HR MANAGERS SHOULD LEARN THIS FROM AUTOMATTIC’S HIRING TEAM
I once attended a content management systems (CMS) summit in Abuja Nigeria. I met some amazing people (Job Thomas and Marjorie Asturias) who worked for Automattic (owners of WordPress), they encouraged participants to apply for work with Automattic. They were happy and really proud of their company. So, after the summit, I decided to apply for a role (Happiness Engineer) I found interesting and matched what I could do.
I made my application via email as stated in the application procedure and got a response. I was given a task which I did but unfortunately, I did not proceed to interview neither was I given the job due to some reasons.
But the interesting part about the application was the final email I got. Although I felt bad because I wasn’t offered the job, the email relieved and encouraged me to a great extent. In this mail, I was encouraged to apply again, I was told what to do better in my next application and some books were recommended for me to read and develop myself. This meant so much to me and speaks volumes of the company’s culture.
Later on, I read one of the recommended books which was “Delivering Happiness” and it helped me a lot. I learned so much from this book, it improved my perspective about customer service.
So what can recruiters learn from Automattic’s hiring team?
1. Learn to respond to applicants without damaging their self confidence even though they don’t qualify. It helps keep them motivated to pursue their careers.
2. Applicants are also human; treat them as one. Communication helps in making them feel important despite not having the required skills. The idea of “only shortlisted candidates would be contacted” is not friendly and creates room for suspicion.
3. If possible, point out to the applicant where they missed it and make resource recommendations that will help the job seeker become better.
Photo Credit: Clicky Steve
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