Silver medalist candidates—highly qualified runners-up for previously open roles—are a golden opportunity to make quick, effective hires when relevant positions become available, but keeping them warm takes time and effort.
These “almost-made-it candidates” have demonstrated skills and qualifications, make it to the final rounds of the hiring process, and are then often forgotten.
“Silver medalists sitting in your applicant tracking system [ATS] have already been pre-vetted. They are clearly qualified. They have expressed interest in your brand,” said Shannon Pritchett, head of marketing and community at hireEZ, a talent acquisition platform in Mountain View, Calif. “But a lot of recruiting follows a reactive mindset,” Pritchett said. “It’s shiny-object syndrome. It’s instinctual to want to look for something new each time a new req is opened.”
Adam Stafford, CEO of recruitment marketing and analytics platform Recruitics, agreed that there is a natural bias in recruiting toward new applicants and new campaigns—a bias that often results in overlooking the great potential in past finalists.
“Employers are sitting on a gold mine of talent profiles, especially when you calculate the cost of going back to the top of the hiring funnel versus searching through the database you already have,” he said.
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How to Rediscover and Re-Engage Top Candidates
SHRM | Nov 2024
More on Keeping in Touch with Rejected Candidates
It’s important to build rapport and establish a relationship with top candidates, regardless of whether they are a fit for the current role. By understanding their career goals, skills, and strengths, as well as their workstyle, you can better assess whether they would be a good fit for any role in the future.
Second choice Candidates could be the next first choice
Seattle Financial | Nov 2024
Don't let the rejection be the end of the conversation. Continue to stay connected with candidates through professional networking platforms or if you are able to, building a Talent Community. Encourage them to stay in touch, offer to connect on LinkedIn and encourage them to follow your company's page. By maintaining an open line of communication, you keep the door open for future opportunities and showcase your commitment to building lasting relationships.
How to Turn Rejected Candidates into Brand Advocates
LinkedIn | Jan 2024
Google is one company that thinks deeply about how to turn their rejected candidates into allies. Recruiters at Google check in with their candidates who make the first round cut at every stage of the process. As one hiring manager explains, “I call every candidate who made it to the phone interview stage and beyond. It makes the rejection crystal clear, gives candidates a chance to ask any questions, and makes the rejection feel more human and personal. In a world that’s becoming less and less personal, taking the time to call your candidates is the difference between good and great recruiters.”
5 Ways to Turn Rejected Candidates Into Allies
Vervoe | May 2022
Passive candidates in your talent network may feel reengaged by your interest in them. Spend time reviewing the work history of prime candidates, getting to know their previous responsibilities. If you have no way to get to know candidates in your pool, you might want to remedy this with recruitment software.
You can use recruitment software to gather more data about candidates. Consider collecting information like previous work accomplishments, interests, training history, and desires. This information can help you brainstorm questions you can use to reengage candidates personally via phone, text, or email.
3 best practices for reengaging candidates in your Talent Network
CareerBuilder
Invite them to open house events, continue messaging and keep looking for organization opportunities to send them. Rejected candidates do not need to become strangers outside the organization’s network. If anything, keeping them in the loop if they are still interested will be an incredible resource.
If your organization compiles a shortlist of previously interviewed top candidates, reach out to those people when qualified opportunities become available. Creating a database can save recruiting time and give previous candidates a second chance. Reaching out to prior applicants personally via email or LinkedIn will be received positively.
3 Strategies to Keep in Touch With Previous Candidates
Recruiter
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