As you know I’ve been searching for a new day job and there’s a few areas that I’m finding that let recruiters down, especially when so many are out of work.

Acknowledge I’ve applied

You’d be amazed at how many companies don’t even acknowledge an application. Some have what you’d expect, an automated email but others don’t even send that. Being out of work in 2021 is anxiety inducing enough and I know a lot of people are applying but for some these acknowledgements mean confirmation of a positive step forward. All companies should have a system to send an automatic email acknowledging receipt of an application.

Don’t fall back on systems

I’ve applied to a few places and had interviews only never to hear back. The way I’ve found out is logging into the job site portal, this isn’t acceptable. Again, acknowledge via email or text don’t leave someone hanging.

Give good feedback

If someone has interviewed please always leave feedback. There’s a lot of people out of work and looking and to get no feedback is pretty demoralising. Hiding behind a job site portal or email isn’t ideal but at least give some positive or room for improvement feedback. Simply saying something like “thanks for the interview, we have decided not to pursue your application but cannot provide specific feedback” isn’t acceptable and doesn’t make you want to apply to that company again.

Communicate when you say you will

I’ve had instances where I chase feedback and I’m told we will respond by X, if you make this commitment please follow through.

Be clear in your job advertisement

I’ve been in a few interviews where the job wasn’t what was advertised. I’ve called time short on these, it’s a waste of your time and mine.

Good companies stand out

When you’re doing a lot of applications and dealing with hiring teams it’s become very clear who the good companies are, the one’s you’d want to work for. They are responsive, communicate clearly and have a documented and most importantly a shared recruitment process. There are genuinely companies that I would no longer consider based on how I’ve been communicated to in this period. It’s been eye opening and a massive learning experience for me to figure out the job market in this current climate.

Summary

All of this is really down to good communication. I appreciate it’s hard to reply to everyone but when people are uncertain and anxious it’s reassuring to have some acknowledgment that they are moving in the right direction. I think with so many people out of work right now it’s easy for companies or agencies to forgot there are actual people at the end of each application. Please don’t be faceless and please do better.

As you know I’ve been searching for a new day job and there’s a few areas that I’m finding that let recruiters down, especially when so many are out of work.

Acknowledge I’ve applied

You’d be amazed at how many companies don’t even acknowledge an application. Some have what you’d expect, an automated email but others don’t even send that. Being out of work in 2021 is anxiety inducing enough and I know a lot of people are applying but for some these acknowledgements mean confirmation of a positive step forward. All companies should have a system to send an automatic email acknowledging receipt of an application.

Don’t fall back on systems

I’ve applied to a few places and had interviews only never to hear back. The way I’ve found out is logging into the job site portal, this isn’t acceptable. Again, acknowledge via email or text don’t leave someone hanging.

Give good feedback

If someone has interviewed please always leave feedback. There’s a lot of people out of work and looking and to get no feedback is pretty demoralising. Hiding behind a job site portal or email isn’t ideal but at least give some positive or room for improvement feedback. Simply saying something like “thanks for the interview, we have decided not to pursue your application but cannot provide specific feedback” isn’t acceptable and doesn’t make you want to apply to that company again.

Summary

All of this is really down to good communication. I appreciate it’s hard to reply to everyone but when people are uncertain and anxious it’s reassuring to have some acknowledgment that they are moving in the right direction. I think with so many people out of work right now it’s easy for companies or agencies to forgot there are actual people at the end of each application. Please don’t be faceless and please do better.