Why Building Trust with Tech Candidates Sets Your Company Apart From the Competition

To understand why building trust with tech candidates is so important, put yourself in a job seeker’s shoes. Consider how you would feel if you took time off of work for an interview. You arrived on time, but the hiring manager made you wait 30 minutes in the lobby. You did your best to impress through a stressful interview in which it was very clear that no one bothered to read your resume closely. The hiring manager said they’d be in touch within three business days. Three days pass. Then four. You call to check in, and are ignored. You email. No response. Finally, two weeks later you get that call.

Unfortunately, this is very typical of what candidates experience in today’s market, and this is why building trust can truly set you apart from your competitors.

Respect the Candidate’s Time

One of the best ways to build trust with candidates is to do what you promise to do. Start interviews on time and read the resume beforehand so you don’t have to spend time making the candidate rehash what you should already know. When it’s over, keep in touch. Job searches often get off schedule, but let your candidates know they haven’t been forgotten and share the new time frame with them. None of these things take a great deal of time or effort, but they go a long way towards showing candidates you can be trusted to follow through, and that reflects well on the organization as a whole.

Show Interest in Each Candidate

You likely start every interview by asking candidates to tell you about themselves. You can take a different route that breaks the ice by picking out a detail from their resume and asking them to talk about it. Something like, “I see that you volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters. I’ve always been interested in that organization. Tell me a little about your experience.” This will relax the candidate by getting them talking about themselves, and it shows you are interested in learning about the person you will eventually hire.

Make it clear you are listening to the answers they give to every question, as well. Make eye contact and use follow-up questions to probe deeper. As talented tech candidates weigh offers, they will remember the interviewer who seemed genuinely interested in them.

Expose The “Warts” of the Position

Honesty is the number one way to build trust with any tech candidate. Job seekers know hiring managers do their best to guard against discussing potential negatives of a position, and they will be wary of anyone that paints a picture that’s “too” rosy. You can set yourself apart and score real points by being up front about the downsides of the job. This shows the company values transparency, and you respect the candidate enough to give them all the information they need to make an informed decision when weighing an offer.

If you want to attract truly talented, high-level tech candidates to your organization, you must build trust in the interview process. It’s not hard, costs nothing and in the end, you only stand to gain. If you are looking to improve your hiring strategy, the IT recruiting experts at Talon are ready to help. To learn more about the ways we can help you achieve your goals, contact our team today.