Tips for Candidate Relationship management

In my last post on “Do we need to manage candidate relationship?”, I talked about the common reasons why sourcers/recruiters run away from managing candidates. Lets now look at some pointers  for managing candidate relationships.

1.       Present yourself and your company professionally while maintaining a concerned, helpful and positive attitude
2.       Talk to the candidate- Email is not the best tool to Convey feelings or building rapport. Call candidates for status updates. Break the news personally. Follow it up with an email.
3.       Don’t promise the moon - What can’t be given or delivered, Don’t promise. Even if a candidate may not be ft for a current position, he will be either in a capacity to provide you a referral, or will be suitable for some other position. The extent to which they remain approachable, depends how much they trust you.
4.       Add value. - Maintain a concerned, helpful, positive attitude. Assist the candidate in his quest for finding the next job. Simple tips on writing resumes, go a long way in establishing yourself as a consultant. Don’t be afraid to pass on tips of openings in other organizations, if he is not a fit for your open positions. This will harbor loyalty. Always emphasize the “what’s in it for me” of your candidate is important for you.
5.       Keep the Candidate informed. – Don’t keep the candidate guessing. Keep him engaged and informed. Ensure status updates reach them on time and accurately.
6.       Make notes through the screening and recruitment process, and use old communication in further discussions. Make them know you valued the time discussing with them and that you remember them.
7.       Keep in touch -Don’t forget a candidate. Wherever they are, they have referrals to offer. Ensure you track them on social networks, or use birthday/anniversary reminder tools to send them Ecards or updates on any new position that may fall under their area of interest.
8.       Add them to your social networks: An acceptance of an invite gives you the foot in the door required for building a long term relationship. Tag or categorize them wherever you can. This will help you to engage with them more effectively
9.       Seek help -Seek their assistance, but don’t spam. They don’t mind helping you, as long as they believe that you genuinely require their assistance. Make them feel special
10.   Remain accessible - Ensure that the candidate has your contact details and remain accessible 24/7. Ensure that your respond to communication promptly. IT sends a signal to your candidate that you treat them on priority and genuinely care for them
11.   Gather their Pain points- Try and uncover what is bothering them in their current situation. Understand their need to change and address your job as a solution to their challenges. Do your research, and pick up some points, you would like to use to understand the pain points. Don’t assume what they want, find out.
12.   Get an applicant tracking system -Low cost to High end. Applicant tracking systems are available to suit your needs. Pick one. If used effectively, it will turn your dead database into a goldmine of interested candidates.

Similar Posts
Do we need to manage candidate relationship? 

Word search Puzzle - Keywords and Alternatives- Testing

Find testing related keywords /alternatives --- (at least 10)

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Scrambled Word - Load testing tools

 

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Across   
2. Black-box type testing that is based on overall requirements specifications, covers all combined parts of a system.   
4. Involves testing of a complete application environment in a situation that mimics real-world use   
5. Internal system design is not considered in this type of testing. Tests are based on requirements and functionality.   
9. Bottom up approach for testing i.e continuous testing of an application as new functionality is added   
10. Testing of integrated modules to verify combined functionality after integration.   
11. Testing to determine if a new software version is performing well enough to accept it for a major testing effort.   
12. Geared to functional requirements of an application.   

Down   
1. Testing the application as a whole for the modification in any module or functionality.   
3. Also known as Glass box Testing   
6. Performance testing to check system behavior under load.   
7. To verify if system meets the customer specified requirements.   
8. Testing of individual software components or modules. Typically done by the programmer.

Do we need to manage candidate relationship?

Do we need to manage candidate relationship? I always thought it was a no brainer and everyone will agree that it is a big  “MUST HAVE”. To my surprise I was dragged into a discussion on the importance of Candidate Relationship management.

While in principle people agreed that it is good to have, but quite a few believed, we can live without it happily. Let’s look at some of the arguments and contemplate

1. Takes too much time – the time spent in managing candidates, especially if there are too many, could well be utilized in finding more candidates.
2. Too complex – Too many loose ends. Too much to remember and plans do not get executed most of the time.
3. Candidate irritant- Candidates get irritated with irrelevant calls from recruiters. Call , only if you have a job in hand.
4. Recruitment is not about making friends- As a recruiter, your relationship with the candidate ends once he is out of the recruitment process.
5. Employer branding is not the sourcers/recruiters job – Candidates will always crib if they don’t get through. Nevertheless, branding is not the job of recruitment or sourcing
6. Networking doesn’t work for quick to fill and volume requirements- You need time to find candidates through networking, and only job boards can provide the numbers required for volume hiring. Niche hiring is a different case
7. Only important, when you are doing a passive search- Active candidates, do not need cajoling. It is the passive candidates who need to be dealt with carefully

Whats your take????

