There are many aspects we need to work on in order to improve our interviewing process, and one key element is making sure we have the most professional and effective communication with job applicants. Even when we think we already master this part of our jobs, we should remember that, as a company, we still have areas to work on. After all, having our company look graceful and professional goes beyond thanking candidates for their time and interest. These are four key opportunities for us to improve our communication with job applicants.
We understand that, sometimes, taking the time to reply to all the applications we receive might be quite difficult, especially when our company receives hundreds of resumes on a daily basis. However, one very important way to improve our communication with job applicants is by acknowledging their interest in working with us. Even if we can’t personally reply to every single email, something as basic as an automatically generated response can go a long way. More often than we think, candidates get the wrong impression of companies that do not respond to their applications in a timely manner.
When looking for ways to improve the way we communicate with job applicants, we need to remember that showing respect to candidates’ time is of the utmost importance. This means that we must do everything we can to make sure we are not wasting their time. Once we went over the resume of a candidate and we determined their profile is not what we are looking for, we need to inform them of our decision as soon as possible. Otherwise, we might leave them thinking we are considering them for a position when, in fact, we have already decided to discard them from the process.
Now, if we decided to schedule an interview with a candidate, we need to begin by being as clear as we can when informing them of the time and date of their interview. Believe it or not, there are many companies that struggle when giving clear directions to their applicants, which leads to missed appointments and makes us look unprofessional and disrespectful. On the other hand, if we already had an interview with a candidate and we won’t continue with their process, the best thing to do is to let them know of the results as soon as we can. This way, they will be able to keep job seeking while you will be able to focus on your recruitment process and find the best candidate to cover your opening.
In many cases, it takes more than one interview to determine whether a candidate meets the profile we are looking for before making a job offer. When we schedule a second interview with a candidate, we should again be as clear as possible regarding the details of the appointment. Also, we should let them know what we are expecting, or what they should expect from a second interview. Regardless of the outcome, we should take the time to inform candidates on their results on the same day, if possible. Giving them feedback and expressing gratitude for their interest in working with you will go a long way.
