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ARTICLE

Handle With Care: Humans in the Recruiting Process

August 4, 2015 — by MediaMath    

When I began tech recruiting during the “dot com” boom, no one thought about candidate experience. Our priority was filling the position as fast as possible to move on to the next one. We had a churn and burn mentality because recruiting was not as competitive and candidates would leap at any opportunity to work in our field.

Job seekers today aren’t just looking for the next best thing–candidates evaluate companies as much as companies evaluate them. In this age of transparency and the rise of the employee review, where prospects can investigate your company through Glassdoor and LinkedIn, companies need to treat every candidate with care because every candidate experience can affect your reputation and the employer brand of the entire organization.

Certainly my goal is to identify the best candidate for the position, but I always keep in mind that candidates are also evaluating the best positions for themselves. How can recruiters ensure that we’re meeting the expectations of every individual person behind the deluge of resumes that pour in every week?

At MediaMath, we found that the only way to meet every candidates expectations is to set those expectations realistically and respectfully. Here are four of the main principles that we guide our actions at every point of the recruitment process:

1. Treat EVERY candidate as you’d like to be treated We’ve all been on the job hunt at some point our careers. Interviewing is exhausting –both for employers and candidates. It’s very important to ensure that the advertised position is truly open and available to job seekers. The “Bait and Switch” tactic will group your recruiting efforts into the used car salesman mentality. Providing accurate job descriptions, benefit information, and other company information will show that you want that candidate to be as informed as possible to make a decision on if this is place where he/she would like to work.

2. Candidates can be customers Recruiters put themselves directly in the front line of candidates. Representing our companies as a recruiter is not that different from a customer walking into a retail location to purchase your product. Remember when you had a bad experience during a recent purchase? Don’t leave that impression on someone who might be a prospect for a future position, or who could even end up working at a client company.

3. The timeliness and accuracy of feedback is important Candidates in an active search sometimes have several opportunities in play at once. Providing timely feedback can be crucial to closing that candidate. Additionally, providing direction and informing the candidate about what to expect during the interview, who will make the hiring decision, and what the overall selection process is like will provide information on how soon a decision could be made. Sometimes that certainty in a timetable and a realistic perception of their qualifications might encourage them to resist other offers while waiting for yours.

4. Confidentiality & Trust Active job seekers could be employees at companies that do business or compete with your company. Adhering to professional ethics and keeping that search confidential is a powerful way to build candidate loyalty and trust in your company. Remember that unethical recruiting behavior can impact the way that your clients and partners see you. Make an effort to contact your candidates at a time that is convenient to them at home, not at their office. Calling them at work could humiliate them (or worse – get them fired) and diminish their trust in your company.

Keep an eye on the prize Regardless of your position within the company, MediaMath makes treating people a top priority. In our recruiting, we embody the Math Values of SPACE—Scalable Innovation, Performance, Accountability, Collaboration, and Empowerment. Learn more about MediaMath’s culture and opportunities to join our team on our careers page.