Over the past few weeks I have had the opportunity to talk with a number of job seekers as they recount their stories of applying for roles. Overall their assessment of employers and recruiters has not been good with a clear fail in areas of communication and frankly, just a lack of simple courtesy. Not all; but many.

The fact is, most of us have at some time applied for a job and can remember what it is like. And for those of you who have not been required to apply for a job, I’m here to tell you that it can be a particularly stressful period. A simple rule of thumb is to treat every candidate with the same respect, care and attention that we would expect if we were an applicant for a role.

So here are some tips if you are an employer looking for staff:

• Recruitment should be merit based. All your employment decisions relating to any role you recruit should be based on an assessment of the capabilities, experience and knowledge of the person concerned against the pre-established standards for the role to determine the person best suited to the requirements of the role and the needs of the employer.
• Advise candidate(s) as quickly as possible when their status changes.
• Provide honest, meaningful feedback in a timely manner when it is requested.
• Always (and that means … always) advise every candidate the outcome of their application.

The Sportspeople Recruitment team is privileged to have the opportunity to consider each and every candidate at the beginning of their journey to work for one of our employer partners. We acknowledge applying for a job is an emotional roller-coaster and our internal management policies ensure candidates are treated with the greatest respect for and on behalf of our clients.

Robert McMurtrie
People Recruitment Group