Recently I came across a blog post on The Hiring Site that talks about exactly this point. This post "Treat job seeker’s well: One of them may by your next client" moved me to sit down and find a way to re purpose this important statement. Did you know that almost 50% of clients have worked with a staffing firm as a candidate as well? As I was reading the article it was interesting because you would think that getting a job would be the most important thing to a candidate but according to the article the most important thing you can do for someone is give them great service. It is very important to make them feel as if they are valued and have contact with them even if nothing has changed. At That’s Good HR, we survey every single candidate that comes through our doors because we want to hear about their experience with us. We want to know that we are meeting and exceeding expectations and we ask each of them what is most important to them when working with a staffing agency. We ask them this so we can integrate their feedback into our service delivery model and so we can stay on top of what is most important to our audience. What they have told us is that candidates need over communication in the job search phase. They want you to keep them informed throughout the placement process and to stay in touch with them once they are on the job.
However, once the candidate becomes a client that quickly changes. At that point, over communication can cost you the relationship because now they do not have time so you need to try and be creative to always stay on their radar and be the person that is top of mind when staffing issues arise. If you have been an integral part of their positive experience when they worked for you, they will not forget that when the time comes for you to work for them in a capacity of vendor. If their experience with you was less than positive, you can be sure that when the time comes for your "candidate turned client" to engage a staffing company, your name will not be on the list. That train has long left the station and you did not get on when you had the chance.
In 2011, as the business owner, I pledge to continue to work hard to make sure that at That’s Good HR, we continue to create memorable experiences for our candidates even if we don’t have the perfect job for them when they come to us for help. We will continue to ask for input on how we are doing and as you might already know, we are always asking our candidates and customers to share their experiences with us on our blog through our "Share your Story" link. Go ahead, tell us what you think!