Whose Perspective?

Our guest blogger is Pam Robison of J. Gifford Inc. in Tulsa, Oklahoma. J. Gifford Inc. is a small, quality conscious firm providing highly individualized recruiting services to clients on a local, regional, national and international basis. The firm’s recruiting activities are focused on professional, technical and managerial placement, as well as contractor and international staffing for clients. Pam is a member of the NPAworldwide Board of Directors.

Isn’t it interesting how several people who share the same experience can have such different perspectives from one another? As a professional recruiter, I observe at least three sides to interview perspectives. There’s the employer (company), the candidate, and the recruiter side. I could probably write a book about this, but I’ll keep it short and sweet for now.

The company typically sees itself as “holding all the cards” in the interview and hiring process. It often assumes people are eager to work there and that the interview process being slanted in the company’s favor. During the interview process, the company sometime expects candidates to jump through hoops (i.e., multiple interviews) before making a hiring decision.

Candidates aren’t always interview-savvy. This interview may be their first in 10 years! Without exception, the one thing all candidates have in common is the expectation of receiving quick and meaningful feedback. Hopefully, after the interview, they’re invested and eager to move forward in the process. (Ideally company interviewers should possess at least some recruiting skills to “sell” the company and opportunity to the candidate).

From a recruiting perspective, I agree, to an extent, the company is king. However, it doesn’t necessarily hold all the cards. Some candidates may have never heard of the company, so they don’t know what a wonderful place it is to work. Once a recruiter has “sold” the candidate this opportunity could be their dream job, timely feedback is critical to keep the them engaged. If the recruiting partner doesn’t hear back from the company, the candidate doesn’t either – and may quickly lose interest and move on. There’s nothing worse than the communication black hole, or said another way, time kills all deals. If the candidate is rejected, let the recruiter know why so they can improve their aim. If the answer is yes, then great! Off to the races we go! Again, the communication should be timely through the interview, offer, and onboarding processes.

There’s not a right or wrong “side” here. Some people will say, “Perspective is everything.” Just whose perspective? Try considering the hiring process from someone else’s point of view. Understanding the differences could lead to a more successful outcome.