How did you make your candidates feel?

So, what a year….this is certainly one for the books. Australia’s unemployment has risen from around 5.3% in January when the pandemic really started to gain momentum to a high equivalent of the Great Depression of 7.4% (*as at today’s date) which although shy of the projected impact to Australia’s workforce – the impact is still monumental nonetheless.

I don’t think any of us will quickly forget 2020 (so much for numerology suggesting this year was auspicious! Lies!)

The impact on the recruitment industry has been interesting to observe.

Prior to the GFC in 2007 recruitment was coming off a massive high with high billings and lucrative desks – especially for those of us in tech and finance where there was always hiring activity.

Talent supply was still lower and great candidates were either in current roles or extremely picky with who they wanted to work for so a great talent hunters role was always to find that gun who would be in hot demand, so we had to be better and faster than our competitors and if we could get a great candidate in the door – it was almost an immediate hire. Clients were falling over themselves to get top talent and agencies were the beneficiaries of this.

For most of us that were recruiting around the time of the GFC in 2007-2009, there are similarities to the current COVID market in the sense that unemployment rose fast to around 6%, and created a flood of candidates to the market and meant that we were no longer able to offer the benefit of exclusivity with our top talent – the oversupply meant that talent was on tap – for those still recruiting. The differences between COVID and the GFC in my opinion has been in the feelings and sentiment in our candidates. There seems to be an enduring sense of shock and fear in the not knowing how long and deep this impact will be and how bad things may get.

Now personally I think our government has done a phenomenal job in offering a financial lifeline to Australian workers and employers impacted by COVID. We look around the world and we are in such a fortunate position and quite honestly – regardless of what you believe politically, we have lessened the impact on our economy which is largely due to the actions of our government.

With the biggest influx of talent hitting the market since the GFC and at greater speed, this has caused a challenge for us as recruiters. Our application numbers have doubled and we have seen higher quality candidates now vying for our attention. We are also seeing those same candidates that were in a position to command high salaries and have the luxury of multiple employers fighting over them no less than 12-18 months ago, to now willing to accept lower salaries – because they have to, because there is now no other choice.

We are also seeing this in the conversations we are having with our candidates and the sheer desperation some of them come into the recruitment process with. We are dealing with fewer jobs and significantly more candidates – the odds now really aren’t in their favour…and they know it. Once where candidates were a 70% fit for a role getting an interview request has now shifted to at least 80-90% job fit and no interview requests due to there being so much more competition in the market than ever before.

Now to talk about how this has impacted our processes – I’m observing that whilst our automated recruitment processes help manage this higher volume – I pose this question… what impact will this have when the market changes?

Now let’s be real (this is a real space after all!) these automated processes largely are designed to help recruiters manage their volumes whilst balancing the candidate experience. This beautiful balance maintains the equilibrium between experience and process speed and is dependent on the optimal number of candidates going through the process. But has this COVID impact upset this equilibrium? I think it has. Let me explain….

I think recruitment automation has been one of the greatest innovations in our industry. It has meant the deliberate redesign of the candidate experience and the optimisation in the way we recruit. I have spoken about recruitment automation and candidate experience many times and you all know I’m a massive fan…(and here it comes)…..BUT I have always maintained that automation and AI are fabulous as long as they maintain the candidate experience. What I am seeing now is this technology has removed the human centricity of the recruitment process and upset that balance and speed equilibrium because of this sheer volume increase even further and our candidates are noticing.

In some instances more complaints are being heard from within the industry that instead of candidates having the opportunity to talk to a recruiter about their suitability (which in most cases they do actually have) they are now the recipients of the dreaded auto reject email…. “we’re sorry to advise you that you have been unsuccessful in your application due to the large number of applications we have received”…..(god I hate those emails…I would prefer to use the F word that’s how much I hate them) since when did our volume become the candidates problem and why are we making it their problem? This is code for we haven’t got the time to read your application because we have too many – so it’s a no from us”…. what the actual?

We know our recruiters are stretched with this increase volume so this isn’t meant to be a criticism, but honestly – have we forgotten what being in recruitment means? I think in this current market (probably more than ever before) the level of compassion and empathy that is expected within our industry has risen – and so should it. We haven’t risen our bar in line with the expectations from society in the way some recruitment should be run. Our candidates deserve better than an auto reject email from a bot. They deserve more than “ sorry – I don’t have time to look at your resume and have a conversation with you.”

To balance this out we have seen some amazing examples within our industry of employers working together to help impacted industries transition their workforce, we have seen examples of recruiters going above and beyond their role to find roles for candidates that are desperate to find work. They have done us proud…but to those that are still hiding behind their ATS and have forgotten to have empathy for what your candidates are going through – rather than just how busy you are … this next line is for you….

Candidates will never forget how you made them feel.

This market like every other market will change – we all know this, but when it does and you are back having to canvassing top talent and willing them to consider you and your company, I ask you – how did you make them feel in this market? If you can’t answer that or think it may not be too highly, then my advice to you would be to look at your process and change it. Put the empathy back into your process, as candidates will always remember how you treated them, and how you made them feel.

Would love to hear your thoughts as always!

J xx