As a recruiter, you spend your days focused on matching people with the right jobs and helping companies find the best talent. But in the midst of all the resumes, interviews, and job offers, it’s easy to forget that your candidates are human. They have lives, stresses, anxieties, and mental health needs outside of their job search. While you can’t solve all of your candidates’ problems, there are a few simple ways you can support their mental health and make their experience with your recruiting firm a positive one. In the long run, these small actions can help you build better relationships, find higher quality candidates, and gain a competitive advantage. It’s worth making mental health a priority in your recruiting strategy. Here are a few tips to get you started.
Why Mental Health Matters in the Workplace
Mental health should be a top priority for recruiters. Why? Because it directly impacts productivity, work quality, and company culture.
Employees in poor mental health struggle at work.
They have higher absenteeism, lower motivation, and difficulty concentrating – all of which reduce work output. In fact, depression and anxiety disorders cost the global economy $1 trillion per year in lost productivity.
As a recruiter, you strive to find candidates who will perform and succeed in their roles. But you can’t determine someone’s mental health from a resume or job interview. Once hired, if an employee experiences a mental health issue, their performance and work quality may suffer significantly.
Mental health issues also spread through company culture.
Employees in distress can negatively impact coworkers and bring down overall morale. Unaddressed mental health problems often lead to conflict, distrust, and broken relationships within teams.
That’s why making mental health a priority benefits both employees and the company. It leads to:
- Higher productivity and work quality.
- Lower healthcare and disability costs.
- Improved company culture and morale.
- Increased employee loyalty and retention.
As a recruiter, you can advocate for mental health initiatives, screen for risk factors sensitively, and connect candidates to resources.
Asking Candidates About Mental Health: Do’s and Don’ts
As a recruiter, you want to support candidates dealing with mental health issues, but you have to be careful with how you approach the topic. Here are some dos and don’ts for asking candidates about their mental health:
Do create an open and inclusive culture. Make it clear that you value wellness and support for all employees. This will encourage candidates to feel comfortable disclosing any mental health conditions, knowing they will face no discrimination.
Do ask open-ended questions. If a candidate voluntarily discloses a mental health issue, respond with empathy and interest. You might say something like “Can you tell me more about your experience with that?” Let the candidate guide how much they share.
Don’t ask candidates directly about any health issues. Only ask questions directly related to the candidate’s ability to perform the essential functions of the specific job. Disclosing health issues should always be voluntary.
Don’t make assumptions based on disclosures. Having a mental health condition does not make someone an inherently “risky” hire. Evaluate candidates based only on their qualifications for the role.
Don’t share disclosures without consent. Any information a candidate shares about their mental health should be kept private and confidential. Only discuss with people directly involved in the hiring process and with the candidate’s permission.
Following these guidelines will help you address mental health issues with empathy, support, and care. And taking a sensitive, accommodating approach may help reduce stigma, foster an inclusive work culture, and lead to better hires.
Red Flags to Look for in Interviews
As a recruiter, you have an opportunity to identify red flags that could signal a candidate may struggle in a new role due to underlying wellness concerns:
Lack of enthusiasm
Does the candidate seem overly anxious, worried, sad or unmotivated? Do they lack passion when discussing the work or role? While everyone has ups and downs, consistently low energy could indicate depression or other issues that sap motivation and enjoyment of activities.
Difficulty concentrating
Notice if the candidate has trouble focusing during your conversation or remembering details about their work experience and background. Issues with concentration and short-term memory can be a sign of anxiety, ADHD, or other concerns that could impact job performance.
Sleep problems
Ask candidates about their sleep quality and routines. Insomnia or hypersomnia can negatively impact work productivity, effectiveness, and attendance. Be on alert for mentions of excessive sleepiness, difficulty falling or staying asleep, or reliance on sleep aids.
Addressing mental health in the interview process benefits both candidates and companies. By sensitively assessing for warning signs, you can determine good role fits, ensure new hires will thrive, and help candidates get support. But avoid assumptions, focus on the whole person, and maintain strict confidentiality. With compassion and discretion, you can make a real difference.
Mental health factor
So, next time you’re working to fill a position or hiring for your own team, don’t forget about the mental health factor. Make it a point to promote a healthy work-life balance and consider a candidate’s wellbeing and self-care routines. Your company culture and employees will be better for it. And who knows, the simple act of showing you genuinely care about someone’s mental health could be the very thing that inspires them to do their best work.
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