Several years ago, I listened to a senior leader from a major corporation speak on the importance of providing exceptional customer service. He stated something to the effect of customer service is not a transaction, it’s an interaction, and each interaction has the ability to attract and retain customers. Or, conversely the ability to put people off, leave and go elsewhere.

Doesn’t the same ring true in recruiting?

RECRUITERS NEED TO BE GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE REPS, TOO.

Your company’s recruiter may be the only person from your organization that job seekers ever meet. The impression that recruiter makes will leave a lasting impression of your entire organization. For better or worse, job seekers will judge your company based upon the interaction they have with your corporate recruiters. That’s why it’s critical that recruiters also firmly wear a “customer service hat.” Recruiters must exemplify all of the good that your company offers and be friendly, approachable, candidate-experience-focused ambassadors of your brand.

In order to be good customer service representatives, recruiters must also be:

• Knowledgeable about their product (company, benefits, job description, culture, etc.)
• Professional, enthusiastic, motivated
• Effective communicators and good listeners
• Efficient multi-taskers and skilled problem-solvers

HOW RECRUITERS IMPACT THE BOTTOM LINE

If you walked into a business — retail store, restaurant, etc. — and were treated poorly or downright appalled by the service you received, what would you do? You might update your Facebook status and tell your 346 friends, write a one-star review on Yelp, tweet a negative @ message, and never go there again. The interaction that you had will somehow impact that company.

If someone applied for a job with your company, met with an unprofessional, lackluster recruiter and was left with a bad taste in his mouth, what do you think he would do?  Update his status (there go any possible referrals). Tweet about the experience (hopefully no one sees them). Post a negative review on Glassdoor (ouch!).  Share their disgust via the Indeed forums (ugh). This one person’s negative experience now has the ability to influence the masses and affect your ability to hire great people.

Now, think about this: How likely do you think this same person is to turn around and be a consumer of your company’s products?

JOB APPLICANTS AS BRAND CONSUMERS

Let’s say a long-term customer of yours finds herself in the job market; she applies to your company and then never hears back. Or, she does hear back and a recruiter schedules an interview and forgets to call her. What is the likelihood of
the applicant to remain a customer? I couldn’t find any global statistics or mind-blowing white papers to cite here, but the point is this:

All job seekers and applicants are potential consumers of your company’s brand and products. Your recruiters have the ability to directly influence consumer decisions and impact your company’s bottom line.

HOW DO YOU ENSURE POSITIVE CANDIDATE INTERACTIONS?

Does your company strive to provide excellent service to job seekers? How does your hiring team impact your business? What advice do you have for recruiters?