Search Engines I - Crossword

Across

4. Russian search engine (Yet Another indexer)

6. Govt owned Chinese search engine

7. this search engine has a multilingual search interface , europeon languages.

9. an online service that answers factual queries directly by computing the answer from structured data.

Down

1. Microsoft's Bing webcrawler

2.Twitter bio and profile search, even allow you to limit by your personalized friends and followers (site closed)

3. New name for MSN search

4. it is a search engine, a news aggregator, a shopping center, an emailbox, a travel directory, a horoscope and games center, and more.

5. China's leading search engine company

8. A post or status update on Twitter, a microblogging service

10. one among top ten search engines in 2010

How to approach a Passive candidate?

You will be judged by your behavior not intention!!!!

Understand the mindset of general passive candidates
Most candidates do not want to be seen as actively looking. It’s important you acknowledge this
Remember that no one is 'truly' passive atleast not for long or forever,
Remember that being approached for a position is flattering, discuss with a view to obtaining advice

Don’t Do’s ---- Things that can put your candidate off

Playing Games
Lying
Pushing
No respect for their time

To Do’s

Homework
Research the candidate and don’t blindly rush into the call.
Review their online profiles and check for recommendations, career growth
Collect info on what reasons could compel them to move. Check for chinks in the armour

Have a reason to call Don’t waste the candidate’s and your time with an irrelevant call
Only make calls if you feel the candidate will be happy to receive it
Good idea to email the candidate and follow it up with a phone call

Respect the candidate’s time
Time your call
Don’t be afraid to reschedule
Make sure you keep you appointments

Be open and transparent
Give them a brief outline about the job and check their interest before revealing everything
Know what information to be shared and when

Talk, don’t interrogate
Don’t push
Generate a conversation
Start with something you know about him and which is relevant to the job” I can see you have tremendous banking experience” or you have some wonderful recommendations” or I hear "your work on ... was outstanding
Put the candidate at ease: If the candidate is referred, it is always good to let them know (Being referred is flattering”) “Say something like "you were recommended to me as an expert in...." when they say "who by?” always say that as you rely on anonymous referrals to do your job, you can't be specific - but obviously confirm that it wasn't anyone in their current firm
"Would you be open to exploring a situation that's clearly superior to what you're doing today?"
I don't know if the timing is right for you or not, but I am working on a search that may be of interest, depending on what is important to you in your next position
Sound enthusiastic
Understand the trigger points that could initiate the desire to change but also create an interest level in the new role by highlighting the merits of the role


Respect the Candidates privacy
Don’t send job networking bytes to candidate who are not open to such messages (check the Linkedin interested in option)

Use the right channel
Try networking to get to the person through a friend of his

Stay in control
Believe you have a substantially good bargain for the candidate
Don’t give too much ground, but don’t sound unreasonable.
Show empathy, but not weakness
Control your speech

Track candidates
Keep a list of candidates and maintain their status
Make sure all candidates reach their logical conclusion (Won/Lost)

Sell the Job
Build a relationship,
Uncover the need,
Overcome the objections,
Fill the need
Close the deal.

Act as a consultant
Make the candidate aware of opportunities
Make sure the candidate values your advice

10 Myths – Passive candidate sourcing

Candidate database: Keeping it healthy

In my last post on candidate databases "Review your candidate database", we talked about the Johari window and how candidates have a tendency to slip into a black hole and the database becomes non productive.

Here are a few pointers on countering this tendency and keeping the candidate database healthy

1. Strategize and Plan
First and foremost activity is to have clarity on what you want in your database and Why i.e. Identify the need for having a database. This will ensure that your database gives you ROI.
Pool your manpower forecasting to determine your need to identify current and future Candidate requirements
Perform a skill gap analysis to ascertain where your database is shallow and where it is effective

2. Identify info criticality
Parsing is a major pain when capturing candidate details and parsers will miss out on a lot of information. Manual entry of all the information is not feasible due to the time it takes. It is essential that you identify “MUST FILL” info and “GOOD TO FILL” info. The meaning of MUST FILL could change with each stage of the selection and screening process. Ideally by the time the candidate reaches the second round all the information should be captured

3. Assign responsibility
Break the task of updating candidate records. It will be too much for one person.
Candidate: Allow him to update his personal details, qualifications, work history. Give them a login.
Sourcer/recruiter: While qualifying the candidate for a job, the sourcer/recruiter can fill the candidate summary sheet, defining the candidate. Will make it easy to search candidates.
Interviewer: Skill Ratings in a predefined format. Will get appended to candidate summary sheet

4. Track and review
a. Periodic reviews: Periodically review the database for its relevance to current and prospective openings. A concentrated third party effort would be advisable.
b. Track deviations: Set candidate record quality standards within the system and flag deviations.

