How to Hire The Right Person: Tips on Communicating With Candidates

You’re hiring a new marketing position at your organization. You’ve already sent out the job description, sorted through the hundreds of applications, and are about to enter the interview stage. So, the hard part is over, right? Well, not quite. During the interview process, you and the team now have the task of moving potential candidates forward and respectfully but firmly telling the rejected candidates that they won’t continue to the next step.

Good communication is a crucial thing to remember when hiring new employees. Put yourself in the candidate’s position. Do you remember a time when you were looking for a new job? Being on the job hunt is incredibly stressful. You’re writing and sending out dozens of resumes and cover letters — sometimes it feels like you’re putting so much effort into crafting customized applications, only to send them all into a black, empty abyss.

To encourage applicants with their search, we’ve thought of a few pertinent communication tips to remember when you’re looking for new employees to join the team.

Always Acknowledge

Set up an automatic email response to all applications to avoid accidental oversight. Once people receive that little piece of information, they’ll know that their application is in review and hopefully await an additional response. Some applicants like to send another email a week or two after the first submission to follow up. You’re not obligated to respond to this, but the email might remind you to take another look at their resume. Perhaps their enthusiasm will intrigue you to reconsider them for a first or second interview.

When you have finally made a hiring decision, send a short email to all applicants stating that the job opening is now closed. The candidates will know not to email you further and to move on to other opportunities.

Dealing with Over-Zealous Applicants

During the recruiting process, you might come across people who are over-zealous about the position. They may send you daily emails or messages inquiring about their application. Unless this persistent candidate is still in the running for the role, your best bet in such a situation is to clearly state, in an email, that the job opening is closed and to thank them for their time. If they’re a strong candidate, give them a call to tell them you’re still in the hiring process and please stop contacting you and the team. Tell them that you’ll let them know about the decision within a reasonable timeframe.

Recruitment Agency

Considering working with a recruiter such as IQ Partners recruitment agency — they’ll handle the entire hiring process, finding outstanding candidates from exclusive employment pools. You won’t have to worry about hiring process details because highly-trained professionals will do it for you.

Give Thanks

Always thank candidates for their time and effort. They’ll appreciate the gesture, just as you appreciate it on their side. For example, the right candidate will send an interview follow-up to thank you and ask any additional questions they may have — respond to these and always thank them for showing interest in the organization.

The hiring process isn’t always smooth sailing. However, if you deliver clear, transparent communication to applicants, it will be much easier.