Candidate Engagement Gone Wrong and How to Recover

People Science Reimagining Talent Acquisition

It has happened to all of us.  At some point you drop the ball, you say the wrong thing, or reach out to the wrong person.  In today’s world with all the different social media outlets these kinds of mistakes can haunt you.  Handling them properly is the only way to recover gracefully.

The first thing you need to do, is work on addressing it immediately.  The longer you wait to fix your mistake the angrier your candidate will become.  I always like to reach out to either my manager or my mentor.  I fill them in on what has happened and I review what I think are the best options for moving forward.  Bouncing around ideas will help you make the best possible plan.

Once you have a plan, make sure you are executing it flawlessly. The last thing you need now is another mistake.  If possible I always prefer to reach out over the phone.  You don’t want to hide behind an email, be upfront and pick up the phone.  Admit you were wrong, apologize genuinely and offer solutions.

While the candidate might not be completely satisfied with the outcome of the situation they will be far less likely to escalate the problem further.  People will respect you for admitting you were wrong and appreciate your efforts, even if they are still angry. Don’t let these mistakes follow you around, you never know when you might run into that candidate again.

By Caitlin Mandeville | People Science Talent Advisor 1

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