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Candidate Search recruitment models

How to Create an Exceptional Candidate - Recruiter Relationship

July 15, 2021

This article on why it’s essential to have a good candidate-recruiter relationship first appeared in December 2019, and was updated to reflect new information on the candidate-recruiter relationship in July 2021.

Your company’s reputation is affected anytime a candidate interacts with you, whether they’ve had a good or bad experience.

Because the number of open roles is historically high, it’s the candidate’s market. Potential employees have a lot of choices when it comes to working for a company — and top talent has even more options than most.

When you remove the hassles and communicate openly with candidates, they are more likely to speak positively about your company — whether or not they’re hired.

Creating exceptional candidate-recruiter relationships is key to building the most successful recruitment strategy possible. It is important for recruiters to have an open, honest, and trustworthy relationship with candidates.

5 Reasons to Create a Great Recruiter-Candidate Relationship

  1. Recruiters will be in a better position to find the best fit for their company
  2. LinkedIn endorsements are more valuable and personalized
  3. Recruiters provide candid feedback on interview performance
  4. Candidates will have a better experience
  5. A great relationship is good for both parties and builds a pipeline

Not only will candidates benefit from the added support when they go to make big career moves, but recruiters will have an added ability to help their candidate land their dream roles. Here are five things to know when thinking about having a great candidate-recruiter relationship.

@IQTalent says #Recruiters can help get rid of the jobs that don’t fit and highlight the ones that do. Get all the details about the value of a good candidate-recruiter relationship:Click to Tweet

Recruiters Should Have The Candidates’ Best Interest In Mind

Recruiters need to assure candidates that they have their best interests in mind. Candidates need to understand that in order to find the perfect job, it may take some time. As a candidate, you have to trust the process and be patient. As a recruiter, you have to make sure to be responsive and accessible to your candidates.

The trust goes both ways.

Keeping the candidate’s best interest at the top of your mind will help you to curate an enjoyable candidate experience. Modern job seekers want to learn about the culture and brand of the organizations to which they apply, and they want an efficient and well-rounded experience overall.

Recruiters want to know what a candidate is looking for in the next step of their career, and how what the candidate seeks differs from competitors. Recruiters also must ensure that the candidate will be a good fit for the position, company, and culture.

If candidate-recruiter relationships aren’t built on trust, the recruiter's recommendations may come across as pushy or even manipulative rather than helpful.

Recruiters Should Be Accessible And Responsive

It is critical to be an accessible candidate recruiter. In this age of digital communication, your candidate shouldn’t have to wait too long for a response from you after the initial candidate contact has been made. If you can give them that quick response and then follow with additional information in 24 hours or less, that candidate will feel like they are a high priority.

Make candidate-recruiter relationship building a top priority, and you will reap the benefits in the candidate experience. If it feels like a candidate is being put on hold or left alone for a while, they are much more likely to consider your recruitment strategy as less than stellar.

Beyond the candidate-recruiter relationship being imperative for candidate experience, it’s also critical to the overall recruitment process. The candidate and recruiter should have open communication throughout their entire candidate-recruiter relationship-building process. This will allow both parties to be on the same page as far as candidate expectations are concerned.

Fast Facts about Recruiting

Great Recruiters Build Relationships With Empathy

Recruiters must understand how the candidate feels through this process. From the initial application to the interview, the recruiter may feel a form of success as they get the candidate to where they are supposed to be. However, this feeling may not be mutual for the candidate.

This means that a candidate recruiter relationship should have an open door for candidate feedback. Recruiters can learn from candidate experience feedback and take necessary steps to correct what needs to be fixed in order to keep the candidate happy and apply that knowledge to future candidate relationships

Candidates may feel stressed about this next career opportunity. It is normal for candidates to be nervous during this process. However, you need to remind them that, as their recruiter, you have their best interest at heart. Recruiting is all about balancing the candidate’s interest with a company’s needs. More importantly, it is about finding the right people for the right positions.

6 Things a Candidate May Worry About During the Interview Process

  1. The salary range and other compensation questions
  2. Lifestyle considerations: commute, schools, or daycare
  3. Quality of life
  4. The candidate’s perceived chances of getting the job
  5. Giving up a secure position for a new opportunity
  6. Cultural fit

Bottom line, the hiring and interviewing process is commonly perceived as stressful by candidates, and big decision-making points like salary negotiation, while a common occurrence for recruiting professionals, can be highly stressful for jobseekers.

