3 Ways to Build Trust with Candidates

September 12, 2014 at 11:02 AM by Kathleen de Lara

building trust with candidatesLanding candidates hook, line, and sinker can be a challenge when already, about 25% of current employees are wary about their company’s management. 

Nearly one in four workers report a distrust in their employer, according to a recent study by the American Psychological Association, with 64% citing unfair treatment and a third attributing dishonesty. 

An employee in doubt of the company’s integrity is an employee that’s disengaged, dissatisfied, and much harder to retain. Distrust in the employee-employer relationship also affects team members’ job performance and 

Improve the company’s bottom line by building a connection from the top, even before you make the hire. Implement these practices into your recruiting and hiring process to get started:

Illustrate how the company can help develop their career goals. 

Candidates may be interested in learning about how their experiences and skills can help grow the company, but what’s more important is understanding how a role creates the foundation for their career after their time with the team. While engaging with talent, ask about their big picture career goals to communicate the company isn’t only invested in their employment, but also supporting their employees’ future plans. Dig even deeper and ask, “Where do you see yourself after working for our company?” It’s the left-fielder question that encourages them to envision being a part of the team and gives recruiters insight to how the candidate fits with the company.

Hire and diversify. 

Want candidates to feel engaged, connected, and comfortable working with your company? Hire a team that’s representative of and mirrors the local community. In other words, build a diverse workforce. Studies show companies with a balance of men and women have 14% higher comparable revenue averages than less-diverse businesses. Not only do companies learn how to work more collaboratively with divergent experiences and resources, they also gain more access to a variant customer base.

Tell the employee’s story.

Your company’s career page may have a list of job roles and descriptions, a short summary of the company, and a few shots of the team, but if you’re missing the employee’s voice, you’re missing out on connecting with candidates. Too often, recruiters present their company to candidates as a brand, but not as an employer, mistaking talent as potential customers rather than potential hires.

Give candidates a better understanding of your company’s culture and management by incorporating current employees in the recruiting process. Rally a few team members to share why they enjoy working for the company and use the content for a video or testimonials for the site. Have employees share job openings on their social sites to add a personal touch in your outreach. Include pictures of company outings and events on your careers page to show what the team is up to after work hours. Give candidates an inside look on what their colleagues are up to by sharing how the team enjoys what they do through an employee’s perspective.

What are some techniques your team uses to connect and engage candidates’ trust? Share them in the comments! For more tips on attracting talent, be sure to watch our webinar and find out why marketing is recruiting.  entelo webinar

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