http://bestpensintheworld.com/abruzi.php4 My daughter Katy is in her second semester of her freshmen year at the University of Miami, and recently she decided to go through rush for a sorority. Each sorority had a sales pitch, goodie bags and t-shirts to offer, in addition to scholarship and job opportunities during and after college. After a full week of parties, get-togethers, meetings at all hours of the day and night, and inspiring speeches, she called me on the verge of tears. “Mom, I just wish I had some answers!”
It got me thinking – the same goes for candidates. You can offer people big salaries, benefits galore, pool tables and dry-cleaning services, but all of that is meaningless if they don’t get a solid, meaningful job offer. What candidates really want are answers. Timely, relevant, definitive answers. After all, they are making a decision that will affect their life significantly.
Case in point: Last week a candidate called me to say thank you. He said the A-list Interviews process was the most transparent and informative job-seeking process he had ever been through. “Just knowing when I would have an answer really reduced my stress, and I just wanted to say thank you for communicating with me clearly through a very difficult time.”
This voicemail came AFTER we chose a different candidate for the position he was seeking.
If you want to attract and retain great employees, start treating them well from the very instant they send you a resume. Communicate when they will have answers and meet those deadlines. Treating people like people goes a long way; it gives them positive feeling, and a sense they will be treated well as an employee too.
As for my kid? She pledged AD Phi and couldn’t be happier.