Keeping Candidates Engaged in their notice period
Aimee Burton • April 30, 2021
It's not uncommon for there to be a 'silent period' between a candidate accepting a role and their first day, but it's a vital time to maintain consistent contact. Let me explain why.
In the time that the candidate is working their notice period, if they are a good quality candidate their current employer will be trying their hardest to persuade them to stay. We have also seen clients of the employer make employment offers when they get word that the candidate has been active in the job market.
Failing to maintain consistent contact can also lead to ghosting, where the candidate simply stops communicating with the company and could potentially be a no-show on their first day.
Key times to ‘check in’ –
- It might sound like 101, but make sure you have received the signed contract and payroll forms. Upon receipt, give them a call and send a follow up congratulatory email welcoming them to the team and confirming start date and time.
- If conflict searches need to be conducted (a requirement in legal recruitment), then once these are complete, check in to advise the candidate that this part of the process is done.
- Create a pre-boarding component which could include useful tips for their first day and what to expect in their induction program. It’s sending them the message that you’re preparing for their arrival and you’re already wanting them to succeed.
- If there have been any exciting news/events in the team/department/ firm since they accepted the role, updating them of this gives you another reason to check in.
- In the week before, have the Hiring Manager call/message the candidate to let them know that they’re looking forward to their first day and have diarised an introductory lunch/ coffee in their first week with the team.
You can’t afford to underestimate other peoples’ influence and whilst communication every day is over-kill, keeping lines of communication open from acceptance of the role to day one of employment will limit ‘ghosting’, revoking of acceptance and no-shows on their first day.
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In business since 2002 in Australia, NZ, and the United Kingdom, people2people is an award-winning recruitment agency with people at our heart. With over 12 offices, we specialise in accounting and finance, business support, education, executive, government, HR, legal, marketing and digital, property, sales, supply chain, and technology sectors. As the proud recipients of the 2024 Outstanding Large Agency and Excellence in Candidate Care Awards, we are dedicated to helping businesses achieve success through a people-first approach.
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