Follow-up with Candidates who Don’t Keep— and Increase the Likelihood that they WILL keep

We aren't sure about you but some weeks we keep every. single. initial/in-depth. but other weeks (like this one) we have no shows like crazy. This recruiting tip is all about how to still work with those no shows & get them in the door.

The ‘not kept’ ratio for NM candidates is certainly a bit higher than normal because of the commission component but that shouldn’t stop you from following up. ESPECIALLY if the resume looks good.

Cold Sources

  1. Look them up on LinkedIn and try to find a connection in the office

    1. Prior to the interview, ping them a message saying “I am really looking forward to our call tomorrow and I saw on LinkedIn you are connected to [insert rep or staff name]. Excited to learn more about that connection”

    2. If you don’t have time to do that prior to the interview and the candidate no shows you— look them up, find a connection, and send a note. All too often I see recruiters move on if they are no showed. We always assume they read something about the commission and got scared and we like to take the opportunity to reach out one more time to see if they would still be open to a casual conversation.

Warm Sources

  1. Involve the Leader, Rep, or Staff

    1. Prior to the interview: Let the Nominator know when the interview is and ask them to ping a quick note to the candidate. It will make the candidate feel extra special

    2. If that doesn’t happen and the candidate no shows you— let the Nominator know! They may be able to get back in touch and help the person understand the benefits of this career

All Sources

  1. If you really like their profile, put them on a Tear sheet in Bullhorn so you can easily follow-up

  2. If you have a ‘no show’ week (which all of us recruiters have sometimes), send a mass email through Bullhorn asking to reschedule

  3. BRUSH IT OFF. Like we said before, candidates read and hear things about this career that are not accurate so if they really don’t want to speak with you, move on. But in the event this is right for them and you sent that one follow-up, you could be changing someone’s life for the better.

Note: We are not suggesting you follow this with every single candidates (especially cold sources) but certainly for candidates whos background looks strong and who you are disappointed about when they don’t show.

Also- Don’t forget that all of this applies to In-depths & Third meetings as well!! Even more so than initial meetings in fact.

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—This document and the information in it are provided for Northwestern Mutual Recruiters and Leadership Teams and may not be distributed to any other organization or used for any other purpose without written consent from Claire Myers Consulting.—