Don't Forget The Drug Test

Tweet Recently, I read a blog article about how schools need to do a better job in preparing college graduates for interviews. The blog article cited examples of job candidates showing up for interviews dressed poorly, knowing very little information about the company and asking odd questions.

I too have seen some examples of this, but for the most part the recent graduates I've spoken to have been prepared pretty well. In fact, these candidates had done all the right things during their college careers (i.e. activities, good grades, internships), did their research on the company and interviewed very well. Here's the problem: they didn't pass their drug test!

In my opinion, career counselors need to remind students that as they venture into the workplace (a.k.a. the real world), they will more-than-likely be required to pass a drug test as a condition of employment. Getting them to wear a nice suit and ask the right questions will do nothing for them if they're doing bong tokes before the interview.

Balancing Candidate Care with Efficiency

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I've been struggling lately with finding a balance between candidate care and efficiency (my time). In the ideal world, I would be able to respond to each inquiry I receive about career opportunities with my company. However, based on the economy, the number of inquiries I'm receiving exceeds the time I have to respond. I'm in a Manager/Generalist role, so recruiting is just one of the many areas I'm involved in. I'd love to give more time to it, but I simply can't.

With my spouse recently joining the ranks of the unemployed, and becoming an active job seeker, it's disheartening for me to see the way she is being treated as a job candidate. But then I think to myself, is this so much different than how I treat candidates? Maybe not.

I'm a huge proponent of utilizing my application tracking system to it's fullest, including sending system generated e-mails to those candidates that are not selected for a job opening. Yet, I sometimes hear feedback from candidates stating that the content of the messages leaves them with an unfavorable impression of our staffing process, and ultimately the company. I've made strides to tailor the messages to be more sensitive, yet the negative feedback continues. And although the candidate may have not been selected for a particular position, they may very be a great candidate for future positions. If their experience is negative, will they remain interested?

I recently had a candidate mail me a copy of the system generated e-mail, along with his resume and a detailed letter as to how he felt he met every requirement of the job. I assure you he did not meet the qualifications, yet I still felt horrible that this candidate was so incensed that he took the time to respond in this manner. Perhaps it's a sign of the economic times, or this candidate had finally "hit the wall" with the number of rejections he received. Regardless, I'm struggling to come up with the best approach to maintain the integrity of our hiring process, while not becoming consumed with making everyone feel good about themselves (unrealistic, I know).

I'd be interested to find out what others are doing to create a positive candidate experience, specifically for those candidates that are not selected for a position.