How much do you embrace what your candidates have to share?  Typically, I focus on a short list of questions after some polite small talk.  I might like know if they’ve owned/used our products as a point of reference.  There are those who have opinions and ideas.  Some are unsolicited.

“I love your product!”  they’ll say.  ”Well thanks, we keep working hard to impress folks”, is one response.

“Your service saved my marriage!” they’ll effuse.  ”Uh huh” (I mean what do I do with that?).

There are some negative ones to be sure.  Kudos are good, but critiques are helpful in that a) they care to make them known and b) could lead to an increase in new customers or improved retention of existing ones.  It may not take much prompting to get the good and bad reaction to your company’s product or service:  ”If you had unlimited budget and time, how would you make our product better?”

Trendbird reports on the latest crazy marketing stunt by Chick-Fil-A, having their customers dress as cows for “Cow Appreciation Day“.  Besides making great chicken sandwiches, what organization would dare ask their customers to actually show what they think of their product?  Starbucks is doing something similar by recruiting its customers to carry the coffee company’s marketing message for them.  Only the passionate customers would go to these lengths if they cared about a brand.  Am I missing an opportunity with candidates who fit the “passionate” profile?

I have to think my marketing and product groups would benefit from the tabulation of ideas and feedback.  It would be easy to collect the information from candidates in a phone screen and/or interviews.  All it takes is a question or two.  No, this isn’t scientific in any way, but it’s a nice complimentary move to all of those online surveys and focus groups.  HR can stand to be more useful, no?

Such a move could help a company milk an opportunity or avoid udder disaster.  What could your candidates tell you?