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STRATEGIC RECRUITMENT PLAN
Step 4: Engage
Engagement is the approach of shifting from an
administratively oriented process to one that cen-
ters around the candidate experience. The interac-
tions are more personal and candidates do not feel
like they are pouring energy into a black hole. More
importantly, the federal government hiring process is
twice as long as the private sector process—on aver-
age 90 days versus 45—so candidates need to feel
engaged so they do not drop out of the process.
ACTION #4.1: HIRING MANAGERS’
RESPONSIBILITIES
Hiring managers play an integral role in the “candi-
date experience.” Not only are they the candidate’s
potential boss but they will also influence the candi-
date’s view of the organization itself. Therefore, man-
agers need to know their role in the hiring process
and their role in the hiring experience.
Remember that the candidate is assessing the agency
as much as the agency is assessing them through the
hiring process. Here are a couple of things to keep in
mind:
• More than 75% of candidates said they would
tell friends and family about a bad experience
with a potential employer, and almost 20% said
they would post on social media. Either dis-
closure will impact the agency’s employment
brand.
• Responding within 24-48 hours to candidates’
inquiries influences their perceptions of how
much the agency values them as a potential
employee as well as the overall organization of
the hiring process.
So what can hiring managers do to ensure a positive
candidate experience?
• Briefly outline the entire hiring process in an
email to candidates with estimated dates to
make decisions after each stage of the hiring
process. This will mitigate surprises about the
duration of the hiring process and how many
interviews and assessments they should pre-
pare for.
• Treat candidates like customers. With a cus-
tomer-centric mindset, managers will be more
mindful of their interactions with candidates,
especially if managers have concluded that the
candidate is not the best one for the position.
• Drop the jargon. Every agency loves their acro-
nyms and shorthand language, but it will leave
most candidates confused and possibly frus-
trated if they must constantly decipher your
communication.
• If your hiring process entails a long back-
ground or security clearance check, schedule
bi-weekly or monthly 15-minute check-in calls
with candidates to keep them engaged and
personally informed about the status of their
employment screening.
ACTION #4.2: CONTINUOUSLY MONITOR
THE CANDIDATE EXPERIENCE
Keys to a good candidate experience:
• Communicate, communicate, communicate. Always
tell candidates what to expect next. Starting
with the “we received your resume” email, keep
them informed every step of the way. Send
regularly scheduled status update emails and
promptly respond to inquiries, prompt being
within 24-36 hours generally.
• Make your entire hiring process transparent. The eas-
iest way to avoid surprises for candidates, like
multiple assessments or what may feel like
countless interview panels, is to share your pro-
cess in a one-pager at the very beginning.
• Treat candidates like human beings, not a number.
When engaging candidates via email or phone,
refer to them by name and do your best not to
rush them through their questions or inquiry.
• Collect, analyze and visualize data. Process-improve-
ment eorts risk being ineective or count-
er-eective when not driven by data analysis.
Dashboards are easy to read, provide data in
relatively real time, chart important trends and
enable users to make informed decisions.
The best way to monitor your progress is to imple-
ment a candidate survey. Thirty days after candidates
complete your process, send them a survey. It will
provide invaluable insight about your hiring process.