pplying for jobs is stressful and has a huge impact on the mental wellbeing of candidates .

“ Our industry faced huge levels of trauma and uncertainty throughout the pandemic , and is still facing this moving into 2022 ,” says Helen Moon , founder of EventWell . “ We have a huge pool of professionals who are really feeling the effects in terms of confidence and self-esteem . Fragility is at an all-time high , mental wellbeing at an all-time low .”

Employers and hiring managers need to appreciate this , and to understand that before a candidate even applies for the role , they have been through a whole range of emotions . They have researched your company and they ’ ve looked at your role . They have applied because ( rightly or wrongly ) they think they can do the job , which means they are putting themselves out there and possibly setting themselves up for rejection .

That ’ s the thing with recruitment : there ’ s no middle ground . It ’ s a ‘ yes ’ or a ‘ no ’ answer , and no matter how you sugar-coat negative feedback , no-one wants to hear the word no . Whenever you

say no to a candidate , you might feel you ’ re saying , “ you ’ re not a correct fit ” ( but what they will hear is ) “ you ’ re not good enough ”.

“ The recruitment process is the first step into a relationship between the individual and the business ,” says Laura Capell-Abra , founder of Stress Matters . “ The question is how do you want to start that relationship – in a disrespectful , unbalanced way or a collaborative , supportive way ? As in any relationship , a power imbalance can develop that impacts our

Left : Recruitment expert Robert Kenward

Manage expectations for both sides If your job advert is ambiguous , be prepared to receive lots of inappropriate applications . Help yourself and help candidates by managing expectations . If something is an absolute must , say so in the advert . I understand that if you are hiring lots of people , you may not have the headspace to write a bespoke job advert for each role , but at the very least you should include a paragraph stating the ‘ must haves ’ at the top in a way that makes the reader feel like you ’ re talking to them . Including the salary band will also help to hone down and reduce unsuitable applications . As a hirer , you want to ensure that you make your life as easy as possible , too ; by being specific you won ’ t have to wade through hundreds of CVs .

But be realistic , too Before you post your job advert , ask yourself : “ Why am I asking for this ?” Are you asking for something because you always have , or are you asking for it because the role needs it ? You may think you need someone with five years ’ experience , but why ? You may find someone has achieved exactly