While there are plenty of good jobs out there and an abundance of great candidates, hiring managers, recruiters, and job searchers are having a tough time connecting in some really basic ways. In turn, great jobs are left vacant or filled with people who have the wrong qualifications. Similarly, qualified candidates often have to go the extra mile with company research and industry networking just to get noticed.
One thing that nearly all job searchers and hiring parties can agree on is that the interview process is challenging. Yet, it is common knowledge that candidates who are educated on the company’s interview process perform better and are less likely to drop off the funnel if they think they are qualified.
With our branded interview kits launching soon, Speak_ did some digging to see how thought leaders in HR and recruitment feel about today’s job market. More specifically, we wanted to research how a lack of connectivity between hiring parties and qualified candidates is hindering the ability of people to make new hires and get good jobs.
Speak_ looked to our large LinkedIn network to see what people are saying about today’s job market.
Stephanie Nuesi - Founder, Max Up
“I would also keep in touch with recruiters/hiring managers afterwards because I believed in the power of following up and building a network.”
In her post, Stephanie Nuesi talks about how important it is that a candidate follows up after an interview - even if rejected. Even more, she highlights that every contact a job searcher makes with a recruiter or HR team should be seen as an opportunity. This proactive approach eventually helped her land a dream job.
Brianna Doe - Director of Demand Gen, Stealth Startup
“Remember that you still might not get an interview. But if you're interested in the company and someone is willing to talk to you, take the opportunity to network & learn more about the team.”
Briana Doe points out the hidden opportunities that come with cold applying when conducting a job search. Her advice is to go the extra mile and contact hiring managers or someone else on the team directly. Doing so will help job searchers stand out from the crowd of other applicants.
Jim Gonzales - Senior Customer Success Manager, LawVu
“I felt more burnt out from the job hunt than any full-time job.”
For Jim Gonzales, it’s all about identifying with other job searchers who are altogether burnt out from the process. It can be really frustrating to pour lots of energy into the interview process, only to be denied. Things get even more challenging for candidates when they aren’t given the info they need to succeed in an interview in the first place.
Analiese Brown - VP of People & Culture, Campminder
“If you're an investor, CEO, CFO, or other top decision-maker, I urge you to reflect on the immense value a fully-staffed People team brings, especially in times of uncertainty and change. Having a robust and fully-functioning People team is not just a luxury reserved for prosperous times; it is a strategic necessity.”
As a VP in charge of hiring, Analiese Brown shares interesting insights into the importance of having a functional HR department and recruiting team. In the end, it's impossible to provide a good candidate experience when hiring if your internal structure is lacking. Similarly, companies that don’t take good care of their team members often struggle with employee retention.
Ryan Biega - Talent Director, byG
“After 6 months of tireless job applications, ghosting, rejections, and poor candidate experiences, I am excited to announce I am starting in my new role as a Talent Director at byG!”
Ryan Biega is expressing some frustrations shared by many candidates in the job market today. He highlights some key points where the candidate experience really falls short - namely long applications with redundant information and poor communication on the part of hiring parties.
Andrew Shapiro - Founder, .Community
“Employers aren't setting candidates up for success. The majority of hiring managers I talk to aren’t sending an interview kit and they wonder why they’re misaligned with candidates or not finding matches.”
Andrew Shapiro lays out some simple, yet valuable advice that hiring parties should follow during the interview process. For him, providing basic info like company background, bios on co-workers, questions to expect, and an outline of the overall flow of the interview process is essential. Giving candidates the support they need is the most surefire way to bring out the best in them at interview time.
Mike Ruane - Principal & Lead Recruiter, M&F Talent
“Why is it so hard for a recruiter (especially agency!), or hiring manager, or HR Manager, or even Director or CEO to provide even the most basic feedback to a candidate who took the time to do a phone screen or interview at your company?”
Mike Ruane is touching on an important topic that often falls on deaf ears among both recruiters and HR departments. It's a shame, but many hiring parties don’t take the time to give candidates feedback in the event they are denied a job. When they are given feedback, job searchers know how to make improvements in the future, while also feeling good about the interview, even if they didn’t get the job. In the end, giving feedback creates a better reputation among relevant talent in a particular industry.
Jes Osrow - Co-Founder, The Rise Journey
“Workplaces can always choose to make the switch to start prioritizing inclusive cultures, but the more they create a reputation of betraying or breaking employee trust, the more difficult it will be to attract employees back to their workplace or to find new talent.”
Jes Osrow is touching on a critical, yet often overlooked, element of successful recruitment strategies - that being employee retention. In the end, it doesn’t matter if you are able to hire the best talent around if employees don’t last more than a few months. Give people the support the need and you will have loyal team members that stick around through the good times and bad.
Aaron H. - Recruiter, Tesla
“To be honest, each recruiter, hiring manager, department, and even company can be looking for something different and have a different hiring process. Do what makes you comfortable and confident in your job search and interviews.”
In this post, Aaron H. touches on one of the biggest struggles of job searchers in that no two companies handle the interview and hiring process the same. Especially if candidates are not given proper interview prep support, all they can do is present well and be confident in their abilities. There is no point in continuing to stress about the issue.
Ali J. Alhadithi - Principal Consultant, Marlin Hawk
“Overall, offering feedback to rejected candidates is a way for organizations and recruiters to value candidate efforts and time. Common courtesy and professional etiquette. It benefits both the candidates and the organization in the long run.”
By taking Ali J. Alhadithi’s advice and treating candidates with respect, companies can begin to develop good reputations with top talent in their given industries. In turn, when word spreads that a business treats people well during the interview and hiring phase, more candidates will gravitate toward that particular organization.
Lesley Toche - CEO, Nextplay
“A big misconception in diversity recruiting is that top of the funnel is the biggest challenge. It's not. The pipeline exists. The talent is out there. The bigger challenge is the middle of the funnel or bias in the interview process.”
Recruiting leader Lesley Toche points out an interesting fact about diversity recruiting. While many businesses tend to complain that they “can’t find any good people,” it's more likely that the problem is internal. In fact, there is a good chance that diversity candidates aren’t set up for success during the interview phase. If a company develops biased interview questions, they are inadvertently skewing the results of their interview efforts.
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