Why should HR practitioners spend time responding to those applicants who do not qualify?

I have worked in internal HR and I know just how hard it is for good HR staff to gain traction with line managers in their business. People can see you as ‘fluff’ and ‘airy-fairy’ and basically be obstructive and difficult. Sometimes being in HR is like being a parent…you are tempted to tell managers “well don’t come running to me when you fall down and break your leg” when they choose to go ahead and ignore your advice.

But the perception of HR is not helped by people like Hank. Hank thinks that managing 10 – 20 applications a day is onerous and he should not be expected to acknowledge applications from people who are not suitable…or who have ‘spruced up’ up their resume to meet requirements.

Hank only wants to deal with people who are perfect for the job. Perhaps, to be fair, Hank has a lot to do every day and recruitment is just not his forte. Maybe he doesn’t enjoy the recruitment part of his job and thinks it distracts him from more ‘important’ things, such as employee engagement and providing IR advice or support.

Maybe Hank isn’t even in HR. Maybe he is a line manager overwhelmed with his workload. Whatever the reason, Hank is letting his company down. Because we live in a world with online resources like 'RecoAmazing’ and ‘Glassdoor’, where people get to rate their experiences dealing with employer and just the same way you check out TripAdvisor to decide on booking accommodation, people WILL start to research employers to gauge whether or not the company is a good place to work. Lots of bad reviews may put potential candidates off.

Perhaps it will deter the most ‘perfect’ candidate in the world from accepting a job offer, because perfect candidates have options (never forget this). If you are an employer overwhelmed with applications and unable to give these applications the respect they deserve – protect your reputation and use a recruiter. It’s what we do. Have the comfort of knowing that your applicants are being acknowledged and managed effectively and with respect.