With current recruitment trends and practices, top candidates can be inundated with messages on LinkedIn not to mention phone calls, from Recruiters looking to talk to them about the next opportunity. There's a lot of importance placed on finding and attracting the right talent, but what about what happens during the recruitment process?

As a Senior Recruitment Consultant with a past career in IT and has been on the other side of the fence, I know first hand it can be a daunting experience changing roles. Firstly you need to make time for personal calls during work hours to speak to a recruiter, and then you need to take time to attend interviews and if you're really active in the market, this could be for multiple roles at once.  It's certainly time-consuming and stressful, almost like the job search itself is a full-time job.

As a candidate, you put yourself out there and are assessed and compared, which can take you on a rollercoaster emotionally. When you finally get to the stage of securing a client interview, it's both exciting and nerve-wracking. But your work isn't done yet!  Now you have to spend time researching the company for the looming interview.  You'll practice your interview questions and make sure you have all the right answers ready to go.  You'll take extra care getting your attire right for the big day and maybe even get a little grooming done – Hairdo?  Beard?  Maybe both?

When the interview day is finally here, you have to go through the inevitable pre-interview nerves. Phew!  It's exhausting.

So, tell me…with all that work and preparation that you've put in, what would your expectation be in regards to feedback?  Would you be happy to get feedback a week later? Or would you be ok with 3 days after the interview?  And how much feedback would you like?  What if you didn't get any feedback?  Or just a generic email response saying “We regret to inform you… yaddah, yaddah, yarh…”

In my professional opinion, it's only fair the candidate receives initial feedback within 24 hours, 48 hours at most.

Why should the candidate have to wait when they have done all that work?

Let's jump in the candidate's shoes again -  you've come out of the interview buzzing with enthusiasm after finally meeting the people from the organisation that you are potentially going to work within the future; you are fuelled with excitement and momentum.   This is the exciting stage when you KNOW you either WANT the role or due to having more information, don't think its right for you after all.  This is the moment when you have that 'gut feeling' and your intuition is telling you whether the role is right.

Imagine yourself in that moment just post interview and you get a call from your Recruiter.   If it's positive feedback you now have a chance to consider whether you would take the role, and hence if an offer or a next interview is offered, you are striking while the iron is hot!

I get that we Hiring Managers & HR Professionals are busy, but so are the very candidates that we are looking to hire. The risks of providing delayed feedback or a poor experience for the candidate means they might draw conclusions that the hiring company itself is disorganised, or that they don't value their staff.   And to make matters worse, the candidate can also communicate this sentiment to other colleagues, family & friends. Not great for the brand image!

The other outcome of not providing feedback in a timely matter is that the candidate disengages and assumes they haven't been successful. They might even progress with other opportunities. Or if they are still in the market when you finally give them feedback, they might need to be reminded of what they liked about the role and the company and require “selling to”, to get them back on board again.

The recruitment process can take weeks or longer, and hence the way that you engage with your recruitment consultant and the candidates is vitally important.

Don't forget that often good candidates get many opportunities presented to them.   Don't make them wait and don't leave them hanging.  If you are working towards the next steps in the recruitment process, have the candidate in mind and communicate.  Engagement is key!

If you are thinking about your next career move and would like to discuss opportunities, here's 3 things you can do:

Submit your resume and register on our website to receive tailored job alerts;

Follow us on LinkedIn;

Contact me on 03 8606 0300 or ljennings@morganconsulting.com.au