UNDERSTANDING NATURE OF CANDIDATES - From a Recruiter's point of view

I have been doing a number of reading and correlating the knowledge with my experience so far and already i can say i have been able to group candidates/applicants/job seekers in some categories based on their method of approach, art of communication, attitude to the job among others. There may be more categories but for now, these are the ones i can categorically state.

The Leader: 

Wishes to come into an environment where people will look up to him/her. They want to be in control to a large extent and work with less supervision. They are usually team players and likes to make sure everyone is on track. The good ones are generally challenge oriented. Reasons for leaving an employer may base on new management, leadership changes, having to report to someone etc. Leaders are usually passive job seekers and selective so recruiting their services is no small fit.

The Entrepreneur: 

These are the very creative and open minded class. They think out of the box when reasoning or engaging a subject and always look out for a new way to do he routine stuffs. They hate boredom and aim to benefit their employer while increasing their worth to the employer. Their sole aim is to master what they know best and learn fast so as to become their own boss in the shortest time possible. A heavily structured work environment is the bane of any one in this class as they need an open end work environment to encourage them to try new things.

The Careerist: 

This class of people are in the business of garnering experience and jumping ships. They want to rise to the zenith of their chosen career path but also recognize it cannot be done overnight so they take to working for an employer just long enough to get the needed experience to land the next vertical career jump. Typical examples of this class change jobs at a nearly calculated 18 months interval and averagely every 2 years. The extremists among them may even jump at a year's interval.

The Hunter: 

This is a class that WOWs me! They only have two things in mind....The Pay and Their Comfort zone. They can remain in one job for years if these two factors aren't a worry to them or jump ships 3 to 4 times in a year and up to 5 times in 2 years if otherwise. A hunter can switch jobs for as little as a 5000NGN a month salary increase and once on the new job they are constantly sending out their CVs for "better" opportunities. Their true nature however is revealed if they come under stress or pressure of any kind in their place of work. A typical hunter who gets employed in a fast paced organization would most likely start sending out CVs again within their first week of resumption or you hear them use lines like "if you get any other job let me know" just a few weeks after you just helped them land a job.

The Idealist: 

These are the heavy thinkers and intellectuals who often lack the necessary actionable features to be at par with their way of thinking. they always have something to say about anything but would easily shrug off if it were handed to them as a sole responsibility. They are great in team work but easily start feeling frustrated and disconnected if they are ignored or not in limelight at their workplace. They want to feel a sense of importance and this accounts for their reason for leaving their workplace more often related to issues with fellow employees or their boss. They are the type that hardly ever gets fired as they resign long before that.

The Internationalist: 

This class is disillusioned by anything really big. They simply want to be associated with reputable multinationals or the big players in the market. Their resume will contain typical big MNCs like KPMG, Philips Electronics, Samsung West Africa, PWC, Procter & Gamble, Rocket Internet GmbH, etc. This class would rather be a zonal finance manager at an MNC than take a Chief Finance Officer role at a national firm. They also tend to have a very sticky career as they would almost only take a jump if they are moving to another MNC. Also, this class would almost never consider working for a new or emerging brand.
These are just a few categories i can place my fingers on but i know there are a lot more i have left untouched. Honestly, it gets quite easy to place a candidate in one of these categories or a mix of them because from their CV, work experience, telephone conversations, tone of letter/email write ups, and face to face interview conversations, it isn't so hard after all and after which one has to decide if the candidate will meet and satisfy the needs of the client or if you should even be considering them at all. It also tells you a candidate that may not even complete the client's probation period before quitting.

ALL SAID, WHAT TYPE OF CANDIDATE ARE YOU? 

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