I recently conducted a three-day survey on LinkedIn on the importance of recruiters in implementing an employer branding strategy. Here are the results:
Perhaps someone will question the number of respondents and whether the results in such a small sample can be considered relevant for gaining a broader picture.
Of course, there are studies with a much larger number of respondents, and the results show a remarkably similar picture.
In 2020, 14,766 respondents/candidates participated in the Infostud research "Evaluate your path to employment".
When it comes to informing candidates about the outcome of the selection process, 84% of employers do not do that, and the result of the research is at the level of 2015/16.
The lack of feedback, according to the candidates, greatly affects the company's image, so 68% of respondents said they would not re-apply for an employer's ad, and over 72% of candidates would not recommend close people to apply for that employer's job ads.
If we were to link Infostud's results to my survey, we may conclude that recruiters are a particularly important link in creating candidate's perception, and thus influencing the overall perception of the employer brand.
I will add my own insight to this. Namely, in recent years, I have contacted hundreds of recruiters on a topic that directly concerns their work and personal development. 85% of those contacted never responded to the message. It came out as if I had applied for an open position and had never received any feedback.
I will stop here for a moment with one remark, which is very important to me.
The employer brand is not your identity!!!
Everything that makes a corporate brand, values, culture, mission…. It is something that we may find close to us, but it is not and should not represent our identity.
What should be on your mind, even in front of the brand of the employer you are currently working for, is your personal professional reputation.
Yes, an interview is a place where you will demonstrate your professionalism. However, it is not the only one. Every interaction in the recruitment and selection process is an opportunity to influence the perception of potential candidates. Everything you do can be experienced both as positive and negative, and when you do nothing, there is no room for positive perception.
Before you do anything, ask yourself what perception your (non) doing can produce and how it contributes to building your professional reputation. Like trust, a reputation is built for a long time and lost in a blink of an eye.
Dear recruiters, a large percentage of people think that your role is important. It seems that it is time for you to become aware of that, because now it seems that you do not think so.
Dragan Vukosavljević
People development consultant
(Employer) Branding and recruitment