by Employment Screening Alliance | Nov 9, 2016 | Fingerprinting
Fingerprinting | When Employers Don’t Get Back to Candidates
Fingerprinting | You’re busy and you simply don’t have time to let every candidate know when they didn’t make the cut.
And you’re certainly not alone. Recruiters and hiring managers at nearly every organization advertising an open position is overwhelmed these days.
But if you find a few moments, peruse any job website or bulletin board focusing on jobs and one of the most frequently asked questions – and probably the greatest source of anger, discouragement and confusion in searching for a job – is why organizations don’t communicate with candidates following the interview.
Just take a look at www.reddit.com/r/jobs. Posts from frustrated job applicants include titles such as:
“I’m getting really tired of employers saying they’re going to call you and then not”
“Waiting on formal job offer/start date after informal offer.”
“After final interview – was supposed to hear a decision yesterday and didn’t. When do I reach out?”
“(rant) Please don’t set up a phone interview if you’re not going to call.”
Such angst is understandable. They’ve spent countless hours fine-tuning a resume, tweaking it so their applicable skills are accentuated. They’ve had a friend further scrutinize it with a fresh pair of eyes to make sure every “I” is dotted, every “t” crossed, and spellcheck didn’t miss something. He or she probably sweated bullets preparing for one or more interviews that could enable him or her to land that dream job – fresh challenges, a salary he or she may really need, a career with a future, and insurance coverage that his or her family may have been desperately looking forward to.
The interview goes well. So does the next one, and the one with the big boss. “We’ll be in touch,” he or she is told as you firmly shake hands and they head home, head held high and a smile on their face.
And then they wait.
And wait.
And wait some more, hoping to get good news. Heck, any news!
They check their email every few minutes. And make sure their phone’s battery hasn’t died and their ringer is turned up.
And they hear nothing.
Nothing.
The sad truth is that only the candidate who is offered the job actually hears back. The others are left in limbo.
Typically, recruiters and hiring managers say they’re too busy to let candidates know they didn’t get the job. And no one enjoys being the bearer of bad news.
Yet, letting candidates down can be done quite simply.
You can write a simple email that states your organization has decided to hire a candidate whose qualifications more closely match your needs. You don’t go into detail as to what the candidate lacked; this also allows you to use the same email for multiple candidates. Don’t give advice as what they can do better; but do let each candidate know they didn’t get the job, and do it in a timely manner.
Even classier: Have postcards printed that gently delivers the bad news. It’s more personal than an email and, since space on a postcard is limited, the message won’t and can’t be too long. Extra points for you and your company if you address and sign them by hand.
If you’re really comfortable doing so and have time, call the candidates and tell them what’s up. This very direct method requires skill in delivering an uncomfortable message and, again, you would want to be tactful and avoid reasons, subjective judgments, and other conversation that could be misconstrued.
Will it take some time to contact the candidates? Sure. But in this age where anyone with an internet connection and accounts on Facebook, LinkedIn, or countless job sites can besmirch you and your organization’s reputation when they feel they’ve been ignored or insulted, it may pay great dividends to invest some time into contacting the runners-up. Consider at least contacting candidates who made it to the final round(s).
Tom Petty’s song “The Waiting” hits the nail on the head: “The waiting is the hardest part.” Put yourself in the candidates’ shoes: Wouldn’t you feel better – and wouldn’t you have more respect for a company – if you weren’t left in the dark about whether or not you got the gig? Some candidates may think he or she got the job and not continue looking, wasting precious time. Let him or her go and move forward with their job search!
HireRight created a “Candidate Resentment Calculator” to determine how much a negative candidate experience may hurt a brand’s reputation and potential revenue. It noted that:
Resentment manifests in a variety of ways:
- Sharing negative experiences over multiple social channels
- Communicating those experiences with an inner circle
- Spending consumer dollars at a competing business in both the short and long term
Take a few moments to take this informative survey. The results may surprise you. And for an in-depth exploration of Candidate Resentment and its repercussions, tune in to HireRight’s On-Demand webinar, “Beyond Talent, What Else Are You Losing during the Recruitment Process,” conducted by talent management strategist, consultant, and trainer, Elaine Orler.
