By: Brian Telfer

At least one half of the respondents in a recent employer survey said hiring and holding onto talent is their top business challenge.

This outcome might be a result of the communication disconnect between employers and applicants. The necessity for a more transparent talent sourcing and hiring process is obvious, particularly with 77 percent of job seekers saying they typically don’t receive communication from companies after sending in their application materials.

A transparent candidate selection process calls for honest communication from the moment the job is posted to the acceptance of an offer. Job seekers want to understand what happens when they apply.

Increased transparency through the internet

In the past, job seekers may have been able to hide any unprofessional antics from potential employers, but now, with social media being ever present, hiding is harder than ever. Likewise, with employer review sites and social platforms like LinkedIn, companies have a hard time hiding their bad management practices and toxic culture.

In light of the transparency offered on the internet, it only makes sense for companies to stop being obsequious in the hiring process and simply be upfront with their applicants.

Investing in transparency provides a return

The impact of a bad hire can be felt across the entire business. Not only does a poor hire put the hiring manager in a bad light, resources are wasted both on training the bad hire and replacing that bad hire once they leave the company. If it takes months to realize how bad the hire actually was, that employee can adversely impact the people around them and workplace culture.

Being transparent about expectations, values and culture will encourage applicants and would-be applicants to self-select, improving the quality of applicant who invests in your hiring process. This makes a hiring process more efficient and eliminates costly bad hires.

Making a more transparent process

The first step a company should take toward improving transparency in their hiring process is to fine-tune its job descriptions.

Research has shown that job seekers only spend about 30 to 45 seconds looking at any one job description. Therefore, a good job description should be free of flowery descriptions and throw-away phrases. A good job description should list around five responsibilities that convey the scope of the job and how it fits into the company culture.

If an applicant’s resume is good enough to warrant contact, they should be treated the same way the company treats its own employees. This, hopefully, means treating them with respect and keeping them up to date as much as possible. If a candidate is eliminated from the process, transparency shouldn’t end there; they should be notified in a professional manner. After all, you may want disqualified applicants to reapply or use the company’s products and services in the future.

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At Cornerstone, we work hand-in-glove with our clients to develop a talent acquisition process that best suits their needs. If your company is currently looking for a human resources partner, please contact us today.