A little rant because in 10 years, it hasn't changed, and I've had more than enough of seeing articles or posts on LinkedIn from recruiters who explain that:
"My candidates have been mean,"
"They don't respond to me anymore,"
"It's the least polite thing to do when a recruiter writes to you, to respond to them...",
"I posted a job ad, but I don't have anyone who fits... They could at least read the ads!"
"OMG, this candidate who responds to me after 3 weeks without even apologizing for the delay...",
Etc...
To quote an article from LEDR, Candidat n'est pas un métier and it's up to you to adapt and make sure that this person YOU contacted wants to respond to you...
You are the professionals, and YOU need them (not the other way around).
So yes, recruiters, sourcers, headhunters, "talent acquisition" specialists, or whatever your title, when this happens to you, stop everything you're doing...
Close your eyes and put yourself in the shoes of this person you call a "candidate" and who is causing you so much grief!
Stop assuming that people will act exactly the way you expect, or the way you would have reacted...
Because you know what?
Everyone thinks, feels, and acts differently!
Finally, and it saddens me to have to (still) write something like this, take care of your candidates or the people you contact. Be kind and don't take the easy way out. This applies to the job postings you write, the messages you post, your biography on LinkedIn, but it's still true in everyday life! And honestly, if it were easy, it wouldn't be fun, would it?!
We must all face the choice between what is right and what is easy - A.Dumbledore(JKR)
(yes, I'm a big Harry Potter fan!)
In short, stop treating candidates like fools, and if you want to be respected as a recruiter, start by respecting the people you're in contact with (by personalizing your approaches a bit, for example, or just by really looking at their profile!!!)
Candidate care is an attitude !
Nicolas Revol
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