a separate mailbox with candidates who have spontaneously applied to whom I still need to respond. There is a good reason for that, I want them to benefit from the video-pitching we will be launching. But that is no reason to keep them in the dark.

So my good resolution is to send those e-mails right now. Once that is done, I'll start writing my next blog on creating a winning candidate experience.

After all, the day that we forget that there is a human being behind a cv, will be the day that robots and AI can take over recruitment. 

I look forward to hearing from you,

Isabel

Through a personalized and tailor-made approach, Ingenium Executive Search aspires to assist you in attracting the right talent that matches the DNA of your company

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