What Do These Candidates Want From Me?

What Do These Candidates Want From Me?

One of the trends that I see being talked, typed, and tweeted about is the candidate experience and bill of rights.  I get it.  Recruiters should follow up if they say they are going to, recruiters should honor their commitments for interview time, and recruiters should tell candidates when they don’t get the job.  I believe recruiters should be as honest as possible throughout the process in order to let candidates know where they stand.  We have all been on the other side of the equation as candidates.  We have all been promised follow up that didn’t take place.  We have all had a phone interview scheduled that didn’t happen.  And we have all been left to our own internet sleuthing to find out about the job we didn’t hear back on and who actually got it.  It sucks, bottom line.  We are in the time of need to know, and sooner than later. 

With candidate experience in mind I have been working diligently to send thank you emails to all candidates that we are rejecting throughout the process.  The last group I sent out I received a variety of responses.  Many of the email responses support the need for information and were very positive.  Some said thanks for the information, one said she couldn’t believe she heard anything and thanks, and one said thanks AND referred another person.  Then there were the not so positive responses.  One candidate told me how crappy my company was, that he had expected this result, and that the “word on the street” was negative.  Seriously?  Then why did you apply?  Another candidate argued with my decision to move forward in the process, saying he felt he had met all the requirements with the exception of one.  The problem was the one requirement he felt he didn’t meet was the basis of the job; project management experience.  Seriously?  He pointed out that he didn’t have 3-5 years of project management experience, for a project management position. 

So what do these candidates really want?  It seems like many are thankful to get the information about their status for their own peace of mind, but it seems like just as many others are looking to start an email argument because they don’t like the response.  And what does a candidate hope to gain by being argumentative, negative, or down right rude?  Do you want to know that you are out; regardless of if the company has had any other contact with you?  Do you want to know why?  How much do candidate’s realized/expect us to share?  I just hope the number of classy folks that say thank you consider to out weigh the Negative Nancy’s of the world or people are going to get tired of sharing the information candidates seem to be desperate for. 

I will always argue candidates are people first and deserve to be treated with decency, honesty, and integrity.  I just hope candidates remember the recruiters and hiring managers are people too, and deserve the same humane treatment. 

Do We Really Want to Hire “Rock Stars”??

One of the interesting things I have taken special interest in recently is the usage, or often time’s mis-usage, of words in work place.  Have you ever googled the words talent and acquisition separately and then put the two definitions together?

“The act of acquiring or gaining possession of a persons special natural ability or aptitude.”  Kind of weird, right?  Doesn’t sound like a noble occupation, sounds like slavery.

I have being seeing the term “Rock Star” everywhere.  And I have to admit; I bought into it at first.  Go look at my LinkedIn profile; I think I may still be recruiting for Rock Stars.  But, with my new found obsession for words, their meanings, and the images and emotions they represent, I started to think about what a Rock Star really is.  Here are a couple definitions/images that I found with a quick trip to google:

1.      Someone who is in a popular rock band. Some of these guys live the craziest life that exists.

They tour around the world to play their music while getting worshipped by their fans. After the concert they f#$% a bunch of groupies and leave for the next gig while taking some drugs.

2.      Someone who doesn't follow rules, they make their own. The go out of their way to be extraordinary,  different from everyone else.

3.     Keith Richards.

No offense to Keith Richards; but this is not a list of characteristics and traits I think I want to be recruiting for.  Can you imagine building a job description with this in mind?  I’ll give it a crack on a few requirements that might need to be included in hiring rock stars, regardless if it a rock star recruiter, developer, or whatever.

            Requirements:

1.     3-5 years living the craziest life that exists, please submit pics, stories, and eye witness accounts to substantiate all claims

2.     Abilty to repeatedly fail a drug test

3.     Specific experience defying authority, refusing to follow the rules, and insubordination.  References required for proof.

4.     Inability to work within the defined cultural norms of the company

5.     Criminal record, nice to have (only misdemeanors’, drug/alcohol related charges, or missed child support payments will earn extra credit)

I get there are two sides to the definition and the image.  Do you want to risk confusing the two?  I think I am going to be editing some job descriptions, and my LinkedIn page ASAP.

