These observations and thoughts for the recruiting funtion seem to be obvious but work pressure and multiple demands prevent these from happening consistently. I believe they could seriously affect a company’s image and be a differentiator in today’s competitive global talent market.

1. First impressions – Recruiters are the first points of contact for most candidates. Candidates form strong first opinions about the culture, work environment, professionalism etc. of an organization based on their initial interactions and conversations with the recruiters. The behaviors exhibited by the recruiters are critical in defining those impressions. The ability to build trust by being authentic is also an important factor. Recruiters therefore play a critical role in managing a candidate’s decisions about an organization and determine the quality of talent entering an organization.

2. Responsiveness – Setting expectations regarding timeframes for responses and being consistent about them are really important. Many times, this could be dependent on hiring managers. It would still be important for a candidate to be consistently updated.

3. Closure – Closing a recruiting process for a candidate by treating him/her with respect, even when he/she is not found to be a fit for the job is a huge step in the process. This can be ensured through consistent behaviors and actions from start to end, irrespective of the final decision. At the end of the day, any candidate can be an existing or potential future employee, customer, investor or community member. They could also communicate with and influence decisions of other talented candidates.

4. Respecting diversity and cultural sensitivity – Recruiters can become increasingly involved with a global workforce. This could only become more common as the labor pools in the US and Europe fall. Cultural sensitivity and respecting diversity is an extremely important topic to be aware of while interacting with candidates from different cultures. This can be clearly portrayed through actions that make a candidate feel welcome.