Recruiters Establishing Credibility With Candidates

 

Recruiters are some of the greatest contributors to an organization’s success. They help companies secure the best talent and job seekers find their ideal workplace. But despite your intentions as a recruiter, you might find that there is a sense of distrust amongst candidates working with staffing firms. Personally, I have found that many recruiters find it difficult to earn a candidate’s trust. Unfortunately, there is only so much you can do to influence the narrative. We cannot fundamentally change their wholesome perspective. But we can influence how applicants see us and secure their trust on a personal level.

     Understanding Candidates and Staying in Touch

• Try to establish an emotional bond by understanding the candidate’s current situation—whether they view their job as a steppingstone, how happy they are in their current position, how the job figures into their family life.
• Many tech candidates have submitted résumés that have gone unacknowledged or worked with recruiters who simply stopped returning their phone calls as soon as the employer decided they weren’t a fit. Make the call, even if it’s not what the candidate wants to hear.

     Always Be Honest

• You gain trust by communicating openly and honestly. That becomes particularly important when priorities change for the candidate or the client. Sometimes the perfect candidate “isn’t the perfect candidate anymore.”
• Always keep an eye on the horizon. When a talented candidate ends up not fitting a particular role, the relationship you’ve built will keep open lines of communication and can mean a better fit for another role down the road. I’ve always had the perspective that it’s a mutual win if I place someone in their ideal role now or three years from now.

      Don’t Neglect the Basics

• If you say you’ll follow up with a candidate in three days, follow up in three days. Stay in touch about where you are in the process. Besides encouraging the candidate to trust you, keeping your promises leads them to respond more quickly when you need answers from them.
• If someone has been eliminated from consideration, tell them why. Not only is it professional, but it also provides them with constructive feedback.

     Make It Personal

• As a recruiter, building trust begins with the very first meeting. Start it personally by saying ‘I am reaching out to you because I place professionals like you for a living. Youmay not want the job I have available, but I believe a mutual relationship will provide value for both of us long-term.”
• Amongst other things, that approach demonstrates that you want more than a fair-weather relationship. Besides landing stronger candidates, building trust is especially important at a time when technology professionals are in high demand and can switch jobs with relative ease. The technology community talks frequently, which makes it easy for an organization to develop a bad reputation among candidates. Trust builds good relationships. It’s as simple as that.

 

Fred Engel is a Senior Recruiter in TEWS Technology Division