Respectful Recruiting

Following on from our recent article about showing appreciation even in the work place, we thought it would also be a good idea to write about respect and its importance in the recruitment process.

Much focus is placed on a candidate’s attitude and performance at interview, but keep in mind that if you are hiring and therefore interviewing candidates, your behaviour is being analysed as well, and respect is a two-way street.

As much as it’s important to look after your employees’ well-being once they are employed with you, don’t forget to be kind to potential employees/team members. Some of the comments we hear from candidates about the lack of respect and empathy they feel they get from some recruiters and hiring managers are quite surprising, so we thought we’d list some ‘dos’ and ‘don’ts’.

First of all, be prepared. Please respect candidates time and don’t keep them waiting – obviously sometimes being late is unavoidable, but if you are late remember to apologise.

Next, be prepared in advance for who you are meeting with. Candidates invest so much time and effort preparing for interviews, make sure you do the same. Read their CVs, and start the interview with an overview of the person in front of you, and some questions that you would like to ask them.

If you know a candidate is not what you want, don’t waste their time with multiple interviews and tests.

Once a candidate gives up their time to attend an interview, they deserve feedback or at least a response. If you give a deadline, stick to it, try not to leave candidates hanging on waiting to hear.

Treat candidates as you would like to be treated. If you do reject a candidate don’t forget you never know when your paths will cross again, especially in an island as small as ours, so be kind. Remember that as an interviewer you are creating an impression of not just yourself but also the company you work for, and even if a candidate isn’t what you are looking for, they may have friends or colleagues who are – make sure that they will speak positively about you and their experience!

As an agency we try and ensure that everyone involved in an interview leaves feeling satisfied that the process was dealt with professionally and with respect, and that if other opportunities were to arise in the future both parties would happily engage again with each other.

It's time we make recruiting a kinder process for all involved!

Pictured top: Toni O'Flaherty, Director at Select Recruitment