Over the past six months of my internship, I have realized how vital good communication is in the recruitment sector. Without exaggerating, recruitment is communication and the best way to develop healthy relationships with candidates and clients is with consistency and unambiguity.
The principal objective in recruitment lies in sourcing and qualifying candidates that meet the requirements of clients, yet the process itself requires extensive knowledge on how to interact and react to on-going procedures. Without clarity in messages, all recruitment actions would result in parties not willing to further cooperate. It allows everybody to understand the situation and taking steps towards clear communication avoids confused, irritated interactions in the future. To eliminate uncertainty in on-going processes creeping into the daily lives of recruiters, communication enables this working force to excel in its efforts.
The way a recruitment agency communicates with candidates and clients speaks volumes and influences on how multitudes form their opinion of the organization. By creating an open exchange of information from beginning to end, every member involved has a clear idea of what parties expect and desire.
I like the advice my director spoke out during my first days at LIFT International: “We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.” Listening actively to what candidates or clients are striving towards truly allows a recruiter to know what their next communicative move should be to behave most optimally.
Especially candidate engagement requires a lot of time and dedication to avoid conflicting feedback. In a research study in 2015, over 80% of candidates in hiring processes in the US complained of never receiving any updates on their processes from recruiters and now approached such agencies with biased attitudes. Therefore, the candidate experience is extremely important to keep friendly engagements going. Recruiters must convey positive ideas and good impressions, whether the conservation with a candidate ends in a definite hiring agreement or not. By doing so, recruiters can reach out to past candidates about new opportunities in the future with confidence in knowing they left things on good terms in the past.
After all, words travel fast and the last thing a recruitment agency wants is a candidate pub a negative experience in the hiring process, damaging one’s reputation. Preferably, one would like to be known for solid recruitment processes that are acknowledged and appreciated.
Besides communication with the outside world, it is just as important within the agency. When working on the same role, colleagues work together towards a shared goal and need to be transparent towards their mutual efforts. Good communication in our working environment allows for a high level of productivity and trust between employees, resulting in team building. Furthermore, morale is kept high and when employees communicate effectively with their colleagues, they are more likely to help each other out and recognize where their input might be appreciated.
When I first began my internship at LIFT International, I struggled to find the connection between my studies and the objective of this sector. Fortunately, I have come to the realization, that Recruitment without Communication is like a sailboat stuck in a harbor without wind: It cannot advance without the wind to explore the world of possibilities.
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