On the face of it, recruitment is not such a difficult activity if you are sufficiently experienced. You understand the job description, you understand the culture of the hiring company and you have a wide network of potential candidates to tap into. The “dating process” begins, and you do your best to find a match for both parties.
The parallels with dating have been well documented. If we consider online dating, then a good fit is first facilitated by some unknown algorithm. Yes, we use an ATS system and yes, sometimes you have to play by its rules. If the algorithm comes up with a close enough match (or if you just send your CV to the right person in the process) then you get to the next level, so far so good.
The recruiter then takes over to play a key role in the ensuing courtship. They interview the candidates to ensure that the compatibility is not only on paper. It is relatively easy to conceal the truth in written form, a lot harder to hold the piercing gaze of a recruiter. We have ways of making you talk…We identify those who are genuinely great candidates.
Then the candidates and clients get to know each other a bit better at the interview stage. First date, second date, love is in the air. The recruiter loses control of the process to a certain extent, but if he has done his groundwork, then the outcome is usually positive. Then the unthinkable happens… The candidate turns up for a date and the client rings at late notice to pull out. The candidate’s phone stops ringing. There are no more SMS messages with times for meetings. Things get decidedly cold…
The matchmaking recruiter gets involved straight away. Things have been delayed. Budgets are being revised. They are not sure about their organizational structure. The scope of the role may be changing. They want to wait until the new financial year. The new CEO wants to see the candidate when he gets back from skiing in three week’s time. One thing after another, but the candidate has essentially been stood up.
Only the most dedicated of candidates would wait patiently at this point. In a candidate-led market like ours in Data Science and Big Data, the best candidates have multiple opportunities. They are the ones with the power in the relationship.
Any delay in the recruitment process, for whatever reason, can be fatal. It sows the seeds of unnecessary doubt in a candidate’s mind. Should there be a choice between two employers, that doubt may grow over time to become an insurmountable issue, something that a spurned candidate will never forget?
When hiring companies embark on a recruitment process, make sure you know who you want, make sure you know what they are doing, make sure that you have bought in from senior management.
Please don’t make your candidates wait, because they won’t be on the market for long.
