I think it’s about time that us Recruiters started thinking about our candidates a bit more on the initial engagement. That means not making your initial message to them a riddle for them to try and decipher the role and where it is.
I get that you might not want to give the game away, but this isn’t the 90’s and if you want to be open and honest then you kind of need to trust a bit more. In turn I think as an industry we will see stronger relationships and a better reputation.
Candidates have had enough of a cat and mouse conversation. We could all follow these rules to help everyone out…
This isn’t about spammy messages immediately upon connecting. This is about direct messages to potential new candidates from us RECRUITERS, about a specific role or business we’re working with.
I always question whether I’ve put too much information in my message (ironic given the length of this post). Naturally I don’t want to give the game away with who the client is I’m working with right there and then, however I do think it’s absolutely necessary to include a few key points….
Be transparent and open from the start
– The role title and location. It doesn’t have to be the exact postcode, but equally ‘UK’ probably isn’t going to cut it if the role isn’t fully remote…
– Flexibility/remote working. It’s abundantly clear this is important now (we’ve all seen the polls), so be upfront if this is possible or not. Saves a lot of time.
– Outline the role in a few bullet points, listing important, relevant duties and responsibilities (usually 3 is my go-to).
– ADD A SALARY BANDING!! Even if the client doesn’t want the salary disclosed, I think it’s important to give a “to and from” expectation for the candidate reading the message. The reality is, I don’t know your current salary, I could be wayyyy off. Perhaps you’d be kind enough to reply and let me know if I am… 😉
– I always tend to put something along the lines of “if you’re happy where you are, or this role isn’t of interest to you, please let me know either way so I can update my searches accordingly”.. This is important. It’s so I can do what I said I would and update my search so I don’t pester you with further messages chasing up a reply.
You’ve all been there, you all likely get a ton of messages from recruiters about specific roles, so aside from the above, what else would you like to see (or not*) in a tentative message about a new opportunity? In fact a better question would be, what would make you respond??
*Even if you DON’T want the messages/are fed up of them, let’s not talk about that right this second; you never know when you might need the help of a recruiter! 😉🙏
Feel free to contact me if you would like to discuss any of the points raised –rebecca@copello.co.uk
