Now that you are starting to receive resumes from your job posts or from your agency, let’s consider the various phases of the candidate journey and the experience they have with you.

Their perception either builds or breaks trust and can make them become your biggest fan, or your loudest foe.  Their experience starts with their earliest interaction with your website and job board, and then throughout their application process,  and the follow-up they receive (or don’t receive).

Having a process for acknowledging the receipt of their resume and establishing follow-up protocols and communication on next steps is an important step to consider, as is setting up initial interviews or even sending a rejection email and offering other resources to someone in their job search.

Follow-up and follow-through either reinforce your employer brand and the impression your company leaves with someone or it detracts from it…because unfortunately there is a resume black hole where candidates apply and they never hear back from anyone.

So even a simple bounce-back email that acknowledges receipt of a resume makes a huge impact and will set your company and practices apart, even if that includes a No.  This goes a long way to create advocacy and brand stewardship.

We’ve been thanked many times for replying back with an empathetic and heartfelt  “NO, Thank you.”  Any reply is better than leaving the candidate wondering, or ghosting them after an initial interaction.  Unfortunately, ghosting has become a real negative phenomenon in the hiring space.

So Don’t Ghost.  Follow-up!

Let’s do a Pulse Check

• Describe your process for handling incoming resumes and applications/
• Who reviews the resumes or applications coming in?
• What is the follow-up process for acknowledgment and/or rejection?
• How do you keep track of who applied, and when?
• Do you use an Applicant Tracking System (ATS)?

Watch the previous episodes in this series:

Episode 0: Introduction

Episode 1: Transforming Your Hiring Mindset

Episode 2: Writing Impactful Job Descriptions

Episode 3: Recruitment & Sourcing Strategy