Dear Barb:
I’ve heard you admit that early in your career you focused on the candidates who really needed your help and almost went out of business. I think I’m following in your footsteps. My business is bombarded by people I will never be able to place. I could spend all my time helping people who need me – but that doesn’t help my business. I keep hearing things are turning around, well I can tell you Florida must be behind the rest of the country. The three people who work for me are following my lead and none of us are hitting our goals. How can we turn them away without being perceived as heartless?
Sue R., Valparaiso, FL
Dear Sue:
Many individuals in our profession are now realizing the importance of improving the candidate experience. This is not referring to the 5% of the candidates we place. It is referring to 100% of the job seekers who come to us for help. A survey conducted by CareerBuilder and Inavero Institute stated that 46% of all U.S. clients surveyed indicated they have also worked with a staffing firm as a job seeker. If we did not place them in a job how would they rate their experience? Could that affect their willingness to utilize you as a resource for talent?
We launched Happy Candidates last year which provides you with a resource to offer job seekers. This will eliminate your greatest time waster, drastically improve the experience of 100% of the job seekers who seek out your help and result in increased client and candidate referrals. For more information go to www.happycandidates.com.
The perception of your job seekers is that YOUR FIRM developed a Career Portal for them – we are invisible. It will take you less than ten minutes and will change the way you view your business forever. Your other option would be to develop resources that you could provide. Hope you consider joining us.
Barb Bruno, CPC, CTS
Would you like to Ask Barb a question? Email her at support@staffingandrecruiting.com. Each month in The Fordyce Letter print edition, Barbara Bruno answers questions from individuals in the Recruiting Profession. We will bring you some of these Q&A responses from Barb each week on FordyceLetter.com.