I recently heard a delightful answer from a candidate after reaching out to her about a possible role. When I asked whether she would like to hear about an opportunity she replied: “Oh gladly! Horton always has interesting searches, so I’m happy to hear more.”
Attracting Great Candidates
How does a consultancy attract great candidates to be part of their network and willing to hear more about their opportunities? While it may sound simple, the reality is that the small details make all the difference. It’s crucial to genuinely care for the interests of both parties—the candidates and the recruiters—especially in a competitive job market where exceptional talent is highly sought after.
Matching Both Parties
First, it’s about truly caring that there is a match for both parties. This is what makes a difference when we look at success rates. Success rate shows that when a person and the specific position as well as the company are a match, both the person and the company thrive, and the recruitment becomes a success that lasts. It is all about truly wanting to understand what the person is looking for in their next career step and also what the recruiting company is expecting. A big part of this is that the consultant understands the culture and the way of working in the recruiting company. Obviously, the consultant’s experience provides a solid foundation for this.
Communication and Service
Second is, of course, communication and service during the process. Now, I can honestly say that one can always become better, but people will distinguish whether you truly care or simply forget about them.
Providing Honest Feedback
The third key aspect is providing candidates with honest feedback rather than simply telling them they weren’t selected. With only one candidate chosen and many not, it’s important to be truthful rather than sugarcoat it.
I find that people respect honesty. It’s usually about comparison and small differences, and almost all the people we reach out to could do the job well. The consultant’s unfortunate task from the candidate’s point of view is to make it really hard for the hiring manager to make their choice because all candidates are so good.
Maintaining a Strong Network
Lastly, it’s about having great people staying in your network because you keep offering those great opportunities over and over again. Well, how does a consultancy win those if their true interest is not for both parties’ success?
