Do call us, we won't call you...

I saw an advice post that a “busy” recruiter wrote: If I don’t get back to you in 2 WEEKS send ME a follow-up email.

This recruiter was very busy talking to lots of people every day. Lots and lots of people, actually. Dozens of people. Every day. Very busy. As a result of busyness, the recruiter said he was not always likely to give feedback and updates to his candidates.

The “advice” was then given that if the candidate hadn't received feedback after a week or two, they should chase him by email.

Would a recruiter tell his Client, "Chase me up in a few weeks if you hear nothing from me"? Not if he ever wanted to work with that client again!

And wait, aren’t candidates customers too? I think the “recruiter” in that post missed that day in Recruiter Class (must have been too busy).

Recruiters, no one cares how busy you are. You need to commit take ownership of candidate communication if you want to be successful, not shift the responsibility to your candidates.

Stop with the, "I will get back to you when I hear something" or, "I'll get back to you in a few days" and get definite. Your candidate will appreciate being told, "It will take a couple of days to get the interview feedback. I'll call you on Thursday afternoon" or "The hiring manager is on holiday this week, I won't be able to speak to her until Monday or Tuesday. I'll call or drop you an email by Tuesday evening." And if you don't have feedback when you expect it, that's still an update you need to give your candidate.

And get organised. Write down these commitments. Use your calendar, Outlook tasks, ATS reminder thingy, favourite To-Do app, tattoo it on the back of your arm if you need to. [But no Post-it notes - they have minds of their own and cannot be trusted.]

Now, you get can on with your work, and your candidate isn't left checking their phone notifications 10 times a day for the next week wondering if & when you're going to call or email.

Recruiting managers - have you given your consultants the training they need to understand the importance of this part of the candidate experience to your business' bottom-line? Are you following up with your in-play candidates and getting their feedback? You can be sure they're telling their friends and colleagues if your recruiters are 'too busy' to give feedback.

Poor communication from recruiters is one of the biggest complaints from job seekers. Timely communication can generate the greatest compliments. Which do you want to be known for?