Long-Term Relationships Are Key to Recruiting Success

For many organizations, the recruiting process is transactional and the relationship with talent is short-lived: A candidate is either hired or passed over. End of story.

In a competitive talent market, however, companies have the opportunity to fill their roles faster by building long-term relationships with candidates. Engaging with candidates and delivering a positive talent experience not only expands your talent pool but can also have a significant business impact.

It’s a good idea to engage with candidates, even if they aren’t hired for a posted job. Candidates are likely to share their experiences throughout the recruiting process with their peers and online, and if their experience was positive, it can only help your brand. Randstad Sourceright’s 2019 Talent Trends Report surveyed 1,700 professionals and found that 58% of those who have a positive candidate experience are likely to recommend the company to others. More than a third would share their experience on social media (39%) and follow the company’s social channels (35%).

The research also showed that 41% of rejected candidates would apply to the same company again and 20% would be more likely to purchase products or services from an employer with whom they’ve had a positive candidate experience.

Engaging employees and alumni

As for candidates who are hired, it’s equally important to focus on their experience as an employee, giving them ample opportunities to learn and grow. That’s why more companies are going beyond traditional learning programs to deliver new experiences to their talent.

To prevent them from stagnating or burning out in one role, employees can be given the opportunity to expand their skills by taking on more engaging roles that are aligned with their career goals. While such flexibility is a big step toward strengthening the relationships between employer and employee, to connect with a broader audience over the long term, employers must offer more creative ways to engage talent.

PREMIUM CONTENT: Total Talent Acquisition Developments 2019

For example, PwC introduced a “Digital Fitness” app that helps employees determine the type of training they could benefit from and enables them to become more digitally fluent. In addition to developing current talent, the app also helps attract future candidates by showing the company’s commitment to its employees.

Such an approach promotes a positive employer brand, which is increasingly important as today’s candidates have access to more information about organizations than ever. As the Talent Trends Report shows, 38% of workers say they are attracted to companies with a good brand reputation – making it a key factor for candidates exploring job opportunities.

In addition to focusing on engaging new and existing talent, it’s important for employers to maintain positive relationships with former employees whenever possible. Alumni who’ve had positive experiences can be great brand ambassadors. Some may even become candidates for future positions with your company.

5 ways to deliver an enhanced talent experience

Whether you’re looking to grow your talent community, improve employee engagement, or create more brand ambassadors, the following five steps can help.

  1. Take stock of your talent experience for candidates — as well as employees, contingent workers, and alumni — to give you a baseline and find out where improvement is needed.
  2. Develop targeted recruitment marketing campaigns to help position your organization as an employer of choice.
  3. Provide regular updates or send personalized newsletters to your talent communities to keep job seekers aware of opportunities with your company.
  4. Treat all candidates as customers. Candidates who take the time to apply for a job with your company deserve communication and some level of transparency. If you fall short of expectations, you could lose future resources or customers in the process.
  5. Extend the reach of your company’s reputation by encouraging applicants, employees, and alumni to share stories and become brand ambassadors.

Building and maintaining long-term relationships with talent may require significant investment in time and resources. However, the benefits of such an approach will help keep current and past candidates engaged, foster employee engagement, and help you promote your employer brand.

MORE: Creating meaningful and positive candidate experiences

Sue Marcus

Sue Marcus
Sue Marcus is the regional president of recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) and managed services programs (MSP) for Randstad Sourceright in the United States.

Sue Marcus

Share This Post

Tweet

Recent Articles

Powered by staffingindustry.com ·