Again, a candidate who never hears back, particularly when he or she is told “We’ll be in touch,” may make your company famous – and not in a good way. Let him or her know what’s up, even if it takes a little time. In the long run, spending those few minutes on something else may cost you: As Warren Buffett said, “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it.” -HireRight
We strictly verify the potential employee’s past education and employment records to see if they are aligned with the information the potential employee has given us.
For more information regarding E.S.A’s background screening solutions contact us at 866-619-9646.
by Employment Screening Alliance | Nov 7, 2016 | Employment Screening
Employment Screening | 9 Reasons Not To Ignore Active Job Seekers Pt. 1
Employment Screening | Have you ever heard someone say that active job seekers – those who are actively in the market looking for job opportunities – are a waste of time?
Unfortunately, the popular belief seems to be that, ‘If they are looking for a job, then they can’t be any good.’
Instead, recruiters have encouraged organizations to focus on those people who are already in jobs, saying, ‘Focus on the passive talent! The best candidates are currently employed!’
Having spent over 2 decades in the recruitment game, I can honestly say this is a myth and it’s time to destroy it.
This belief was created, shared and perpetuated by traditional recruiters to justify sky-high fees for their work and convince unsuspecting organizations that they needed headhunters (and the associated fees) when really what was needed was a simple job ad.
Of course, passive candidates can be a great source of untapped talent for organizations and I’m certainly not saying that every good recruiter shouldn’t devote a period of time to maintaining their passive candidate funnel. However including active job seekers when searching for the best talent can be just, if not more, effective and cost thousands of dollars less.
Before doing any employment screening, here are 10 reasons why you can’t afford to ignore active job seekers:
1. Almost all workers are always seeking new job opportunities
A study done on Candidate Behaviour revealed that 71% of people currently employed actively search for new positions as a regular part of their routine. 27% search for new opportunities as regularly as every week! Job search email alerts sent directly to a person’s inbox makes keeping an eye on currently available job positions easy. It’s likely your candidate will come to you before you manage to reach them passively. How devastating if you ignored them simply because they did your work for you!
2. Active job seekers may be active for good reasons
Not everyone is an active job seeker because they’re not good enough to get the job they want. They may be moving cities for family reasons. They may have taken a sabbatical the year before. They may have just graduated from further education. They may have thought their current role was something that it turned out not to be.
Almost everyone has been an active job seeker at some stage in their professional life. There are many reasons a person is an active job seeker. Remember when employment screening, an ‘active’ job seeker isn’t necessarily out of work. They might be active because they have made the conscious decision to find a new role and are just doing something about it!
I’ve always trained recruiters to quickly assess whether a candidate is either running away from something or running toward something. This will help you determine what type of active candidate they are.
3. Keyword searches don’t find everyone
If you’re searching for someone a little unusual to fill a role requiring creativity and innovation, you likely won’t find the word ‘creative’ or ‘innovative’ on their LinkedIn profile. Creative people are often hiding behind more traditional titles, maybe ones that do not currently relate to the job you are looking to fill. You may be missing out on a potential creative gem by limiting your talent pool to only those who show up in keyword searches.
4. Active job seekers are often the fastest to get across the line
It takes a lot of effort to recruit a passive job seeker – dozens of unanswered emails, hours convincing and negotiating. On the other hand, an active candidate is often ready to go. They are open to new opportunities and have already mentally left behind their current role. When a candidate is the right candidate, an active job seeker will have required far less work to get across the line than a passive one. There’s no need to take the path of most resistance if the result – a great candidate for the role – is the same.
5. Active job seekers can be surprising gems
It stands to reason that active job seekers are far more invested in their potential for a job role than you are. Recruiters can’t know everything about a person and often need the job seeker to present their skills in the right way for a job match to be obvious. -Recruit Loop
Learn what ESA can do for you! Call 866-830-3724 to discuss employment screening services or complete the form on www.esascreening.com now!
by Employment Screening Alliance | Nov 3, 2016 | Background Screening
Background Screening | Job Candidate with a Criminal Record? Pt. 1
Background Screening | What if you found that hiring a former felon could be a good thing for your company?