Fitting Employees Into The Company Culture

Recruiters need to have a strong relationship with candidates in order to match people to the company culture. Recruiters and employees should get to know each other on both a personal and professional level. Companies tend to have different environments and team sizes, so knowing certain demographics and psychographics can help piece this puzzle together. 

Candidates cannot have a successful job placement if the recruiter doesn’t truly know them. Recruiters should get comfortable and be personable with each other before jumping right into finding the right match. 

Take the time to learn each other’s personalities and interests. It is important to know attitudes and personalities in addition to their experience, location, and qualifications. Recruiters should take into consideration a company’s culture to make sure the employee will fit.

Honesty, Communication, And Understanding

Both recruiters and candidates should be fully engaged throughout the entire process. Putting yourself in each other’s shoes can be beneficial when it comes to understanding one another. Recruiters should communicate their behind-the-scenes work to the candidate because the candidate is the product they are selling!.

Recruiters need to understand candidates’ motivations and career goals to be able to make an informed decision. Being honest is the best way to maintain a strong candidate-recruiter relationship. The best recruiters are able to build trust with a candidate by being upfront with them about whether a role would be a good fit.

Additionally, recruiters should stay engaged with the best performers. This cuts sourcing time and increases the chances of picking a candidate who will excel in a role. To provide a competitive edge and to meet the candidate's needs, it’s essential to constantly check in with them and give honest feedback.

Same Goals = Same Success

Recruiters and candidates ultimately share the same goal. The candidates desire a position, and the recruiter needs to fill positions. If you are both on the same page, success is already in the works. Identifying intrinsic values helps candidates understand the employment brands. Recruiters should identify core characteristics and skills that candidates possess. There are many great recruiters out there who not only do their job but go above and beyond to care and be invested in the success of their candidates.

Candidate Experience

Alignment in Candidate-Recruiter Relationships

Good recruiters don’t just want to get their candidates a job, they want to get them a job they like and where they will excel. When companies are recruiting employees, they are hoping to find a broad talent pool with lots of available candidates.

The ideal candidate needs to have the right career placement, secure their position, and have recruiters make informed decisions that are backed with the candidate’s goals in mind. When recruiters and candidates have their goals aligned, both parties will succeed.

Creating a good candidate-recruiter relationship should be a top priority for both #candidates and #recruiters. Check out @IQTalent’s latest article on the value of a good candidate-recruiter relationship:Click to Tweet

Let's Imagine the Best Possible Candidate Experience

When an applicant applies to a job they think they’ll like, the application process should be a straightforward and easy-to-follow process, generally taking 2 minutes to complete.

The hiring manager quickly responds after the initial application, to set up a phone screen.

The process of interviewing starts off on a positive note!

Throughout the recruitment process, the recruiter gives updates on candidate status in email. The candidate will know what each interview will include and who they will be meeting with.

The candidate should feel welcomed and respected by the interviewers, and they are equally prepared for the interview. The candidate has time to ask his or her own questions with interviewers sharing realistic opportunities and challenges.

The interview process concludes successfully! The candidate meets with human resources and executives before speaking with the manager. This gives the candidate a chance to see what the company culture looks for in employees. The recruiter talks about their background, the candidate’s background and goals while taking notes on everything said which helps them connect dots when it comes to matching future employees and culture.

If at any point in the process the candidate doesn’t move forward, the recruiter should send an email. After being hired, there’s a celebratory email and welcoming note. Along the way, the offer letter and compensation package should be all clearly documented.

The Many Benefits of an Exceptional Candidate Experience

Candidates will see the benefits of a strong candidate-recruiter relationship once they find a good recruiter and build a relationship with them. From the beginning, candidates search out recruiters for help making smart career choices. Part of a recruiter’s role is to support their candidates in accomplishing their goals. A great candidate-recruiter relationship assures recruitment success.

From start to finish, the recruitment and hiring process can seem like one giant maze that is hard to navigate. It can be hard for a candidate working alone to find all the possible employers seeking the perfect fit for their company. Recruiters can help get rid of the jobs that don’t fit and highlight the ones that do.

A good candidate-recruiter relationship is important because it puts the candidate’s best interest in mind, finds a culture fit within a company, and ensures goals are met, leading to successful candidate recruitment.

Success for the candidate is getting a job and for the recruiter, finding a match is the greatest benefit of a candidate-recruiter relationship. The best outcome you’re both seeking can be achieved through honesty, communication, and understanding each other. Find out how IQTalent Partners can help your company match with top candidates.

See how IQTalent Partners can help your company build relationships with top passive candidates!

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