There’s a saying we use here at our HR executive search firm: “Great teams are built on great trust. Great trust is built on great communication. Great communication is built on great honesty.” This is valid in all relationships, really. Whether a marriage, a friendship, or a professional relationship, open and honest communication is the foundation.
When it comes to communication in recruitment, not only is this phrase applicable, but it’s also essential. Communication goes beyond simply avoiding ghosting. When a recruiting partnership is nurtured with transparency, feedback, communication and honesty, the likeliness of success and a great experience is inevitable. The importance of communication in the recruitment process is apparent for every role.
Honesty and openness of a candidate with a recruiter will only better the alignment of their understanding on what and why an opportunity could be a great fit or how to best manage a process to ensure the candidate is gaining critical information before decision points.
Transparency and educated insight from a recruiter with a client will enable a hiring authority to make decisions, or equip them to influence value propositions with a trusted snapshot of the market.
Timely feedback and authentic insight of a client with a recruiter enables the ability to identify an authentic match to who works best in their culture, in their role, and along the way, provide an excellent candidate experience in their name.
Changing peoples’ lives takes teamwork. The trust, the communication, and the honesty of the team is what makes the magic happen. The support, the collaboration, the high-pitch ‘WOO-HOO’ing, high fives and congratulations, all built on honesty and integrity… That’s the magic.
I’ve always tried to take the same approach with my L&D teams. I’ve gotten a lot of mileage out of the phrase: “I’ll be honest with you until it makes me dishonest to someone else.” It’s refreshing to see this commitment to transparency from a recruiting firm. Thanks for sharing.
I can’t help but think of an episode of The Office when Michael Scott, the manager, falls into a koi pond on a sales call, and is made fun of by his direct reports. Later, he chooses to “embrace the embarrassment” with some refreshing self-honesty about his mishap…although he takes it too far and it backfires. I’d add that great teams and great trust can stem from not taking ourselves too seriously even if we do take our work seriously.