Managing Directors and Marketing Managers across Australia should be protesting aggressively the insensitivity and ignorance of their own Human Resources Departments and contracted recruiters who glibly end their on-line and press recruitment advertisements with: “Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.”
Oh come on! Please.
Companies that have invested tens/hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars positioning their brands are allowing insensitive amateurs to smash to oblivion their image in the market place.
With the database technology available today it is NO EFFORT to politely acknowledge ALL applications. My database does this automatically with a letter that details my processes so that ALL applicants know what to expect from that moment onwards.
It is then another five or six mouse clicks to advise those who have not made the first cut that they have been unsuccessful with a personalised e-mail.
This is not difficult. I acknowledge that I cannot have a 100% track record in this regard – but I try. The letters took me a long time to develop and have been continually changed over the last 26 years I have been recruiting, but the process of sending them out is so easy that to say “Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted” is to insult and shows reckless disregard to:
- All candidates – shortlisted or not,
- The Sales & Marketing Departments and
- Basic human integrity.
And please be aware, that as I know my sentiments are shared with nearly all candidates, you can be assured that there is a better than even chance that the “RIGHT” candidate for your position is not applying. In this current candidate tight market place, I can assure you that you cannot afford this to happen.
So if your company or recruiter is demonstrating a remarkable lack of integrity and decency by being this lazy; Managing Directors and Marketing Managers unite and call them to task immediately. Do this before they undermine every future attempt to position your brand in this competitive market place. They have already undermined your past efforts.
Good luck.