This presentation is all about how we need to care for our candidates when we recommend them for a role, no matter if they get selected for the role or not.

1. CANDIDATE CARE
BY- ARCHNA YADAV

2. INTRODUCTION
• Candidate care is simply how you treat job candidates and the respect
you give to them and their time. In a competitive job market, it’s even
more important, since a bad first impression is almost impossible for a
company to recover from.
• Candidate care starts the moment you post a position or write up the
job description to hand to a search firm, and it extends through
the hiring process, eventually morphing into your employer value
proposition (or when you and the candidate decide to part ways).
• Candidate care is always important, whether the candidate is offered the
job or not.

3. WHY DOES CANDIDATE CARE MATTER
1. It’s the right thing to do! Treat people the way you would like to be treated. The
quality of the experience, and not just the efficiency of the process, matters
2. An outsider agency gathered input on our industry. Clients see little distinction in an
increasingly competitive market. Prospects consistently complain about their treatment
by our profession, especially when they are no longer needed.
3. In the long term, candidate experiences are as important as client experiences in
driving how all of as individuals & the firm as perceived.
4. Both quantitative & qualitative research validated the statement “ I am more likely
to work with a search firm that I have had a positive experience with as a candidate.
5. Candidate CARE is a key part of our brand repositioning. It enhances our brand &
can lead directly to new business opportunities.

5. THE FIRST IMPRESSION
“You never get a second chance to make a good first impression”
Do your homework
• Why does it make sense to call this person? Domain expertise, location,
previous company affiliation etc.
• Be informed on the business issues in the companies & market they serve to
establish credibility.
• Can you refer a colleague they’ve met or spoken to in the past?
• Can you tell how this person prefers to communicate?
Ask permission to interrupt his/her day, be respectful to their time.
Give the purpose of your call.
Demonstrate good listening skills.
Truly get to know them(personal stories, motives etc.)

6. TIPS: HOW TO SIGN OFFACANDIDATE/
PROSPECT
Be timely with the feedback, bad news does not improve with age. Respect the
individual & their time involved throughout the search process.
Recognize that this is an extremely important part of our process
• Reflects on both your personal brand & company brand.
• Done well, this will strengthen your relationships & help with BD.
• Being ignored is the worst insult anyone can receive professionally.
When to do it
• Don’t delay- make the call as soon as is appropriate.
• Make sure you have detailed feedback to share (either your own/feedback
from the client)

7. How to do it?
• Most situations are worthy of a phone call- do not defer to
mail.
• Do it yourself- this is not something to hand off for someone
else to do.
• Provide honest and helpful feedback.
• Thank prospects and candidates for their time & interest, &
offer to help in the future. You are signing off from the search,
not from the relationship.

8. TIPS:HOW TO KEEPACANDIDATE WARM
Keeping candidates “warm” throughout a process is almost always required
but hard to do!
• Be transparent about what’s going on- candidates understand they are not only
the ones being considered.
• Be as honest as you can about where a candidate stands & why.
• Make sure you understand where the candidates stands in his/her own process
(i.e. other opportunities, motivation for this role)
• Agree to each other appraised on updates/changes.
• Check in frequently, even if the only update is to say there has been no
change.
• Push your clients to be honest with the themselves about the candidate- if its
unlikely they will proceed, lets release the person.

9. TIPS: HOW TO DEALWITH UNSOLS/
COURTSEYINTERVIEWS
• Don’t underestimate the importance of unsols/courtesy
interviews.
• Strategically pick the ones you want to know.
• Acknowledge all emails and respond as appropriate.
• Share details with relevant colleagues internally.

10. FORMAT FORACKNOWLEDGEMENT
MAILS