Sometimes the simple rules are the best.  For example:

Do Unto Others As You Would Have Them Do Unto You.

I was thinking about the Golden Rule this morning as I reflected on the dynamics of our market right now.  For some of our job categories there are way more candidates than there are opportunities, which results in a surplus of candidates…anxious candidates at that. 

At first glance it might seem too time consuming and inefficient to get back to each individual candidate and apprise them of the status of the search.  The dealmaker inside us says that is not how we make our money and the time manager says that there are more productive things we can be doing with our time.

I disagree.

We are so fortunate to have so much enabling technology at our fingertips that there is really no excuse, in my view, for not keeping candidates in the loop as a search progresses.  When I started in the search business personal computers didn’t exist; mag-card typewriters were state of the art, the only ATS we had was legal pads and the only computing power at our disposal was service bureau services not far removed from the punch card days.  Today, however, it is so simple to create an engaging email template and advise people of their status, and recruiting professionals who ignore this simple fact do so at their own peril.  After all, treating candidates professionally and respectfully is a key factor in how reputations are built, which should be especially valuable to anyone who has been around a while and has seen candidates evolve into clients.

So remember, if during the course of your searches you are treating others the way you’d like to be treated then you are on the right path.