Wat gaat er tijdens een sollicitatiegesprek eigenlijk écht om in het hoofd van een recruiter? Betekent dat knikje: “Goede kandidaat…ik zie jou hier wel werken. Op naar de volgende ronde!” of “Ik blijf wel vriendelijk lachen, maar hoe lang moet ik deze kwelling nog doorstaan?” Voor alle sollicitanten onder onder ons: het wordt tijd voor de waarheid!
Op Vault.com klapt een Fortune 500 recruiter uit de school met True Confessions of a Recruiter. “Forgive me, job search candidates, for I have sinned…“. Hierbij haar 5 bekentenissen:
Sin #1
“I made instant judgments about what types of candidates they would be in the first three seconds I met them. It’s true, I sized them up. I’m guilty. I wanted to tell them that they should have tried that suit on two days before the event, so they could have gotten than stain off of their tie or jacket. I wanted to tell them to look me in the eye versus over my left shoulder. I wanted to tell them to use breath mints, because they were leaving dead bodies in their wake. But alas, I sinned and said nothing.”
Sin #2
“When candidates asked why they didn’t make the cut, I never truly answered them. Instead, I avoided any potential litigation and simply said ‘It was a competitive process.’ I lied. I didn’t tell them they didn’t answer my questions directly, or completely, or enthusiastically, or in a ‘results oriented’ way. I didn’t tell them that they should have clearly identified how they solved problems for their past employers – how they eased their pain! I didn’t tell them that I heard negative comments in their responses to my questions because any mention of anything negative will immediately shift me to the next candidate. I didn’t tell them it was because they were five minutes late to the interview and I feared they would be late to a client meeting as well.”
Sin #3
“When I asked the question, ’tell me about your strengths’, and ’tell me about your weaknesses’, if a candidate looked like they hadn’t a clue, I would move on to the next person. If they aren’t self-aware, they could never truly improve as an individual. And I didn’t hire anyone who wasn’t in a constant state of improvement.”
Sin #4
“If candidates didn’t maintain good eye contact, I silently shouted “NEXT!” in my head. If they didn’t look me in the eye when they shook my hand, they received a negative mark right off the bat! I wanted to tell them how body language speaks so loudly that I can’t hear what they are saying, and that the more you looked me in the eye, the more I trusted what you had to say.”
Sin #5
“If a candidate didn’t ask good, thoughtful questions at the end of the interview, I went on to the next candidate. Not having insightful questions shows a lack of preparation and interest. It’s a rookie mistake that I won’t overlook. I wanted them to know that a little research goes a long way. They could have walked into the interview with 5 – 7 questions written down on their portfolio pad, and they could have easily referenced those questions at the end of the interview.”
True Confessions of a Recruiter – Vault.com
