Covid-19 definitely had a big impact on many of our lives; be it following the new normal or even having the constant uncertainty of when things will get back to normal. One of the biggest effects of COVID-19 was not getting infected with the virus, but many individuals lost their job as a result of slow business during these times. The number of job-seeking individuals is at an all-time high and at the same time vacancies are at an all-time low. Many companies are on a hiring freeze till the end of the year as businesses and services are uncertain. This can include places like movie theatres, churches, theme parks, air travel, etc. Recently in June 2020, LinkedIn laid off almost 1000 employees due to COVID-19. That is almost 1000 new individuals looking for 1000 different positions to be filled. There is a lot of uncertainty that is lingering in this period of time. We do not know when the corona situation will be over. We do not know if we will ever go back to our old normal anymore.
The mind of a person who has lost their job includes a lot of fear, disappointment and even the previously mentioned uncertainty. These days, the reality is that almost 400 people will apply for any one position that is available in a company. It is no longer surprising that this keeps happening and recruiters are up on their toes to hire the right candidate for the limited number of open vacancies. However, one of the main things that we have been hearing these days is that many of the job applicants never hear back from the recruiting/talent acquisition. The sad part about it is that some companies even interview candidates to get ideas and never get back to them. Some recruiters provide so many lengthy qualitative questions, 1.5 hours long interviews, etc, and still not get back to the candidate. If you give lengthy questionnaires to fill as part of the assessment or shortlisted and had interviewed a candidate, it should be a common courtesy to get back to them with feedback rather than to leave them in the dark. It doesn’t even have to be the feedback of how the interview was, but even an automated message such as “ Unfortunately your application was not the right fit and we are moving with the next stages of this role”, would give closure to the candidate than the candidate wondering if they will hear a callback
Some say recruiters do not have the time to reply to every single application or the idea of letting the candidate know that they are not the right fit is an unpleasant task. One thing you need to realize is that the candidates dedicate their time to answering the lengthy questionnaires, they do read up the night before the interview, they prepare and still dedicate their time to you. Just because a candidate is jobless doesn’t mean that they are worthless. Therefore, when you do not respond back to a candidate who has shown interest in working in your company, it shows your professionalism and also the image you portray to the people outside your organization.
Here is an example of how a job hunters day goes by: Wake Up, Get Ready, Jump into all the job portal sites and look for relevant job openings. Apply and hope for the best. Now when a call comes by, the candidate is normally elated that at least someone viewed their profile. When you shortlist them for an interview, candidates will already start preparing for it and even see immense hopes of getting the job that you have shortlisted them for. The candidate is nervous about the interview and once it’s done, they reflect on how the interview went.
Following that, it’s a long wait to hear back from the recruiter. If the recruiter messages that they are not the right fit, the candidate will move on to the next open vacancy. If the recruiter ignores this process, it definitely leaves the candidates in the dark. Therefore dear recruiters, there are so many individuals who are trying to get their resume noticed in a difficult time like this. The least you can do is send automated messages to the candidates who have applied or who have given interviews. It is a common courtesy. It is important to give the candidates closure. There is already so much uncertainty with the coronavirus issue, so why intensify it by keeping mum about application statuses, etc? While your decision may change a person’s life for the better or for worse, you wouldn’t like it if someone left you hanging, so why would you do it to others? Think about it.
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