Many recruiters are quick to point out the annoying things job seekers do when applying or interviewing for a job. And rightly so. Job seekers are known to do some weird, wacky things.
But two can play that game.
Plenty of job seekers can likely share a similar laundry list of annoying, strange, and unprofessional tactics recruiters use throughout the recruitment, application, and interview process. The candidate experience is important, but because of some strange behavior, recruiters can end up driving promising candidates away. In fact, following suit with the movie How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, The Undercover Recruiter published their version of “How to Lose a Candidate in 10 Days.”
One way to lose promising candidates? Calling them with no agenda, said Naomi Baggs, author of “How to Lose a Candidate in 10 Days.”
“Try calling a candidate with no agenda, get them to step outside their office for at least five minutes while you watch the seconds tick away and ask them about salary requirements, their previous managers, applications and any other fishing you can do! When the candidate asks about the opportunity you have in mind bluntly tell them that you don’t have one, just keen to find out in case something comes up,” she says.
Nothing like wasting a job seeker’s time, right?
What are some other ways to drive promising candidates away? Check out this list below:
1. Lack of feedback/follow-up.
Lack of feedback or follow-up at any stage of the hiring process, “from initial contact, to lack of feedback on interviews,” is sure to turn candidates off, says Dave Arnold, who, as president of Arnold Partners, specializes in the recruitment of CFOs and board members for technology companies located in tech hubs across the U.S.
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Brian Binke, president and CEO of The Birmingham Group, which consists of recruiters specializing in construction, oil, and gas, agrees. Especially when it comes to recruiting the cream of the crop. “The best candidates are normally well-respected and taken care of by their current employers,” says Binke. “They will lose interest very quickly if they get the feeling a recruiter is wasting their time.”
2. Being uninterested.
Think you’ve heard it all before? Remember, you are in competition for talent and the other company’s recruiter is giving full attention to the candidate, says Max Dubroff, an HR consultant at Einfluss, LLC, an HR advisory firm in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
“You are the face of the company to that candidate and first impressions matter to them just as much as they matter to you,” says Dubroff.
3. Underselling the job/opportunity.
Do you find your job as a recruiter repetitive or boring? Are you emotionally checked out? The candidate will notice, because everything from clear communication to a positive disposition matters to the job seeker. “Stop sabotaging your company and get out of the way of good talent that wants to join the company,” says Dubroff.
4. Overselling the job/opportunity.
Are you the head cheerleader? If the candidate is wondering if this is the real deal, he or she may be concerned. Be excited about the job, but don’t oversell it, or the company, to the point where it seems too good to be true.
“Trustworthiness is important to the candidate and transparency is the main path to assessing that in short conversations,” says Dubroff.
5. Contradicting the organization’s values.
Are you a free spirit, unbound by the organization’s values? Be careful.
“If the organization values include customer service or friendliness, but you come across as dry and distant, most candidates will question whether those ideas that attracted them to apply are actually true,” says Dubroff.
6. Being too secretive.
Did you expand your organization’s (or your legal counsel’s) list of things not to discuss with a candidate because you are worried about divulging too much company information? If you truly know better, consult with your counsel, leadership, or HR to find the important or cool things you can be open with the candidate about.
“While it won’t be everything, little things can matter in this stage of attracting talented people,” says Dubroff.
7. Acting as if your company or position is the only game in town.
“In this market candidates have choices,” says Arnold.
8. Trying to negotiate money before the candidate is even interested in the position.
A good candidate will know if salary is what you are concerned about most, says Binke.
9. Making candidates jump through hoops just to set up an interview.
“Only unemployed or unhappy candidates will spend hours filling out forms and taking personality profile tests with hopes that they might get an interview,” says Binke.
Job seekers are watching, closely. Avoid these blunders and you won’t drive promising candidates away.
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