How Recruiters are Using Social Meida

Does a One Legged Duck Swim in A Circle?

I find it funny the number of people who ask if social media recruiting is real.  Doubt me, check this video out.

Promote Your Company from the Inside Out

Promote Your Company from the Inside Out

How can your company be an employer of choice?  Here are 7 ways that you promote your company from the inside out:

• Go for “best of lists” best company to work for, fastest growing, etc.  Make sure that you use these accreditations on your Intranet, company Facebook page, company LinkedIn page, and as an email signature.  This messaging should be well known to your employees so they can easily throw that little factoid out when they are explaining to their friends what they do and who they work for.
• At the end of each fiscal year put a short summary together that shows the number of people promoted and what % of your staff that is.  Track that year over year and announce the results and any goals associated with that.   Post this information on your Intranet and your career pages.  People like to know that employee development is important in your company and that they won’t just get stuck in a dead end job.
• Highlight your employees who have reached milestone anniversaries, post their story on the Intranet for employees to see and have something to look forward to. Consider more public options as well, so long as they are permission based.
• Have you had employees get recognized for awards in their field, published articles, or patents?  Make a big deal about that with your employees on the Intranet as well as on your career portal; that tells people that they will be recognized for their personal achievements and contributions.  If you can influence HR to offer a bonus for these types of achievements that would be even better.
• If your company offers salary or other benefits that are better than other companies in your industry, announce that.  Make it known that you research this information every year and that your goal is to stay xx above the average in order to attract and retain the best talent.  If it’s working, say so.  Your employees will remember that when a recruiter comes calling on them or when their friends ask them if your company pays well.
• Work with your sustainability or energy management department to get some stats on what your company is doing above and beyond to reduce your facilities and overall carbon footprint.  If it’s better than other employers in your industry and area, make sure to announce that to your employees.  A greater number of employees are concerned about sustainability and would prefer to work for a company who promotes sustainable practices.
• Get quotes from your employees on why they like working for you and use those quotes to form your branding messages. Make your employer-pitch as human and emotive as possible. The best messages from a marketing standpoint are ideally stories, not just quotes.

The bottom line is, if your employees are fed the branding messages consistently, your marketing can stick in their heads like that 5 dollar footlong commercial. If every employee in your company both understands the value of employment branding and knows “the pitch” by heart, your recruiting efforts will be easier. If your overall goal is to land the top talent in your market, it can’t just be you doing all the heavy lifting.  The whole company from the inside out needs to be on point and on message, but of course most importantly, be inspired to help follow your company vision and advance its image.

"You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today" Abraham Lincoln

Homage to the Electrical Outlet

Homage to the Electrical Outlet

Many people can tell you who invented electricity and the light bulb, but I would wager most people do not know who invented the electrical outlet. Harvey Hubbell, a man nearly forgotten in history, that’s who. I would argue that Harvey’s invention is just as important as the light bulb because the electrical outlet made electricity available to the masses. In fact, the outlet paved the way for electricity to be the most overlooked commodity of the modern era. That’s right, the outlet. Without Harvey, how do you plug in a TV? Better yet without Harvey, what does the term “plug in” really mean?  How do you charge your iPAD? Think about it; the outlet powers your home. 

People most often think about what is behind the outlet; the electricity, and what is in front of the outlet; the thing being powered.  It’s the magical connection of electricity to the thing being powered that is truly amazing, and truly simple. 

What if you were to treat every day as if you are an outlet? What magical connections could you make come to life? As a marketer you have the ability to take the mundane, the everyday, and bring it to life in a magical way.  No, you aren’t making TVs, but you are making the connection between the TV and the consumer.  You make magic with your ideas, your words, your art.  Outlets seldom get the praise of a beautiful Christmas Tree, but the tree wouldn’t be lit without the outlet. 

You have the power to be an outlet. You have the power to bring electricity to an idea. You have the power. Cherish it.