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10 Things That Can Make Recruiters Look Like Bad Hires

By Kirk Gollwitzer - Tryon Systems Group March 28, 2011

Sourcing and successfully recruiting qualified candidates is a vital component to all organizations. It takes effort, diligence, finesse, creativity, and don’t forget, “manners”. But more often than not, recruiters tend to put manners aside, and unknowingly treat populations of job seekers like commodities, rather than human beings with feelings. Never forget that these “human beings” develop their own opinion of the recruiters and more importantly the companies in which they represent. Below are 10 things that can make recruiters look like bad hires:

1. Never post your recruiting frustrations on social networks, groups, blogs, or websites. Keep in mind that the candidates you are studying are also studying you on Facebook, Linkedin, and many other places.

2. Always spell your candidates first name correctly in email correspondence. Spell checkers catch a lot, but getting the recipients name wrong can catch hell.

3. When scheduling an interview with a candidate in another geographic location, make sure that you pay attention to TIME ZONES! Being off by hours makes you look sloppy and disorganized.

4. Always make sure that other staff members interviewing your candidate have both read and approved the job description that was posted on career sites. If your hiring manager and your candidates have different job descriptions in mind, both parties will appear to be singing from different sheets of music.

5. When you make contact with a potential candidate who is not actively looking for employment, don’t ask them “why they are looking for a job”; or “why they might be unhappy in their current position?” Also, insure that all other interviewers are aware of this status as well.

6. When setting up “next step” interviews, call your candidates on the phone and talk to them in person, rather than relying solely upon email correspondence. Emails can get lost in cyberspace and it also appears to the candidate that you are not invested in the process and treating the candidate with disrespect.

7. If there is a schedule change for an interview or a meeting, never notify the candidate via phone text. Texting someone without their approval is very inappropriate, and it makes you appear intrusive and cavalier.

8. If your company requires your candidate to complete an online personality/assessment test, explain to them the purpose of the test. Many of these tests are lengthy and impersonal. Also if your candidate asks for a copy of the results, and you are able to provide them, then do so. Regardless of whether your candidate is hired or not, most people who invest their time in these exercises would like to know the results.

9. Do not connect with your candidate on social network sights like Facebook and LinkeIn in an effort to raid their connections. It makes you appear underhanded and untrustworthy.

10. Always personally thank all of your candidates that have completed the entire recruiting cycle, even if they might not have been selected for the job. Good relationships are worth their weight in gold, bad relationship can cause you and your company downstream harm. Preserve these allies for future possibilities with either your company or others. Past candidates can also serve as a great referral sources.

Bottom-line, make sure your entire organization is on the same page during the recruiting process, and most importantly, treat your candidate with the respect they deserve. Build good karma, and remember: “what goes around comes around”.

www.tryonsystemsgroup.com