Now that the economy seems to be turning around, BIC Recruiting is receiving more inquiries from prospective employers seeking to find “A” level talent.
These prospective employers often start with good intentions but then something happens in the process and things tend to go not quite as expected.
The normal process is for the employer and the recruiting firm to agree on the “specifications” of the position. Generally, the employer provides a position description and other key attributes such as salary, benefits, location of the position, etc. Sometimes, however, the position description has not been updated for some time. The employer’s hiring manager assumes that the human resources department has updated everything and the HR manager assumes that the hiring manager has no changes to the position. This of course leads to “improper specs” which are transferred to the recruiting firm, and guess what happens. Yep, an improper candidate is built. So after a few rounds of submitting and reviewing résumés it is determined that the original specifications for the position were incorrect and the process starts all over. During this back and forth scenario, the candidates who have been contacted and have submitted their résumés to the employer are anxious to hear whether they are going to get an opportunity to be interviewed. These candidates are caught in the middle of a very inefficient process, which leads to frustration by all parties.
The next step in the process, if we are lucky and break out of the résumé submittal and review loop, is the interview step. This is a critical step for all involved and needs to be handled properly. Candidates, after they are interviewed, need to be given timely feedback as to whether they are in contention for the position or not. If days and weeks go by and these candidates hear nothing from the prospective employer or recruiter, then frustration again sets in. Frustrated candidates can cause great harm to an employer’s brand. Unfortunately, most employers don’t recognize this potential.
There are certainly a lot of reasons why things change in the talent acquisition process. However, there is one immutable fact that never changes. That fact is that all parties need to communicate better. Generally all parties involved are adults and can understand that change happens and they just want to be informed and not be left in the dark. Throughout the entire process, the candidates often feel that the prospective employer and the recruiting firm are just kicking their tires to determine their value and are not really interested in them. Employers, on the other hand, find themselves stretched to the limit with their employees sometimes doing the work of two or three and can’t slow down enough to avoid potential pitfalls. Employees are so busy that they can’t slow down enough to plan the talent acquisition process properly. A possible solution to this dilemma is to let BIC Recruiting consult with your hiring manager and HR department and streamline your process.
So, in conclusion, are you, the employer, serious about hiring or are you just kicking the tires and in the process damaging your brand?
For more information, visit www.bicalliance.com or call (281) 538-9996.