5. Engage and Involve
a. Make it interactive. Don’t just give a form to candidates for filling in. give them a system which is interactive. A system that can tell them the status of their application, jobs matching their profiles, Interview dates and venue. Some tips on guidance and counseling will be the extra mile
b. Respond: Never ever hide behind workload and not respond to a candidate. Always communicate. Use templates, if required but keep the candidate informed.

6. Keep it relevant
a. Rank/Rate: Systematically rating a candidate on a particular skill, job or domain is required if you want to keep the database relevant. Else, you will never know. If the candidate, sourcer/ recruiter and interviewer, play their roles this is possible assuming your database supports such ranking
b. Let go: your size of database is only as big as the number of relevant candidates you have in it. Remove candidates that are not relevant.

7. Keep it feasible
a. Automate: Without automation, it just won’t be feasable for you to keep your database healthy, no matter what your volume.
b. Recruiters mindset: Recruiter/Sourcer doesn’t like to fill forms or sheets. He is better of searching and speaking to candidates. Try to keep the data filling part to the minimal and tune the workflow of the system to the workflow of the recruiters. You will need their support to make the system work. Sell them the value of the database.
c. Search tool: Ensure that the system has a decent search tool, tuned towards the fields or data that your team is filling in.
d. Budget: There is a lot that can be done... And overdone. Ensure that you keep a tab on the cost and the ROI.

8. Ensure use
Use strategies to ensure usage
i. Make people aware:
ii. Establish and publish process
iii. Review use
iv. Enforce/Coerce

The most important aspect of keeping a database healthy is to continue using it…. If not in use, will not be useful!!

Links
Candidate Database System: A perspective?
Review your candidate database

Beliefs of a Passive Candidate Sourcer!!

Wonder what will pop up if you open a Passive Candidate sourcers head. Probably synapses of Boolean, schemas of social networks, web of search engines and a lot more.

I have come to believe that it is not just the technique and knowledge but the mindset that one carries as a sourcer, which transforms them into what they become.

Sharing a few beliefs that reflect this mindset
• I will eventually find it, the key is in knowing when.
• My angel is in the details
• All roads will lead you there, but there is an expressway
• I am born lucky, and I know it.
• It is always worth the time spent, but there are timelines
• Sometimes I may just have to put my head down and scan through everything
• I will plan my search, but will not always be able to work my plan
• My searches define me
• I practice the secret art of sourcing
• I am hungry for more
• KISS works all the time, but complicated is not always bad
• There is nothing called a perfect search string
• I can’t do, till I know what to do.
• It is easier to find a needle in a haystack, if I know where to look
• I keep my eyes open
• Keywords are the key to finding the information, but knowing how to use them will determine, how quickly I find it.
………………………………… the list can go on………..

I am sure you have more to add

Related articles

Redefining the Passive Recruiter/Passive Sourcer  

Sourcer / E recruiter Assessment- Hiring Freshers  
10 Myths – Passive candidate sourcing

 

Fallen words - Exact word - boolean

IDENTIFY THE PHRASE FROM THE WORDS BELOW

How to play: Fill in the missing letters in each column of the puzzle from the column of choices below. You can only use each letter once.

	U	O		A		I	O
	A					A		E
	U		E				O
	U	E				O
				A		E

                      U        O            T          Y                     O         R

                      A         S            E          S                      A         N

        M         U        R            K          A                       T          O

        Q          P          E            R          A        S            E          O         E

        Q         U          H            R         D        T              I          S          N

CLUE: Exact word

Other game links

Crossword - Basic Boolean

Crossword - Basic Boolean

*****Should be a cakewalk- Time yourself******

ACROSS
3 An operator (the terms you specify must not appear in the documents)
5 What is cat in the following search string- (cat oR dog) AND pet AND pune?
6 A wild card
7 Type of search (resume OR CV) AND (j2ee OR j2j) AND NOT (apply or submit)
10 Synonyms, alternate spellings, and variant word forms of a keyword
12 Gives meaning to the relationship between words or phrases in a search string
13 An operator (At least one of the terms you specify must appear in the documents)
14 Use of paranthesis

DOWN
1 Generally use to query on phrases
2 An operator (All the terms you specify must appear in the documents)
4 Operators used to refine search
8 Boolean was named after
9 Generally used to group alternatives
11 A combination of words or phrases and operators

Google puzzles - agoogleaday

If you are one of those, who believe in taking internet search challenges, Google has obliged with agoogleaday.com

Today's Question

My name is Robert. One day before my brother Rohan’s 19th birthday, our father had an album on the Billboard 200. Name the album.

Every Day Google will post a question on agoogleaday.com. It also gives you the solution or answer to the question.

An interesting way to help people understand the power of google searches!!

Links
Word search Puzzle - Keywords and alternatives- Java 1

Word search Puzzle - Keywords and alternatives- Java 1

There are 8 keywords or alternatives for java, hidden in this puzzle.. Find them

History of Microblogging in China

While trying to Sync my ushi account with microblogs I expected to see twitter somewhere.

