It's ironic. Editors want reporters who pursue and probe sources, who clarify and confirm facts, who get the story. Yet when looking to hire a reporter, those editors often resemble difficult sources: they don't respond to e-mails and phone calls, they disclose little about where a candidate stands and they make it hard to "get the story" on the position.
I have been on both sides of the recruiting desk. I know the challenges for the employer: jobs take weeks to be approved and posted internally, candidates must be vetted and matched to the job, clips must be reviewed. All the while, the regular work doesn't stop. Never mind the pressure to make the perfect hire and to get the boss, and the boss' boss, to agree with your decision.
No matter the challenges, silence is unhealthy for both employers and candidates. Whatever the medium, when a candidate reaches out to apply for a job, she deserves a response. Employers can lose great candidates if they
believe there is no interest. And a company's image can be dampened by the
way a job seeker is handled.
If you are a hiring manager and wonder why it is so important to respond to job seekers, consider this:
- How would you feel if the tables were turned and you were waiting to hear from the job seeker?
- Silence tells others that you don't care. Is that really what you want to convey?
- It takes a certain amount of grit to apply for a job. Respect applicants' initiative by responding with some helpful feedback.
Treat a job search like a news storyCandidates who have reached out to work for a new company wait for answers. When they don't hear anything, they start to create reasons why. The longer they wait, the less interested they become, and those with a sense of urgency look elsewhere.
What should applicants do when they get the silent treatment?
- Job seekers should "do their reporting" on the job by investigating the details of the position, learning who the hiring manager is and following up on leads just like they would a story.
- What matters is how the job seeker persists in following up, not that he persists. Always be pleasant in following up. Show an understanding of the hiring manager's challenges in balancing other work and responding to candidates.
- Stand out from the crowd with your resume, clip package or portfolio, phone presence, physical presence, cover letter, thank-you letter and follow-up to the interview.
- Consistently come across as professional, conscientious, caring and valuable.
- Take notes on all interactions. Refer to your notes when following up and in preparing for a phone call or interview.
- When you do reach the hiring manager, try to establish the schedule for filling the job. Ask what is acceptable in terms of follow-up. Try to find out what the next step is and when you might hear back.
- Recognize that it is a small world. Those you deal with in a job search can be future bosses, references and customers.
- Remember that how you conduct yourself during a job hunt becomes a testament to those you meet.
- Learn from every interaction. Find out what you can improve and take notes on it. Make the improvements.
- An impartial career coach or mentor can help.
Carve out time for applicantsIt is the unusual manager who makes recruiting the top priority of the day, and those managers usually are the most successful in hiring. What should hiring managers do to prioritize recruiting?
- If the day-to-day work gets in the way of recruiting, employers should do their best to respond to inquiries in a systematic way. Send an e-mail or letter acknowledging receipt of applicants' materials. You can use a form letter, but provide some idea of how long the process may take so that the good candidates don't lose interest.
- If you do interview an applicant, tell him the time frame and process for hiring.
- Take the burden off yourself. Allow the job seeker to contact you every couple of weeks and remind you of her candidacy. This will give you some indication of how the candidate will follow up and vet sources.
- Be sure to take notes on interactions so you remember details when the candidate calls.
- Keep a central log for the opening so you can easily look at a cover sheet that tells you who applied and when and what contact you have had.
- Stay in touch with the top finalist if you are waiting on internal approval to hire for the position.
- Remember to treat the other finalists with courtesy and respect. They may be your choice for the next position, or this one if the first choice rejects your offer.
- Thank people for applying. It leaves a good impression of you, of the company and of the industry.
I have seen folks who are recruiters one week become applicants weeks later when their own employer cuts staff. Remember, you could be on the other side of the desk. Silence takes on a new meaning when the roles are reversed.
Next week: The importance of diversity in hiring.
