Sometimes it’s important to get in the recruiter’s position and understand their perspective so that a healthy professional relationship can kick off the right way. Below, we have put three major issues that most recruiters face when engaging with potential candidates.
1) You apply to an offer when you are clearly not the profile we are looking for
We understand that you’re looking for a position as soon as possible and we are aware that some of you have third parties pressuring you to find a job in the shortest time possible. However, applying to any job is not the solution. You’re not just wasting the recruiters time and effort but yours also. Furthermore, your morale can be affected due to the rejection rate that you’ll receive when mass applying to all kind of jobs – pick better, at the end of the day, it’s not worth it. One common issue that most recruiters face is the native language part. If you’re not native, and by native they mean 100% linguistically fluent, don’t bother.
That being said, if you want to get in touch with the recruiter, just be transparent and honest stating upfront that you know that you’re not the profile the recruiter is currently looking for but still, you would like him/her to have your resume and application saved on their database for future prospects. This shows that you can read a job offer carefully, establish a natural professional relationship and we can assure you, your odds would have increased already when that opportunity arises.
2) You are aggressive when declining an offer (often because of the salary)
“Is this compensation a joke?”, “I’ve been offered twice this salary so unless you reconsider, I’m off”. One of our interviewed recruiters received this message from a candidate not too long ago in a headhunting process and we’ve used it to demonstrate how you shouldn’t go on about it.
First of all, especially if you are being headhunted, odds are that you are not talking to the hiring company directly but a third party – meaning the headhunter is not the one that has established the compensation package and they really don’t appreciate being attacked for it. Second, headhunters have no idea of your current salary when they first contact you. So, instead having a go at them, just explain politely that your current salary is much higher than the one offered so you are not sure to be the right match for this offer. This way, you leave a door open for future opportunities which meet your salary expectations – trust us, headhunters are not recruiting just for that job, engage well and you might just be on the move to a more attractive offer. Overall, whatever the reason is for declining an offer, if you are nice and professional in your interactions, recruiters will most likely contact you again with offers that fit you best.
3) You are ghosting
Great interactions, insightful interviews together, the headhunter is ready to send your application to the hiring company along with a strong recommendation and they just can’t reach you anymore. You no longer answer emails or LinkedIn messages nor return phone calls leaving the headhunter unaware of your current situation.
If you have accepted another job or you just don’t feel like continuing the hiring process, let them know. Even a short email saying ‘I’m not interested anymore’ will do the job. If you can give visibility on why, the headhunter would be thankful. You never know what the future holds and you might need them sooner or later. The important thing in business is to be natural and maintain professionalism from start to end.
Last but not least, try to show some gratitude for recruiters considering your profile and taking the time to reach out to you. In today’s crowded job market, having someone finding you and trying to enhance your career projection is priceless, especially if you are starting off.