Travelmole Guest Comment: Don’t let the recruitment process damage your brand

Matthew Gardiner, account manager for HARP wallen Executive Recruitment, explains why it’s now more important than ever to protect your brand when recruiting.

“Few interactions in business are as emotionally charged as a job interview, and in this economic climate things are becoming even more charged as the number of applicants per vacancy increase.

However the pressure is not solely on candidates. As growing numbers are being exposed to companies’ hiring processes, the need for these processes to be seamless and effective – and their link to an organisation’s brand management – is ever more significant.

It is important to remember that an organisation’s brand is experienced by a candidate for employment in the same way that a company’s service is experienced by a consumer.

A disgruntled customer spreads the word. So does a disgruntled candidate. It governs what they say to your competitors, other candidates and to your suppliers.

With tensions at an all time high, the frustrations of the current climate often have the effect of intensifying any negative experiences candidates perceive themselves to have been subjected to. In the long term, this can have a detrimental affect on a company’s efforts to position itself as an employer of choice resulting in a loss of potential talent. It is simply not enough to expect every good candidate out there to want to work for you irrespective of how they have been handled through the process.

A reputable recruitment partner will employ their expertise to enhance a company’s position and perception across the candidate market driving best practice. However, there are some fundamental points everyone looking to recruit should adhere to:

* Everyone from managing director to HR assistant needs to convey a unified message and vision to the candidate with respect to the company’s offering and the opportunity being presented. All involved in the hiring process should understand the details of the job being recruited for.

* Display a genuine interest in the candidate (all interviewers should be familiarised with CVs prior to interviewing) and ensure candidates are given a fair and appropriate opportunity to demonstrate their skill set and suitability for the role.

* One of the great sins is the cancellation and re-scheduling of interviews – often at the last minute and often because an “internal” meeting has come up.

* Communicate the process/timescales to candidates without over promising.

* At the conclusion of the process provide constructive and timely feedback giving a sense of transparency and closure to the candidate.

All this sounds fairly fundamental, but if businesses realised the potential damage to their brand of a poorly handled recruitment process they might find the marketing department rushing over with some budget!

Quality inputs deliver effective outputs. You should want every person interviewed to really want to work for your organisation – then you can decide whether you have the right role for them in your structure. Be assured it saves a lot of time and money!