Testimonials: A key element of effective recruitment

When searching for a new car, do you invest time in reading about the numerous models available, as published by manufacturers, or do you seek advice from a friend or expert whom you believe has superior car knowledge?

You likely do both, but the reality is that when someone provides evidence that a product or service is genuinely worth the investment and will be valuable, it makes people feel more at ease when deciding to buy.

Today, most clients will spend time researching a company before making contact. Marketing studies indicate that this research primarily focuses on customer reviews about the company, including recruitment firms such as DevelopmentPeople.

Companies utilize testimonials from satisfied customers as social proof to convince potential buyers to select their services or products.

In addition to incorporating powerful testimonials on its website, a company can also integrate them into its online marketing strategy. Let's explore how this functions.

What is a testimonial?

Testimonials are remarks made about a company by an external source, like a client or an employee. They come in various forms, including social media reviews, press mentions, comments, and user-generated content.

Here’s what a testimonial might look like:

“We have been collaborating with DevelopmentPeople for the past two years. Their professionalism, support, and level of understanding of our needs have been very high and consistent throughout all the processes that they helped us with. They have helped us fill the first Executive vacancy role that we had in the company since it began, and also another vital role, the Director of Operations, which we had been struggling to fill! We are thrilled with the people we found, and that is thanks to the DevelopmentPeople team! Our Chief Delivery Officer has now been with us for about a year, and we are extremely grateful to have him on board!” - Sabina Bodea, People Operations Manager

Client testimonials

A testimonial is a short statement from a client regarding their experience with a business, much like the example mentioned above. It may be positive or include constructive criticism. Testimonials can be displayed on a company's website, social media platforms, and even on external online sites where past customers express their views.

A good testimonial describes how a company helped the customer to address an issue while showcasing the advantages of its customer service.

Employee testimonials

These are remarks from past or present employees about their experiences working at the company. They may include assessments of the work environment and benefits package, how accurately the job description matches the actual working conditions, suggestions for thriving in the role, and any other relevant information that could assist in the recruitment process.

Why are testimonials important in recruitment?

A traditional testimonial remains one of the most powerful sales strategies. While companies can thoroughly outline the benefits of working with them, which is indeed their responsibility, people are unlikely to fully trust these claims without third-party validation.

Testimonials provided by clients about a company can help to achieve the following:

• When potential clients see genuine testimonials from past customers or applicants, the company's credibility is enhanced.

  
  

• Testimonials allow recruitment companies to showcase their successes and demonstrate their skill in identifying and matching qualified candidates with suitable job opportunities.

  
  

• Testimonials can be considered a form of word-of-mouth advertising, and positive word-of-mouth is highly effective, significantly influencing potential customers. Moreover, incorporating testimonials into blogs and social media posts enhances a company's marketing strategy, as they highlight the excellent experience a potential customer can anticipate when engaging with that company.

Even a short and informal testimonial can enhance the likelihood that individuals and companies will choose to engage in business with you.

💡 Tip: While testimonials enhance an organization's image and affirm its effective operation, it's equally crucial to consider mixed or unfavorable feedback, as these can assist in addressing any problems.

It’s important to note that, when it comes to recruitment services, testimonials can be helpful when potential clients want to examine how effectively you can handle their challenges by taking a look at how you’ve handled similar challenges for others.

In contrast to what a company claims about itself, nine out of ten customers say they place more value on what actual other people have to say about it. This is due to the fact that a happy customer is making a personal recommendation, as opposed to content that a company can write about itself.

Positive client recommendations naturally stem from successful interactions with the company and effective outcomes. This is precisely what DevelopmentPeople strives for - crafting an exceptional customer experience. Such experiences can lead to customer satisfaction and, consequently, favorable testimonials that can be shared across various online platforms.

Here’s one of many testimonials about DevelopmentPeople:

"DevelopmentPeople was a life-saver for us when we had a hard-to-fill position located outside of the U.S. We were unsuccessful in finding the right candidates using our own methods, but once we engaged with DevelopmentPeople, they supported us right away. They were very quick and responsive to our feedback – each candidate they sent us was closer and closer to what we were looking for. In the end, we moved forward with formal interviews for five of the candidates they provided. After working with DevelopmentPeople, we contracted them to work on two additional positions for us and will be keeping them in mind for more hard-to-fill positions for us!" - Genevieve McGann

With over 15 years of experience in staffing roles within the development and humanitarian sectors, and a continually growing database of 470,000 junior, mid-level, and senior executives, DevelopmentPeople has demonstrated its success as a recruitment service agency. We consistently prioritize our clients' requirements, considering their culture, vision, objectives, and, importantly, their budget. Furthermore, our pricing is among the most competitive in the market, and you can inquire about this when you contact us for your next project.

DevelopmentPeople never refuses to work with hard-to-fill positions.

A skills gap is causing challenges for many organizations in filling roles that previously had a large number of candidates. Several factors contribute to the difficulty in filling these positions, such as geographical location, economic conditions, a shortage of candidates, and a lack of necessary qualifications. Additionally, some roles are hard to fill due to societal changes as we move away from traditional industries. At DevelopmentPeople, we strive to address this problem by assisting clients in finding suitable candidates for these challenging positions.

Final word

Client testimonials can assist undecided customers in determining whether to buy a product or service and enhance an organization's credibility. Even today, traditional testimonials remain significant across various industries, including recruitment. Regardless of their brevity or informal tone, testimonials have the potential to draw clients to a company, thereby elevating its brand value.