At Talentfoot we’ve worked with hundreds of high-performing professionals who are simply confused about the employee-recruiter relationship. Many hopefuls treat their recruiter as too much of a friend.The truth is that recruiters should be treated the same as your potential employers, because it’s our job to be transparent about how you behave “backstage.”
As a candidate, these are the top five ways to turn off your recruiter…
It takes you 45-60 minutes to communicate your overall experience.No one with an overflowing plate likes a chatty Cathy. If you’re unsure what level of detail your recruiter is looking for, simply ask…“Would you like the 5-minute version or the 15-minute version?”Easy, and shows you respect their time. You need to be able to quickly paint a vivid picture of your relevantaccomplishments. This takes practice, so role play with friends and family.Recruiters are always sifting through a lot of volume, and typically interviewing 10+ candidates/day on average. Experienced recruiters know they have a strong candidate when the individual being interviewed can breeze through their relevant experience with little to no effort.
You dodge questions you don’t want to answer and fill the space with noise.This happens a lot. If you do this even once, you lose all credibility and should probably just throw that interview out the window. Sorry. #realtalkIf you don’t have the knowledge orexperience the recruiter is looking for, just tell them. Otherwise you appear desperate, when you’re not. Being direct and honest about your experience will only build more credibility for yourself and the recruiter will be more interested in aligning you with other opportunities in the future.
You express interest in five jobs that are completely different.This is another move that unfortunately instantly negates any credibility you may have had. Nothing pains us more than a candidate who thinks they’re qualified for every job under the sun, in their given field. For example, applying for Director of Paid Social and Director of eCommerce is not going to bode well for you.Be selective about the jobs you pursue and pour everything you have into those opportunities. If you do happen to be an exceptionally well-rounded marketer, then you should have a few different versions of your resume and be super transparent about who you are, what you’re qualified for, and what jobs you want to pursue… and why.A multi-passionate player needs to have solid reasons they’re pursuing different roles.
You ask about compensation before you even learn the job details.This is just bad form, and it still blows my mind how often it happens.If the only thing you care about is dollars, a good recruiter will go running for the hills.Compensation should be the last thing you talk about, and most recruiters will offer this information openly without you even having to ask. We know money matters, but it can’t be the first thing you bring up.
Act as if it’s not a real interview because your recruiter isn’t your potential direct employer.Oh, if I had a dollar for every time someone said, “I’m going to tell you this because it’s just us.”No, no, no.Treating your recruiter like your longtime friend is a big fumble. Act as if your recruiter IS your direct employer, always.When the search is coming to an end, we have a big influence on final decisions. WHY? Since we’ve had the opportunity to get to know each candidate behind the scenes, we know what they’re like outside a formal interview setting.We see a lot in candidates that employers never see, and we have to be transparent with that information. It’s our job.Unfortunately, in my 14+ years of executive search I’ve withdrawn the candidacy of dozens of candidates who pull the A-hole card with us behind the scenes, because I will not let anyone hire an A-hole.
Avoid these five missteps and you’ll already be way ahead of the curve. What’s your #1 question about the recruiter-employee relationship? Post it below, we’d love to support you.
