How Upgrading your Dating Game Improves your Hiring Process

 We’ve all been there: a really great first date. It had it all: a connection, interesting conversation, that good kind of awkwardness followed by laughter.You clicked and all things pointed to the fact that this could be something real.Still, in between 3-day rules and telling your dates what they want to hear instead of what you really feel, you find yourself alone at the end of the dating game.

Going through the hiring process is often like going on a first date, and it’s the toughest on the candidate, i.e. the hot guy (girl) that you really want to go on a second date with. With just a few tips, you can upgrade your dating game and learn what it teaches you about improving your hiring process. 

1. Pick up the phone and call back

What you do: You never look at their resume. It lands in a black hole (virtually) or you hit the deletebutton right away. Either way, your candidates never hear from you.

Upgrade: Optimize your screening process and the search capabilities of your applicant tracking system (ATS). Consider job placement tools for a more objective hiring process. Additionally, install automatic replies (except for the offer or denial email, which should be personalized) to create more transparency for your candidates.

2. Drop the 3-day rule

What you do: You take too much time to follow up with your candidates or stretch the times in between interviews.

Upgrade: Giving your candidates realistic expectations on when they’ll hear from you or when (and if) they should get back to you makes the process a lot less stressful. Consider tools, such as online video calls, to screen talent and optimize for mobile usage to streamline the recruiting process.

3. Open up and share your feelings

What you do: You leave your candidates in the dark and make them feel like some of the most uninformed people on the planet.

Upgrade: Create transparency to improve your candidate experience. Upgrade your game through multiple uses of communication channels (including mobile channels) and explore new technologies, such as apps built into your ATS for candidates to check the status of their application. Be accessible as a company and a recruiter to satisfy your candidates. This also counts for the candidates you don’t want to hire: let them off the hook!

4. Cut the crap and tell the truth

What you do:You fail to specify your job description or you allow your company’s current needs to trump the employee’s agreed job tasks without getting his (or her) consent.

Upgrade: Use specific language in job descriptions to eliminate misunderstandings. Update the tasks associated with the job on a regular basis in case the company needs change. If the latter is the case, inform your candidate about the changes in job tasks and first get him (or her) on board.

5. If you make candidates wait, let them know why.

What you do:You make your candidates jump extra hurdles (additional drug screens, psychological tests, credit checks, etc.) in the hiring process without informing them about the different steps in advance as well as the underlying reasons for them.

Upgrade:Explain why you’re doing what you’re doing. Regardless if it’s company policy, a regular procedure in the industry or if it’ll simply upgrade the candidate in the hiring process. Reduce all unknown factors to make your candidate more comfortable in the process. If you can, reduce the steps the candidate has to go through to a minimum and track the most important recruiting metrics to identify which hiring tools generate better candidates faster.

Final Thought: Start caring! You never know where the journey takes you. Just like every first date can be the beginning of a lifelong relationship, every job interview can lead to a great employee. Don’t start off with a painful experience, build trust and create transparency to keep your candidates (and dates) coming back for more.

Anything to add to the list above? Let us know in the comments and share your perspective!