Many people use this phrase as a way of avoiding the delivery of important and often bad news, such as unsuccessful interview feedback, job application rejections, constructive criticism etc. All the things that quite frankly are easier not to do. Although, at GKR London we recognise how important it is to have these conversations. We recognise how constructive it can be for both our candidates and clients and we recognise how much easier it makes our job in the long-run to understand as much as we can throughout the recruitment process. However, we are not always immediately equipped with the tools or information to have these conversations with our candidates or clients. This is where we find no news really is good news… so long as it is communicated. Clients and candidates want to hear from us, they expect updates; deafening silence is probably the scariest thing of all, I know I instantly assume the worst if things go quiet. It can be very comforting to hear from the person managing the recruitment process whilst you await feedback, even if you don’t yet have feedback to give!
The oxford dictionary defines no news is good news by, ‘without information to the contrary you can assume that all is well.’ This terrifies me. Not only does it imply that you probably got the job, even if you haven’t heard from the client in six weeks… which you didn’t, it’s also an assumption. Thankfully, at GKR London we know that no news is only good news if it is communicated, rather than assumed; here’s why:
You never know
You never know the whole story and when you only know bits of it, it becomes very difficult to create a full picture; what the circumstances are, what the people involved are up against, how they truly portrayed themselves in the interview or who they really are outside of work. Trying to piece together the bits of information you don’t know, without the facts will prevent you from understanding the true picture.
You might miss out
It has been proven that humans make subconscious judgments within milliseconds of seeing a new face, considering your experiences with that person or the observations you've made about that person. But you can choose to ignore them, our observations are not always true. In fact, a lot of the time they are far from the truth, because you didn’t know all the facts.
You impact everyone around you
Everything we do or say has a positive or negative impact on the people around us, whether we know them well or not. By offering someone constructive feedback they can improve and refine their interview technique for next time. By choosing to ignore stereotypes, biases and labels which are based upon assumptions, you might uncover something you didn’t already know, and it could be extremely valuable to your relationship with that person moving forward.
The phrase ‘no news is good news’ is something people tend to say when they are worried about something to make them feel better. Don’t fear the outcome; chase your clients and consultants to find out where you stand. And to all those consultants and clients avoiding these difficult conversations, you are making things very difficult for a lot of people, including yourself. Find the courage to offer both ‘no news’ and constructive feedback.
GKR London are starting the new year with a bang and are busy recruiting for an abundance of opportunities! We are also looking for good consultants to grow our team. Get in touch with us today if you want to take charge of your career!
