One of our biggest pet peeves in the Placement industry is companies that don’t understand the power of perception and the effect perception has on:

1. Whether candidates accept or reject their employment offers.

2. The caliber of talent they attract in the first place.

3. The ease and speed with which they attract talent (especially in their local market).

I just finished an article from Wachovia’s Calibre MacroWorld , a Financial publication for Investors that quotes a recently released survey by Kelly Services . The thrust of the article relates to the importance of perception especially in these economic times. They interviewed more than 115,000 people in 33 countries on a wide range of issues about how they find work and how they deal with aspects of the job search process.

44 percent of respondents said the worst part of the search process was waiting for a response. Executive Vice President of Kelly Services, George Corona said “"Companies often overlook the importance of creating a positive experience for candidates during the hiring process, and miss the opportunity to strengthen their employment brand among highly skilled candidates." "Ensuring the candidate experience is one that produces a connection between the employer and job seeker will provide a competitive edge in the tightening labor market."

I couldn’t have said it better myself. Moving slowly to schedule interviews, provide feedback on the interview and make decisions communicates indecision at best and ambivalence at worst. Either way, “A players” are left non-plussed and oft clueless hiring managers left miffed wondering why their offer was turned down. Top candidates have options and they’re intelligent to know that the way a company makes hiring decisions is a window into the way they makes all kinds of decisions. Done properly (with the assistance the internal or external Recruiter this is a competitive advantage and will insure referral of friends, etc. Done poorly and hiring will continue to become increasingly difficult, even in a softening market.