The importance of effective communication in the Grayce recruitment process

Grayce HR Administrator, Mark Barratt talks about the importance of communication when recruiting new Analysts to our Development Programme.

Imagine you have lots of role applications dropping into your inbox every day. There is a need to communicate with the applicants to either arrange an interview or advise that they were unsuccessful. Now imagine this is happening at a nationwide level. And with multiple candidates and interviewers, all requiring different levels of preparation. How would you manage this?

A personal recruitment process

When working with such high volumes of applications to our graduate programme, it’s very important to make sure we have regular contact with every candidate. Effective communication is key to eliminate any misunderstanding or errors. Entering the recruitment process is, for most applicants, their first interaction with Grayce. So, we strive to be clear, consistent and professional at every stage.

A poor experience early in the recruitment process can be very off-putting. So keeping candidates in the loop is something that I'm passionate about. You will know from your own experiences that a disappointing part of a job search is when you apply for a role and have radio silence from the recruiter.

At Grayce, our communications are always very clear and frequent as all applications are reviewed individually. We then can personally update the candidate on their application at every stage, resulting in trust and a professional relationship being built quickly.

This approach doesn’t come without its own challenges. Our business specialises in developing and deploying the best graduate talent for change and transformation roles nationwide. The very nature of change means that client requirements can evolve very quickly.

A huge part of the process is making sure we can meet client requirements when supporting our clients' change programmes. With shifting requirements, we need to be able to communicate clearly and consistently, so candidates and clients know what to expect.

What distinguishes the Grayce Development Programme from other graduate schemes?

For many candidates, applying for their first job out of university is a very stressful process. Our Analysts report waiting a long time to receive a response from other organisations - if they get a response at all.

Grayce Analyst, Maria Butterworth-Martin says "It's very clear from the beginning of the recruitment process that everyone at Head Office is so focused on getting back to you on time. That was really important because going into a graduate scheme, straight after university, employers do take a long time to get back to you."

Our personal approach is why the Grayce Development Programme continues to be the graduate programme of choice for hundreds of talented young professionals across the UK.

What's apparent about our approach is:

• Grayce has respect for every applicant, no matter their experience or background.
• Candidates are frequently updates with the process of their application.
• Applicants have a positive experience throughout the recruitment process, even if they aren’t ultimately successful.
• Grayce’s communications are open and clear in order to manage expectations.