#CareerAdvice : Which Of These #JobSearch Mistakes Are You Making? #Recruiters Reveal What Makes Candidates Stand Out.
As a recruiter for over 20 years, I have my own opinions on what makes candidates stand out for good and for bad. However, I also like to collect feedback from my recruiting colleagues, across a range of industries, and you can see earlier interviews with recruiters from financial services, management consulting, advertising, tech, education, and non-profit.
Some of the pet peeves include:
· Being too overbearing when you’re Type A, or being too quiet when you’re an introvert
· Refusing to discuss compensation (note: in states where it is illegal to ask about salary history, you might still get questions about salary expectations!)
· Talking too much about why you want the job and not why you are good at it
· Not having details to back up your work
· Too much perfume or cologne.
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On the positive side, things that impress include:
- Strong follow-up – one recruiter called it “the balance of patience and persistence”
- Passion for their work
- Having an action plan once you understand more about the job
- Being prepared (i.e., researching the company in advance of the interview)
- Referring others and not just promoting yourself.
Recently, I had occasion to add two more recruiters to my informal survey on what helps candidates stand out in the job search:
1- Geri Kalinsky recruits in-house as Vice President of Talent Acquisition and Mobility for Warner Music Group. She also stressed the importance of details, follow-up and preparation.
Caroline Ceniza-Levine: What is an example of something a strong candidate did very well or that impressed you?
Geri Kalinsky: I appreciate it when candidates proactively share their career journey, beyond the obvious resume and LinkedIn profile. I have met a few candidates over the course of my career who created presentations or portfolios to showcase their career journey in detail (including links to their work, etc.). The candidates who take the extra time to tell their stories are the ones I find most impressive, and it makes it easier to more fully assess their experience.
Ceniza-Levine: What is a pet peeve or deal breaker that candidates may unwittingly or carelessly do?
Kalinsky: I will mention a pet peeve of something that many candidates don’t do: send thank you notes. It’s such a basic form of etiquette, but many candidates don’t bother. It’s not a deal-breaker, but I expect candidates to take the time to send customized thank you emails to every stakeholder they have met with. Please, send a note – it makes a difference!
Ceniza-Levine: What is one favorite piece of advice you’d like to share with jobseekers to make them more effective in their searches (and better candidates for your searches)?
Kalinsky: Take the time to read the job description the employer posts, and please don’t apply if you truly don’t think your experience matches the needs of the role. If you do feel your experience matches the role, then do everything possible to make your application stand out. Include a customized cover letter, include work samples, anything that will help showcase you and make us take notice.
2- Lesley Klein is an agency recruiter as Managing Partner of Miller Klein Group, LLC, a firm that specializes in placing HR and administrative support across industries. She also mentioned the importance of details – highlighting what not to share:
Caroline Ceniza-Levine: What is an example of something a strong candidate did very well or that impressed you?
Lesley Klein: Consistency. When a candidate is consistent in their level of professionalism across all modes of communication (phone calls, in person meetings, emails), in their resume and in interviews, that typically corresponds to a high caliber candidate.
Ceniza-Levine: What is a pet peeve or deal breaker that candidates may unwittingly or carelessly do?
Klein: Sharing too much personal information because it is irrelevant to the role the candidate is pursuing. For example, if a candidate is seeking specific hours, that’s fine. I don’t need to know about their family situation as support of why they want those hours.
Ceniza-Levine: What is one favorite piece of advice you’d like to share with jobseekers to make them more effective in their searches (and better candidates for your searches)?
Klein: Exude confidence. You have to display confidence in yourself if you want a potential employer to feel confidence in you. [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][For example,] firm handshake, stand tall, great eye contact and selling their skill set including having specific examples of what they do vis-à-vis the job description. Saying “here is what I do, and I can learn how to do it the way the executive likes it done or how the company likes it done”. So often I find that candidates are afraid to demonstrate confidence as they are concerned it will come across as arrogant. I talk them through that.
Recruiter insights are only helpful if you act on them
Now that you know what stands out for good and for bad, assess how you fare in these categories, and outline a plan for closing any gaps:
· Do you exude confidence?
· Do you share enough detail, but not too much personal information?
· Do you exude professionalism consistently?
· Are you prepared – and therefore able to sell yourself for the job?
· Can you tell a compelling story, not just in your resume or LinkedIn, but with a presentation or portfolio if appropriate?
· And don’t forget to send a thank you note!
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