BEST SELF FORWARD

It is not as much about who you used to be, as it is about who you choose to be...

The statement above has resonated with me on quite a few occasions lately. Being in recruitment and especially focussing on candidates - your day is often filled with talking, meeting, emailing - in general having a LOT of candidate interaction.

The good, bad and the ugly of these interactions sometimes becomes the turning point on whether or not we proceed ahead with any candidate. Like any industry, more so often recruitment gets it's fair share of bashing and being on this side of the spectrum we do bear the brunt of the same from our candidates. Where are my flowers and appreciative words when I do place a candidate???

However, what many a times the candidates fail to understand is no matter how much we want - a client has specific requirements and we ultimately work on behalf of our clients to find them the candidates that will add value. A lot many times candidates apply for roles for which they have no skills for, are overseas, have no work rights and yet expect the recruiters to help them find a job!! Bewildering as it may sound - this is the harsh reality of my average day.

Case in point - A checkout operator applying for a senior dev role. I cannot begin to express how many times I have "the WTF" moments in a day.

I am a firm believer in having a flexible personality and a persona - the one we are born with and the one we have that we work on! The "#acquired" persona is something we adopt like the glamorous coat from Prada when we meet other people, when we interact on social media, at the place we work or when we are meeting potential recruiters for interviews.

I want to see a candidate making an effort to set themselves apart; making an effort to show a hint of personality and little bit of a colour. Being a new migrant - I have woken up at 03:00 AM & studied before my interviews, being an introvert I have gone upto complete strangers and chatted and learned about the culture and this is still a work in progress however I TRY. I had to learn new things and god knows I am an overbearing little devil however am the best colleague at work place you have ever had - #acquiredpersonna. Choose to be a superstar!!

Adapt, Adopt and conquer -  this is not a candidate bashing post however my two cents on how you can put your best personality forward. Have a mindset for the role you want, be willing to hustle and sweat a little as well.

Remember to always be your best, wherever you are :).