Remember how many companies you applied to—and the percentage of those companies who never acknowledged your application? Or perhaps you had the experience of being hired by a company, and after you got your offer letter, you never heard the word “boo” until you walked into your office on day one. Did they forget how excited they were to hire you? And, how did you feel? No phone calls? No emails? No more excitement?
So often in the hustle and bustle of working to fill dozens of roles within our companies, we forget that great recruiting is much like a sales and service department. As recruiters, we must not only screen candidates for the necessary skills, abilities and attitudes to be successful, but we must also sell them on why it’s so great to work at our company. Their initial success could rely heavily on how excited they are to join our team. Sometimes the “why it’s great to work here” is obvious—competitive pay, exceptional benefits, flexible work schedules, an opportunity for advancement or maybe even an intangible energy in the workforce. Sometimes it is the feeling a new employee gets that says, “I am at home. People just like me work here.” This sense of community is increasingly important when attracting the Gen-X and Gen-Y employees—generations who seek similar attitudes and attributes to feel comfortable in their workplaces.
Well, what happens after you close the deal—after the “sale” has been made and you both agree to terms of employment and rewards of that employment? Is a two-week sabbatical from enthusiasm okay? Or, does your new hire start to question their decision to join your team?
This is a critical point in the hiring process that deserves special attention. Remember, this is the first real experience your new team member has with your company. This is a defining time when a new hire may get a sneak peek into what it’s really like to build a relationship with your organization. So, are you building that relationship?
After they say yes, do you stay in contact with your candidates until they start orientation? As a recruiter, I go out of my way to make sure I communicate, either on the phone or by e-mail with anyone I recruited at least twice per week until they start.
I had one person I hired late last year who I knew it would be important to reiterate they made the right choice in joining our company. Everyday at 5:30pm I would call to say “I am glad you will be on our team—welcome!” And, as that person’s manager still today, I still tell that person at least once per week, that I’m glad they made the right decision.
As recruiters, our hires are in fact our clients. And, all clients deserve continued and committed attention. This ongoing communication ensures excitement on the part of the new hire, and reduces their anxiety regarding their decision. After all, we’ve all been there at some point—changing or starting a new job is considered one of the 5 most stressful events in life!
If you continue to service your new hire during the orientation period, and maintain contact with them as they transition into their role, your odds of retaining that person in your company increase dramatically. More importantly, you expedite the time it takes for them to become fully engaged in the business.
What does that mean? Engaged employees have repeatedly been shown to increase client engagement and company profit—as discussed in a fantastic article which I highly recommend called The Employee-Service Profit Chain at Sears which you can find in the Harvard Business Review Journal Article Archives.
If you service your recruits, you will reap the benefits of knowing about issues and concerns before they spin out of control. You’ll get top notch referrals from them because of the trust you built with them. You’ll build and reinforce your employment brand as not only a great place to work, but a great place to apply! And you’ll engage people with consistent enthusiasm for long and successful career.
After all, today’s applicants may be tomorrow’s customers. They may be tomorrow’s talented super teams. And, they may be tomorrow’s leaders!
