“Don’t be surprised if we don’t get back to you” The field of recruitment doesn’t escape from the old saying…putting it off today will only make the task more difficult tomorrow. The wind always changes…Contrary to economic or weather predictions whose viability is often left to be desired, demographic predictions are of a disconcerting precision not to say alarming. Ignoring it today (making the most of it for some) simply because for two years we have been on a market where it is easy to recruit in a good number of fields, is exposing yourself to discouraging days after… Recruiters in the field of IT during 2000/2001 already have a good idea of what represents the practice of “extreme recruiting”. In certain sectors there is such a shortage of manpower that you can count them on one hand…
today as they probably won’t write to you tomorrow. I’m not talking about “spam applications” here, these CVs attached to an empty email, sent like a message in a bottle out to sea, to a maximum number of emails addresses picked-up and acquired on the internet here and there. These ones don’t generally merit more of your attention (unless by chance…) than, say, adverts for refinancing or generic Viagra that we all know so well. Not replying to this type of candidate does not risk tarnishing your image as an employer since the author of these mass emails doesn’t really know who they are applying to. I’m talking about those who really take the trouble to make an effort with their application, to write a little introduction for your attention and who aspire to be considered at the very least. Fair enough, you are “protecting” yourself by specifying in your advert “Only those retained will be contacted”, “Please note that only the candidates retained will be contacted”. “Don’t be surprised if we don’t get back to you” becausethat’s basically what it means.
Unfortunately, the candidate who believes in good faith that they have done everything possible to get at least an interview and who in the absence of an interview doesn’t even get an email message in return, will probably be shocked. A company’s image as an employer builds itself up over several years but can be destroyed in no time. It is often the small considerations which make the difference in the long term. Full color pages in newspapers can reinforce your image but they can’t build an image which contradicts the reality. These are the candidates and employees (past and present) who, throughout their experiences built up the image of an employer on the basis of competences. A candidate is a person. A person who is perhaps not only a candidate but also a client, indeed even a stockholder. You never know who you’re dealing with. Everyone is a candidate one day or another at least once in their life. It is always too easy to forget that when you are…too busy working.