Sunstone HR (HR Consulting)

As most of those running Talent Acquisition are working increasingly through automated systems, it's important that we do not forget that the candidate is still human. A little old-school recruiting wisdom will help you keep your candidates engaged in your processes. By Rod Lacey, Sunstone HR Consulting To Those Engaged In The Art of Talent Acquisition: I recently ran a search for a friend of mine who just launched a new company. As I moved candidates through the process, I kept them personally posted on the status of the search. As the list narrowed, each candidate received prompt updates. When the search was closed, all were notified. No candidate went more than about 4 business days without an update. As I communicated with the last few finalists who did not receive the position, I received the following unsolicited comments to my "regrets" communications: "Thank you for the update on this role with (company). I appreciate your excellent communication...

There’s an interesting, almost magical growth in a person’s value to the organization, as soon as they have another job offer. I’ve seen managers, who have very recently rated an employee as mediocre or poor, hurriedly change that rating to ‘irreplaceable’ as soon as the employee has an offer. Now, did the employee’s performance magically swing upward that morning, or did the manager find herself at risk of being short-staffed? If this is how an organization rates the value of people, are the most valuable employees the dissatisfied ones who are most actively seeking other opportunities? What to Do? Managers like the above will commonly come to HR, pleading for their very existence, and insist that we counter offer. And, of course, the counter is conveniently positioned right at, or slightly above what the organization has presented. As a general rule I have taught my HR teams and organizations that “we do not do counter-offers.” Of course, there are exceptions, bu...