How Crickets and Tumbleweeds are Hurting your Brand

I am sure there are thousands of stories in the job seeker world surrounding rogue/cowboy recruiters, who never get back in touch after the big sell and subsequent resume submittal. Basically it’s the old grasshopper and tumbleweed scenario. This never bodes well for a consultant looking to build a reputation in the market as a professional and adept recruiter. In much the same way, hiring managers and HR professionals run the same risk of inadvertently developing a negative market impression of their organisation when there is a breakdown of communication between the recruiter and therefore, the job seekers. Recruiters act as an organisation’s representative in the job market.

Therefore, first and foremost, hiring managers and HR professionals should ensure that they are working with an agency which has a respected and professional reputation in the market. There also needs to be consistent and clear communication between the recruiter and the hiring manager. I have experienced many situations where I have been instructed to promote how amazing a particular company is, drawn the job seeker in on the whole opportunity (company reputation in the market is fast becoming a priority for the people I meet) and submitted them to the hiring manager (first through a phone conversation and then subsequent email).

I then discover, that two, three, maybe seven working days later, the hiring manager still has not provided me with the next step in the process or any feedback. I can hear crickets! I cannot stress enough how frustrating this situation is for everyone.

Not only for me, as a recruiter, having invested countless hours in sourcing, prepping and speaking with candidates, but more importantly, for the job seeker, who has to hear “sorry, no feedback yet” day in and day out. This quickly starts to reflect poorly on personal and corporate branding! I completely understand that there are often not enough hours in a day to complete all tasks. So, whether the feedback is good, bad or ugly – we want to hear it!

This not only assists us with future searches, but it also allows us to give tangible feedback to candidates and maintains your professional reputation in the market. If needs have changed in the organisation, please let us know! No one wants to hear crickets or see the tumbleweeds roll past!