It was not twitter, but Sina and Sohu its Chinese counterparts / Clones.Tried logging in but couldnt make much progress. Though not Greek or Latin, the microblogs are in Chinese. No English versions available.
Digging a little deeper came across these fantastic articles that give you an idea about how microblogging has transformed within china.

Sina Weibo Controls the “Holy Shit Idea of a Generation”, Launches New URL Weibo.com- (Weibo.com translates to microblog.com). this article gives a wonderful pictograhic image displaying the history of microblogging in China

Can Ushi.cn Outcompete JingWei and LinkedIn? - this post gives an excellent narrative on the social business networks like linkedin in china.

Happy reading

Sourcer / E recruiter Assessment- Hiring Freshers

Recently a question was tossed to me about qualities that you would look for in a fresher, while hiring for a sourcer  or e recruiter position.
While hiring freshers for E recruiters or internet search assignments, we have followed a standard process
1) Internet sourcing round: The applicant is given 5 tasks all centered on finding information on the net in a fixed period of time. He is rated on the search string quality, and approach while finding candidates. Finding the answers is secondary.
2) Job spec round: The applicant is given a job description and time to review and ask questions. He is then given a set of 5 CV’s, to match against the job with an explanation. He is rated on his ablity to understand the requirement, willingness to ask questions and application of logic in matching the CV’s to the job description.
3) Personal round: The applicant, who clears the above two rounds, is then taken through a Personal interview, with the manager/HR to check for the behavioral fitment,

Looking at the people that have been selected and performed well, I have come to believe that following characteristics should be looked at while interviewing a fresher for a sourcers position
1) Comprehension skills: Helps them skim through the vast pool of information quickly. Sourcers with good comprehension, screen faster than others.
2) Attention to detail: Helps them to screen candidates better. It also helps them to use the search results in modifying their search more effectively.
3) Perseverance: These are your passive sourcers. They won’t give up easily
4) Listening skills: High on these skills and you have someone who will learn faster. Generally will have better comprehension too.
5) Problem solving ability: While searching, there will always be a roadblock, round the corner. All the good sourcers, I have seen, have been good at problem solving
6) Analytical ability: Freshers, that are low on the analytical skill, are not comfortable with booleon logic, and take time to get over this hurdle
7) Adaptability: to be honest, have had mixed opinion on this skill. One of my favorites, but have had sourcers, who are excellent at one geography/sourcing channel, but not good at others.
8) Willingness to question and learn: Its all about being open to learning. With the speed with which the landscape of sourcing is changing, this is absolutely critical.

Can you add more…….

Links

Beliefs of a passive candidate sourcer  

Redefining the Passive recruiter / sourcer

10 Myths - Passive candidate sourcing

Move your Jobs to Facebook

Imagine, candidates and employees advertising your jobs to their friends and network at one click. With Facebook, the word of mouth just got stronger.

Many companies have now started using Facebook as a medium for attracting candidates. Following are a few methods of putting your jobs on Facebook.

1)      Like button plugin on your career site:

The Like button lets a candidate or employee share your job with friends on Facebook. When the candidate clicks the Like button on your site, a story appears in the user's friends' News Feed with a link back to your career site.

This will not only make your job more visible to the relevant group of candidates, but also increase the volume on your career site

2)      Facebook Page:

This will allow you to mirror your career site jobs on Facebook and provide the candidates with a single page for open jobs.

3)      Like box plugin on your career site:

The Like Box is a social plugin that enables your candidates / visitors to your website, to like your Facebook Company Page directly from your website.

You will also be able to check the candidates, who visited your page and display recent posts from your page.

4)      Registration plugin:

If you have a career site, and want users to create a new account with ease, the Registration plugin could be of tremendous help. When logged into Facebook, users see a form that is pre-filled with their Facebook information where appropriate

This allows the candidates to easily sign up for your career site with their Facebook account.  Also, Liking and Sharing jobs using the Like button / box from your website will need a facebook login. Ease of sharing should translate to more jobs being broadcasted.

5)      Referral applications:

There are a lot of referral applications like hireplug, jobtonic etc which will provide a platform for posting and viewing jobs and make referrals with the chance of being rewarded

With a concentrated pool of candidates interested in referring, it is an ideal method, if you are willing to pay.

6)      Facebook Advertisements:

Facebook Ads allow you to easily advertise a destination on Facebook such as a Page, Event, Application or Group, or your own website

You can use it to advertise walkins, careersite, an online event, specific jobs, or your facebook page. They will attract people, which your network may not be able to reach.

Related links

Like Button

Like Box

Registration

Facebook ads

Searching candidates on Facebook – Find your friend

Linkedin Employee Referral engine- an ethical issue?

Social Media Optimisation in recruitment- Employee referrals