In today’s competitive market candidate care has become a huge priority. In fact, Citibank’s economist unit believes that this year we will have more than 20 million job openings in the US, bringing the percentage of seats unfilled to one in eight. Most highly qualified talented candidates can receive up to 5 messages a week from various recruiters. Then from there that can lead to fielding 2-3 offers in a 60-day period. This isn’t even considering active candidates who are looking. It is very important that companies stand out from their competitors. Here are some quick tips on how to increase your candidate care in this candidate driven job market.  

1. Always keep the candidate updated on the status of the position. Do not let candidates sit for weeks wondering when someone will call them. Even if you interviewed them, let them know honestly how long it will take to reach a decision. Their time is as valuable as yours.
2. Please don’t tell recruiters you aren’t looking for someone who is only driven by money. Let’s be honest, most people must work to pay their bills. Anyone who tells you they work for fun is rare, because I don’t know too many people that are independently wealthy or don’t need benefits. Money is important but shouldn’t be the top of their priority list. It is important that employers understand that everyone has bills to handle, and some have families to care for. Not to mention the cost of living is going up including gas prices. That all should be taken into consideration now.
3. Don’t make candidates jump through hoops. Nothing is worse than having to submit a resume, go to an online system that is cumbersome and takes over 30 minutes to complete an application. Then have them sit through 3 plus rounds of interviews and take assessments. We understand they need to have a good cultural fit, but this can be done with 1 assessment, no online application and 2 interviews. We would recommend using Predictive Index as your assessment tool.
4. Be ready to move fast. In this market, the option to see 2-3 candidates honestly is not possible. Great candidates will be scooped up quickly and the hiring managers must act fast. The job market is not anywhere close to where it was pre-covid. If you like someone, make the offer.
5. Finally, understand not only are you interviewing the candidate, but they are also interviewing you as well. They will spend most of their life at work, and it needs to be a good cultural fit and job fit. They want to make sure position offers the job stretch, growth, and financial stability they need.