How Not Responding to Accounting Candidates Can Hurt Your Brand

As we’ve discussed in previous blogs, the accounting recruitment world is a seller’s market. To land the top recruits, you need to actively market your brand and make your firm attractive above other companies competing for mindshare.

At Accountingfly, we deal with the recruitment and placement of accounting professionals every day. And the #1 complaint we hear from candidates is this: recruiters aren’t responding to them.

Not responding or responding too slowly to candidates can cause you to miss out on the best accounting candidates and can even result in irreparable damage to your brand. Read further to understand why—and how you can prevent this from happening.

The price of silence

Being unresponsive to candidates makes your brand look bad, period.

“Not responding can equal disorganization in the candidate’s eyes,” says Liz Branch, Director of Marketing, Accountingfly. “If they see disorganization or even hear crickets (nothing) that will affect your brand—and we all know negative word of mouth spreads faster than positive.”

In addition to appearing disorganized, being non-responsive to candidates can make your brand appear callous, uninterested, and out-of-touch. It all adds up to a storm of negatives that could cause the best candidates to choose a more responsive firm over yours.

Always communicate—even when there’s no news

Most candidates see silence as the ultimate insult. That’s why—even when there’s nothing new to tell them—it’s important to keep the lines of communication open.

“Basically, recruiting is like dating,” says Areena McLaughlin, Talent Acquisition Manager, Perkins & Co. “If you’re going to make any progress, the object of your interest has to feel respected and wanted. It’s hard to accomplish that if you don’t return phone calls, texts, or emails.”

That’s why we suggest constant communication with the candidate, regardless of the current status of the job. If the search has stalled, let the candidate know. If they don’t meet the qualifications then release them and let them know. If they are being considered, certainly let them know. Letting candidates know where they are in the pipeline will start building trust and open communication.

Millennials expect communication

Constant communication is even more vital to landing members of the always-connected millennial generation, who have come to expect fast responses and regular updates.

“Previous generations were used to lapses in technology, snail mail, etc,” says Lorienne Dittmar, HR & Recruiting Supervisor, Kaufman Rossin. “Nowadays, there aren’t many feasible excuses as to why you wouldn’t have received something.”

The prevalence of social media has further changed candidate expectations.

“(Millennials) text someone and expect an immediate response; post a picture to social media and expect a dozen ‘likes’ right away,” says McLaughlin. “It shouldn’t surprise anyone that the recruitment process has to change with the times.”

Making the most of your time

We know what you may be thinking—our firm doesn’t have the time and resources to respond to every request. And that very well may be the case. The key is making the most of the time you do have—and taking advantage of the technology at your disposal.

“If you’re not using an applicant tracking system, you need to implement one for better organization and mass emailing ability,” says McLaughlin. “I also frequently use text messaging to stay in touch with my candidates, which is easier for both parties.”

Still, it’s impossible for even the largest firm to stay in touch with every candidate all the time. “I could spend all day everyday answering emails and LinkedIn messages and probably still miss a few people,” says McLaughlin.

A better solution

This is why Accountingfly offers our Placements option, where your candidates are vetted and screened by professional recruiters on our team. Our screeners personally respond to all candidates and screen the top ones, then set an interview with you and the candidate. By automating the communication and interview process, Accountingfly helps ensure that you don’t lose a top recruit due to lack of communication—while also putting valuable time back in your day.

Not responding to candidates is a surefire way to miss out on the best ones. But Accountingfly is here to help, automating the process and keeping the lines of communication open. Click the link below if you’d like to learn more.

Learn more about Accountingfly.