Advice From a Recruiter

As a recruiter we are often faced with the difficult task of informing candidates that we regretfully are not moving forward with their application. This is a business decision that should be respected yet some candidates do not take it well. It is important for all managers involved in the hiring process to appreciate though we may choose not to move forward with a particular applicant if we could provide some constructive feedback to this person that took time out of their schedule to meet with us it could possibly prove to be beneficial to this individuals career journey; and it? may stop them from making the similar mistakes in the future if it were how they presented themselves in person throughout the hiring process that prevented them from securing an opportunity at your organization. Quite honestly sometimes an applicant says all the right things and presented very well in person and still did not get the job because the competition was so fierce. Unfortunately it was a difficult decision to make but we only had the budget to hire one person.

As a candidate it is important to keep in mind that recruiters are not always provided with specific feedback whether positive or negative that they can share even when they request it from a hiring manager. When you start to feel frustrated in your efforts to find a job remember that recruiters do not always have all the answers , they cannot wave a magic wand and get you a position at the company that they are representing just because you want one, and recruiters are not obligated to find you a job either. What recruiters are responsible for in simple terms is assessing fit and providing you with an opportunity to sell yourself in an interview. It is important to respect the hiring process as a candidate regardless of the outcome. Recruiters enter this profession because they want to see people succeed not fail. Some recruiters are very helpful throughout the interview process to make sure you do your very best and others do not go the extra mile at all. They only do the bare minimum of what is expected of them by their employer which is in modest terms assessing fit and providing you with an opportunity to sell yourself. Ultimately their goal will be to fill the position with the right candidate that meets the criteria the Hiring Manager outlined for them which is usually a combination of both hard and soft skills. ?

Please keep that in mind when you are tempted to follow up with a recruiter in excess of 5-10 times when you have already been told no by a company it is not only unnecessary but unprofessional, even if see another posting for the same position that you already interviewed for pop up. Strategic recruiters will always have a strategy to remember the best talent they had spoken with for hard to fill roles; or for the positions that they work on where they are continuously required to hire for even when they do not have an immediate vacancy at the time you had spoken, because those Talent Acquisition professionals will be very good at building a pipeline of potential talent and tracking this information.

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Stephanie Evans