How To Make The Recruiting Process More Humane
As a past, present, or future job seeker, have you ever felt that prospective employers don't value your time? Have you ever gone through a series of interviews with a company, only to never hear from them again? If you wish companies were more considerate of how they approach the hiring process, you are not alone. Striving for a more humane recruiting process should be on every company's checklist. Yet, making it a reality is a roadblock for many organizations. Luckily, we've broken everything down into five easily-applicable tips that can make a difference in how companies approach their interactions with potential hires.
Why Should Companies Establish More Humane Hiring Practices?
It's no secret that everybody wants to work at a company where they feel valued and appreciated. For job seekers, acquiring the right job offer is a time-bound, emotionally exhausting process that requires patience, effort, and research. To receive the said offer, a candidate sometimes has to hop through hoops, overcome rejections, and demonstrate their value to more than one potential employer. So why should companies establish more humane practices during their recruiting?
The fact is that most candidates have been through multiple interviews with various other companies and are probably exhausted by the process. While it's a necessary step to getting hired, the process can often feel entirely too transactional or uncompassionate. However, companies can make it more pleasant if they choose to do so. For the hiring company, approaching recruiting more humanely offers a competitive advantage in the market, as a good reputation attracts more talent. Cultivating positive connotations for your brand can boost profits, performance, and esteem within your company's industry. Moreover, humane practices transfer, as cultivating a people-first company culture passes on to the organization's general practices as well as its brand statement.
For candidates, encountering a humane approach from a prospective company offers the drive to excel and get hired because a people-first company is where most people want to work. Feeling valued and respected by a potential employer can establish a good communication baseline and boost candidate performance during the introductory stages. It also sets the tone for a good onboarding experience if hired. Lastly, humane recruiting can streamline the hiring process, a significant advantage for both companies and candidates.
5 Ways To Establish Humane Recruiting In Your Company Practices
1. Human Introductions
After the job announcement has been posted and flooded with applications, your HR team typically goes through a number of applicants before settling on some of the most promising ones. Now, this is where a lot of companies go wrong. Whenever there's high demand for the position, and the applications are hundreds, job posters will opt to mass-send behavioral assessments, IQ tests, quizzes, or projects to the chosen few. But is that humane recruiting? Not, really. While a recruiter's time is as valuable as the candidate's, and it may be impossible to go through the dozens of applications in detail, an initial human-to-human introduction can go a long way.
Arranging an initial introductory meeting can provide great insight into how suitable a candidate is, as well as add a human element to the process. As a candidate, having to take test after test without even speaking to a representative of the company you have applied to can be mentally exhausting. A digital meeting can last a few minutes but make a very lasting impression. After an introduction, you can go ahead and select the assessments and projects required to pass on to the next stage.
2. Set Realistic Expectations
There's a chance that a candidate's skills don't match the job description perfectly. That doesn't mean that they wouldn't do well in the specific position. Recruiters should determine what percentage of each skill is applied in each role and make decisions accordingly. By setting realistic expectations for the candidates, they can simultaneously set realistic expectations for the hiring team. In addition, by determining these parameters early on, companies can avoid being too "aggressive" in their elimination process and lose out on great talent. Lastly, since roles may vary from company to company, establishing realistic expectations helps clarify position-specific responsibilities and duties during the initial stages of recruitment for both sides.
3. Offer Feedback
Has a candidate passed the second interview and is ready for the final few stages? Or is it time to let a candidate go? Offering feedback to candidates and being transparent about where they stand in the process is a great practice for companies looking to establish humane recruiting. Not only does it clear the air and maintains communication with applicants who may be better suited for another role in the future, but it also adds an individualized approach to recruiting talent. Candidates that will continue through the next stages will be better equipped to utilize their strengths, as well as more encouraged to continue with the process.
4. Rejection Emails Are Better Than Silence
Sending rejection emails to candidates that are not suitable for the role or candidates who were unsuccessful in their interview is a good practice for establishing humane recruiting in your company. It demonstrates professionalism and respect for the time and effort candidates invested in their application process. Despite the fact that said email eliminates them from the hiring process, it also acknowledges their effort and interest in the position. They are also more likely to reapply in the future and maintain communication with your company if they are better suited for another role. Lastly, rejection emails provide closure—candidates are well-acquainted with the ambivalence of job seeking, so offering them this information, instead of going radio-silent, actually helps them move on to roles they are more qualified for.
5. Reveal The Budget
While many companies cannot reveal the specific salary of the position for a variety of reasons, electing to reveal upfront the estimated budget allocated to fill this role can streamline the hiring process. If candidates are aware of the accompanying salary and potential benefits, they are more likely to proceed or withdraw from the process without wasting recruiters' or their own time. Moreover, it sets a positive tone for the rest of the process by promoting open communication and making the hiring process more equitable toward potential hires. Lastly, discussing whether salary negotiation is feasible should be done in the early stages of recruitment to save time and resources.
Conclusion
Establishing a more humane approach to recruiting talent should be a priority. In this highly-competitive market, people-first companies should find ways to stand out. Humane recruiting is the answer to many questions posed by the uncertain times we live in, as well as a response to a struggle many of us have to go through. If you'd like to take the first step and build your company's reputation as a humane, people-first company, consult an expert from our Top Content Providers For Cultural Transformation list!
