Ep 13: The Hiring Paradox: Don’t Offend the Rejected

Meet Jamie Davis‍

Follow Jamie on LinkedIn

Jamie Davis is the exceptionally talented senior recruiter who was laid off six months ago. Upon sharing her experience on LinkedIn, she had over 500,000 impressions within the first week. With a depth of knowledge about hiring best practices, she has experienced the other side of recruiting while applying for countless jobs.

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‍Episode Highlights

Layoffs

Jamie Davis: “Since the beginning of 2023 there have been a lot of layoffs, specifically in tech, talent acquisition and human resources. So it's been interesting because there are a lot of really great and talented people in these spaces, who would run really excellent hiring processes, but are not working. It's been interesting to see how companies are seeming to view talent acquisition as more of a service rather than a partnership. And it's definitely led to some breakdowns in the process.”

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Recent job search

Jamie Davis: “I've applied to thousands of postings. I've had approximately 20 to 25 interviews. I made it to finals with two companies. One ghosted me completely; the other had told me that an offer was being drafted. I didn't find out for another probably five weeks that they had actually passed on me. And that's not including all the recruitment processes that I've been in, where there's been a pretty huge amount of ghosting as well. It definitely seems different than what I'm used to or how I ran my recruitment desk."

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Top 5 recommendations to improve hiring experience

1. Provide clear expectations surrounding the hiring process and job description.

-- Legal compliance

-- Good faith salary range

2. Ensure an accessible and smooth application process.

-- Cover letters are unnecessary

-- References should only be requested when ready to make an offer

-- Accessibility for persons with disabilities

3. Optimize applicant tracking.

-- Minimize time between interviews

-- 2-4 interviews should be enough

4. Notify candidates of rejections and other updates.

-- Jamie Davis: “Do not reject candidates who have been in the interview process in any capacity. If they've had interviews, give feedback. If they have made it to a final and are not selected, give feedback.”

5. Coach and train hiring teams to follow a standardized process.

-- This ensures that every applicant has the same experience

-- It should follow or inform the job posting’s provided expectations

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How the hiring process impacts your employer reputation

Jamie Davis: “You have an opportunity with every person you speak with to create either a great ambassador for your company or one that is not going to be so helpful with your company's reputation, especially with hiring.”

Matt Vance: “Years ago, Virgin Mobile did a research study. They surveyed a whole bunch of their applicants that were not hired and found a couple key things. About 20% of the people who'd apply for jobs were customers of theirs. They also found that there was a percentage of the people that were customers upon not receiving the job who terminated their service with Virgin Mobile. They saw an actual revenue impact on the inferior experience they were providing to job applicants. It affects your bottom line.”

Crista Vance: “Make sure the applicant experience exceeds expectations because they may end up working for you. And for all those who don't, they can become ambassadors for you. Applicants can share with their friends in person or online either positively or negatively, so just be nice. Be honest, be open and set the proper expectations so that everyone completes the application process feeling satisfied. You can be on both sides as Jamie has and wish that for the other person.”

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