Entrepreneurs and Employers – The Marketing Starts when You Receive the Resume

Stories abound about the failure of organizations to follow-up when they receive resumes.

You’re the HR manager of an innovative company that has the potential to become a really big innovative company. You’re looking for a VP of R&D who can help you get there. You post the requisite information in the local and national newspapers as well as on the online job sites and then sit back and wait to see who responds.

You start getting a lot of applications, some of them really quite good. You focus on those and start the review process. Eventually you get down to a small few that seem to be the right fit and you contact them for phone or personal interviews. Eventually you get around to your choice and it’s a great PR announcement. “ABC Corp. is pleased to announce our new VP of R&D” If you think of it, you send condolence letters to those who had been interviewed…. "Thanks for your interest in ABC…but we’ve selected another candidate…."

You’ve got the best you could get and now you move on.

Unfortunately, you’ve ignored an incredible talent and marketing opportunity. What about all of those other folks who took the time to respond? When they saw the add, they Googled the company. (What does Google say about your company?) They learned as much as they could about it and its competitors. They asked their friends if they’d heard about the company. Their friends talked to other friends and got back to them. Movers and shakers were talking about your organization. There was a buzz started.

The applicant took the time to meet your requests for info and insights into their qualifications. They made sure their application was as good as they could provide. They spent a lot of time and energy working to win the job….. And then they got nothing.

No response, no acknowledgment, no phone call, no e-mail… no nothing until they read about the wonderful new VP of R&D for your company. How do you think they feel? Who do you think they’re going to talk to? What do you think they’ll say about your organization?

I know that not every organization is unprofessional enough to do all of this but there are levels of ignorance in many. When a senior or technical position is posted, the responses you get are a vital marketing tool in the highly competitive talent race. Successful companies want the best people possible. This is especially true for startups.

As Maureen Fleming, PhD states, “Small business entrepreneurs that don’t have HR departments need to stop making these mistakes as they start up. The worst thing a start up can do is alienate prospective employees when it is small."

It’s important to treat candidates as if they’re your most important clients. You never know who they’re going to talk to or how they may indirectly influence the future of your company.

A truly professional HR department realizes this and has the support of the highest levels throughout the company and regulary collaborates with the marketing department. It understands that its real job starts when it first receives the resume. This is the easiest way to promote your company to a very influential group of people who already have enough interest in the company to want to work there.

Rules of Engagement:

1) Respond to every application with an acknowledgment and thank you within 24 hours of receipt.

This is where you can talk about the new activities and success of the company. Also let them know when you’ll be getting back to them and how the process will work. Never tell anyone that they’re not going to be considered in this communication. You never know who they know or who they talk with. If there are other openings in the company, ask them if they know of anyone who might be qualified and interested. While you may get some additional candidates, you may have a few of these applicants who will decide that they’d rather try for these “new” openings. The competition for talent is intense and you can’t ignore any opportunity to attract new candidates.

2) Follow-up with an update within 2 weeks informing them of the status of the search.

This is where you can tell the bulk of them that you’ve narrowed the search down to a few select candidates and they’re not in the running. You can promote other openings within the company where they may be a fit. Again this is an opportunity to put a positive light on the company. This is also the time that you can send thank you acknowledgements to anyone who’s sent in a letter of support of reference. It’s a great marketing opportunity for your organization. You never know who they know or who they talk to.

3) When you do select a group to interview, include more information about your organization or information on where they can find it.

How you interact with them will set the standard for the entire process. You want the best so show them why you’re the best company to work with. The opportunities to find new clients and other companies that could collaborate with yours are significant during the actual interview. Use these opportunities and make sure any info you get is communicated to the appropriate department.

4) Within 24 hours of any interview, respond with acknowledgement and a thank you.

To the extent that you can, let them know where they stand and what the next steps will be. If you think they’re better qualified for a different position within the company, now is the time to sell them on thinking about it and helping them in the process.

5) When you do make your final selection, send each applicant the press release along with another note of thanks for their participation and interest in your organization.

Barb Kennedy, Business Consultant with the Missoula Job Service Workforce Center, recommends a personal phone call to all applicants who were interviewed but not selected as a “must”. Here’s another marketing opportunity as well as another time to describe other opportunities within the company that they may be qualified for.

Companies that are truly innovative, make sure that all applicants are placed in the candidate database for future openings. It’s also a good strategy to give all candiate info to the newly hired executive if he has staffing needs and responsibilities. Just because they didn’t fit for this job doesn’t mean that the other candidates won’t be good considerations for upcoming opportunities.

As the workforce ages, finding good candidates is going to be harder and harder. People are the success behind any organization. Your company needs to make sure it’s as professional as possible in each and every job search.

I know this isn’t a complete list of the opportunities available or creative solutions used in a job search. Please add your best practices to the comments section below.

Happy Hunting

Russ Fletcher