Or that it could even turn out to a great thing, with such a person actually outperforming other employees with “clean” records?
In light of a recent study from Harvard and Amherst universities indicating that doing so may actually be a wise decision for a number of reasons, it’s a notion worth deliberation.
While this research is yet inconclusive, the study offers compelling statistics, analyses, and theories.
Add in the “Ban the Box” movement growing in popularity throughout the United States, and it makes for an even more provocative topic for reflection.
As of this writing, 14 cities and counties, and 8 states have adopted “Ban-the-Box” rules that affect private employers. [ Tweet this!]
Countless more have enacted legislation that affects employers.
Further, the White House has proposed rules that would prohibit federal agencies from asking candidates for their background records until the candidate receives a conditional job offer for thousands of government jobs.
This is a radical departure from the past when asking the candidate if they have been convicted of a felony was part of many employers’ initial applications.
Many companies used to immediately pass over applications from candidates who checked this box.
There were concerns about being victimized by people who had “done time.”
Businesses that catered to the public were often apprehensive about their customers’ discomfort if they knew they were being served by an ex-offender.
Convictions and Linkage to Military
But recently, researchers from Harvard University and the University of Massachusetts Amherst, using the U.S. military – the nation’s largest employer – as a test bed, found that ex-felons were no more likely to be dismissed for misconduct or poor performance than other enlistees.
In fact, they were more likely to be promoted to higher ranks.
Individuals convicted of a felony may not enlist in any branch of the military according to the U.S. federal legal code.
However, a recruit with a felony may request a “moral character waiver” which may be granted after a background check that considers the recruit’s age at offense, the circumstances of the crime, his or her individual qualifications, references, and a personal interview.
Recruits with felonies who were granted a waiver were found to be “no more likely to be discharged for the negative reasons employers often assume” including doing a bad job and exhibiting bad behavior.
In fact, the report stated, “Contrary to what might be expected, we find that individuals with felony-level criminal backgrounds are promoted more quickly and to higher ranks than other enlistees.” -HireRight
Learn what ESA can do for you! Call 866-830-3724 to discuss background screening services or complete the form on www.esascreening.com now!
by Employment Screening Alliance | Nov 3, 2016 | Background Screening
Background Screening | 8 Reasons to Hire a Graduate Pt. 1
Background Screening | Thinking about hiring a graduate? Before doing any background screening. It might seem like a leap of faith, but this could be the best decision you ever make for your business. Graduates bring a number of unique qualities to the table; current knowledge, inspiring determination and a youthful character, set to change the face of the world.
They are also a strong long-term business investment when it comes to crunching the numbers, able to work at an efficiency reflective of the fast-paced business world. Read on to find out exactly why you should be shaking hands on a job offer with your next graduate applicant instead.
1. Current knowledge
When a recent graduate arrives knocking on your door, they have stopped by essentially straight from the classroom. This can be intimidating to many companies, but the gamble is much lower when compared to the potential benefits. Graduates know all the latest industry principles, business models, and success stories. How? They’ve been studying them intensely for the last few years.
Young people also tend to be more comfortable with new technology and the shifting workplace culture. They are self-motivated to continue to stay in the know and connect with fresh ideas, as they have learned to do through their education. Even if your applicant isn’t equipped with all the tangible skills necessary, this gap can easily be crossed with internal training.
2. Positive attitude
The ‘change the world’ outlook that can tick off established professionals isn’t actually a barrier to success, but a gateway. An unfailingly positive outlook and real vision are character attributes that can’t be taught, especially when strictly pragmatic thinking is ingrained from years in the industry. Entrepreneurs aren’t born from sticking hard and fast to the set rules, but disrupting social norms and revolutionizing our way of thinking.
