Should the Recruitment Consultant Interview the Candidate? Why bother?

Yes, I entirely agree – a somewhat challenging question which suggests (incorrectly) that I think it is a waste of time for a candidate to meet the recruitment consultant. Yes, I know, most recruitment consultants are a dedicated bunch with very high skills and standards, and they would baulk at the very suggestion that they shouldn't meet a candidate, who, on paper, looks like a possibility.

I was inspired to write as a result of an article I read here sometime yesterday morning but which had disappeared within minutes of my first seeing it – so apologies to that author with whom I think I agree.

So, 'why bother'? For a multitude of reasons - not the least being because they can say 'yes' when the client asks, 'Have you actually met this candidate?'

In some jurisdictions, licensing conditions place a specific requirement on consultants to interview the candidate. I don't know where this applies these days nor do I know whether telephone or Skype interviewing is sufficient, but I rather think that, if a candidate is seriously applying for a position, then the recruitment consultant should meet the candidate face-to-face.

For a start, it might help confirm the identity of the potential candidate. Apart from that, the most perfect resume with the exact experience and qualifications required can mask someone with the personality of a brick and the integrity of (insert name as appropriate).

In this age of Wechat, Instagram Facebook, Whatsapp and, dare I say, LinkedIn, it's so easy to hide behind the wall of the Internet. There is nothing quite as good as a face-to-face meeting where we size each other up within moments of seeing each other – let alone speaking with each other.

As a prospective employer, I would always expect recruitment consultants to do their job properly – and that, to my eyes, means actually meeting any candidate before they put them forward for my consideration.

Consultants would want to avoid the embarrassment of sending a wonderful-looking resume which so inspires the employer that the candidate is invited for an interview, only for it all to go belly-up and turn into an unmitigated disaster when the packaging of the resume is ripped open to reveal somebody totally oversold and underwhelming.

From your point of view, as a candidate, a skilled consultant might (albeit, perhaps a little more gently) put you through your paces. ('Can you explain this gap in your career?' 'How come you have had so many jobs in so few years?' 'So what made you quit that particular job?' 'Have you ever been asked to leave?') The consultant should know exactly what the brief is, what the employer is looking for and what the firm is about. Would you be a good fit? They should, and will ask searching questions.

Now, you might not appreciate being put through the grinder by the consultant but you are being done a big favour. If you think the consultant has given you a hard time, just wait until they get before a skilled interrogator (sorry, 'interviewer') who knows exactly what they are looking for – and what they are not.

So, so far, yes – absolutely – the consultant should meet the candidate.

And not just to be quizzed by them, but also to get advice from them. And you might excel yourself at that interview with the consultant even if your resume might be lacking in some areas.

A good recruitment consultant will have done a survey of your social media posts which might contain some very embarrassing stuff. 'Get rid of it', they are likely to advise. (Better still, make it disappear now. You don't want any consultant or prospective employer to see that picture of you drunk with all your mates, or mooning out of a bus window).

The consultant will look at your LinkedIn profile. How professional is it? Is it at odds with what's in the resume? Have you made full use of LinkedIn? Are there any sensible articles there? (If not, why not get publishing - show your writing skills, your technical and practical knowledge, your personality?).

Or is your profile full of banal posts railing against the likes of Donald Trump, Brexiteers or other, er, people? And is your profile, in effect, just a resume? Is there anything in it which actually marks you out as interesting?

So, in this context, although the consultant has been retained by the employer, they might become very much the candidate's friend. Don't forget that the consultant gets paid on results. They survive on introducing a candidate who is good enough on paper and at interview to be offered the job and to perform satisfactorily so that they are retained after their probation period. That means the consultant gets paid.

So it's definitely in the consultant's interests to put forward candidates but, first, they have to do a proper job. And, of course, they don't want to lose future business by putting forward someone who turns out to be utterly hopeless.

But it's not all one way. The consultant can be a mine of information about the employer. What's it like to work there? With whom would the candidate be working? What's the turnover of staff like for that firm, generally? What's the reason for the vacancy? What is the salary on offer? Is that negotiable? What's the going rate for this job? What are the career prospects?

A sensible candidate will have done their own due diligence – checking out the firm, its partners – in the trade press, in LinkedIn. Has the firm been up to some skulduggery? Have they been embroiled in any adverse publicity?

And, just as the questions a candidate is asked at interview with the client are important, so are those the candidate asks the interviewer. They can often be the clincher.

Well, those questions can be put to the consultant - along with some one might hesitate ever to ask, but can be put perhaps more assertively to the consultant: ('Does the vacancy arise because a whole team decamped to a competitor taking a big book of business with them?' 'I see that X firm lost its IP team to Y, last year, and a four-partner, eight-associate corporate team only three months ago. What's happening? Is this a sinking ship?' 'Is it a terrible firm to work for?' 'I notice that they have had three Directors of Knowledge and Development in as many years - do they not value training?' 'I observe that there are so few women partners, yet so many women senior associates - are there conclusions one should draw from this?').

You might not get answers to all these questions but, just observing the consultant's body language and facial expressions might give you some clues. If such questions do spring to mind, then maybe you shouldn't ask that your name be put forward in the first place.

Grilling the consultant could give you a whole lot of information to help you either withdraw your candidacy or be better-prepared at any ultimate interview with the hiring company.

And you will certainly stick in the consultant's memory when another, perhaps more appropriate opportunity arises in the future.

The consultant doesn't want to put forward someone who really does not fit the bill. They want to say, at the very least, 'You might like this person for the job'. Ideally, they will be able to be more enthusiastic. There is a big difference between saying that and saying, 'This person is really likeable. They have all the experience and qualifications you are looking for; moreover, they have great self-confidence and presentation skills. I feel they will be an excellent team-leader - you definitely should see them.'

Don't forget that recruitment consultants usually have more than one vacancy for which they need candidates. You might not fill the bill for X Department in Firm A, but be perfect for the vacancy in its Y Department. Or (as so often happens), the consultant will tout you around their contacts in other firms ('You don't happen to need a brilliant IP lawyer, do you? I have an excellent candidate'.)

So, should recruitment consultants interview the candidate? Absolutely. And you, as a candidate, should insist on it.

Finally, before you attend the meeting - do your homework - especially when it comes to your questions for the interviewer. Those are often much more telling than your answers to their questions.

And do dress for the occasion. First impressions count.

Happy job-hunting!