Whether you’re focusing on contractors or on permanent placements, it’s vital that your candidates trust you. After all, they’re probably making important life decisions based on your advice, so they need to be sure that you’re on their side.
In this highly-charged environment it’s easy to lose a candidate’s trust, and when you do it can lead to missed opportunities on all sides, so in this article we’ll look at ways you can build and protect those all-important trusting relationships.
Keep your promises
On a basic level, we decide if we can trust people by comparing what they say to what they do – so make sure the two things match up. This means not making promises you can’t keep, and keeping all the promises you make. This includes calling your candidates when you say you will, even when the update isn’t what they want to hear.
Tell it like it is
Avoid the temptation to put a positive spin on information you give your candidates about a role or assignment. Being completely honest and open about everything from salaries to the downsides of a position, will allow them to make an informed choice, while managing their expectations.
You don’t want to place candidates who are not a good fit anyway, and your candidates will naturally start to trust you when they know you’re not keeping any vital information from them.
Give honest feedback
Most candidates are not experts at job-hunting, so giving useful feedback is a vital part of a recruiter’s role. If the client tells you why a candidate was unsuccessful, make sure you let them know, and where possible suggest how they can improve their performance next time.
Sharing feedback in a helpful and human way can reassure the candidate that you’re on their side, and keep them with you as their job-search continues.
Testimonials
Most candidates will start to form their opinion of you and your recruitment agency before they even speak to you, by conducting online research. You can make the best possible impression during this process by collecting testimonials from happy candidates to publish on your website, and actively asking your candidates to leave reviews on sites like Google and Trust Pilot.
If you have questions or if we can help in any way, please call our expert team on 01296 468483 or email info@orangegenie.com.