Graduates also tend to be highly grateful for the opportunity. Finally, they have a job. This means that more often than not, they’re happy to take on the menial tasks as well and work hard to impress. An eager momentum can only ever be a good thing for the growth of your business.
3. Succession planning
There are plenty of opportunities out there. You have one shot to hire that graduate, with the chance to keep them on forever. Give the chance to a young professional and pave the way for a successful long-term career path. This is the best way to ensure loyalty and growth, as well as the sustainability of your business in the future.
Background screening and succession planning also counters a challenge faced by companies around the world for hiring entry level management. Taking on an external professional carries risks; you need to deal with their unfamiliarity, different work ethic, and culture. By providing the opportunity for an internal promotion to graduates you can reward those who excel at your business and successfully fill a critical management position.
4. Embrace new change
Picture this. A building firm is looking to hire a new construction worker. Someone who has an understanding of the work, but also an open mind, willing to learn their tricks of the trade. The problem with hiring an experienced industry professional is that they are set in their ways. Often, with an unshakeable work ethic and standpoint. While this has obvious benefits, it can also place limitations on your business operations and stunt the growth of your company.
Instead, hire a graduate fresh from their apprenticeship training – somewhat of a blank canvas. Young professionals are more likely to keep an open mind and adapt to new situations, it’s what they’ve been doing in the classroom for years. In this new era of business, where turnovers and extreme competition require agile professionals, graduates are your best bet.
5. Natural communication skills
Attending networking events can be intimidating at the best of times, even for an established professional or otherwise. But to graduates? Certainly, it’s become the familiar. These ex-students have just walked out of a university degree or short course, where they met new people in a foreign situation most days of the week. Good communication underpins success in the workforce – it drives teamwork, motivation, and technical efficiency. -Recruit Loop
Learn what ESA can do for you! Call 866-830-3724 to discuss background screening services or complete the form on www.esascreening.com now!
by Employment Screening Alliance | Oct 31, 2016 | Fingerprinting
Fingerprinting | 5 Reasons You Should Eliminate Chairs From Meetings Pt. 2
Fingerprinting | Holding standup meetings creates an opportunity for team members to alternate their workspaces and encourages them to get out of their seats throughout the day.
4. The energy is higher
Professional people spend a good number of their working hours in meetings. If you’ve participated in your share of them, you know they can be draining at times. It’s not hard to imagine that 91 percent of people reported daydreaming during meetings and 39 percent have fallen asleep.
This can’t solely be because people are not interested in the content being presented, or that their meetings take place after eating a big lunch. There’s a physiological rationale for why people are tuning out.
Sitting causes people to be less energetic overall, but holding standing meetings are one easy way to mitigate this unfavorable effect. Scientific evidence supports the benefits of standing because it releases endorphins, the naturally produced hormones that make you more alert and energetic.
Also, team members may exhibit more creativity and excitement when removed from a sedentary space. One study found that teams that stood had greater physiological arousal than teams that sat for meetings. By altering the environment where your team meets, you may be giving them subconscious permission to be more liberal with innovative ideas. People feed off one another’s energy, so if standing encourages a feeling of liveliness and high engagement with several team members, that will likely transfer to others in the group.
5. Changing the format can change the perception
Meetings are a function of business that can’t be eliminated.
They’ll exist as long as team members need to exchange ideas and information and come to consensus. But they do have a bad reputation for being time-consuming, boring and the reason people can’t get any real work done.
You still have to conduct meetings, so finding a way to keep people interested in them will benefit the entire group. When team members come with the expectation that the meeting will be focused, productive and efficient, it may yield better results.
While standups of today are credited with coming from the technology world, some military leaders held standups during World War I. They have a long history of being an effective communication channel, and the trend toward them is alive and well.
Some companies keep standing meetings interesting by adding rituals to them, such as starting and ending them with music to signal to participants that the meeting is beginning and ending. Others have incorporated fun rules such as having latecomers pay a small fine or sing a silly song in front of the group. –Recruit LOop
Learn what ESA can do for you! Call 866-830-3724 to discuss fingerprinting services or complete the form on www.esascreening.com now!
