A good recruiter will have the ability to make the candidate feel comfortable enough to open up to them and reveal a bit of their personality. However, as a job seeker, there is such thing as getting too relaxed and an overshare or flippant remark may cost you the job.
While the recruiter is not the key decision-maker in the hiring process, they do have the say over which candidates are presented to their clients and what kind of recommendations they make.
So, no matter how pally you get with your recruiter, it’s important to remain professional and avoid saying these things:
1) I’ll take anything
You reach a point in your job search where you feel a bit desperate and at this stage, it becomes tempting to accept a job from anywhere that will take you! This being said, it is not something to share with your recruiter. They want to find candidates who are passionate about what they do and have a clear direction they would like their career to go, not somebody who will do anything for the money.
2) It’s only a short term arrangement
If you’re out of a job, it may be the case that you need an “in-between” job to keep you afloat while you find something a bit more permanent; however you should never let your recruiter know this. They have established a trust with their client and are therefore expected to supply them with candidates who are truly committed to the role, so even hinting at the fact that it’s not exactly your dream job may rule you out of the running.
3) My last company was just AWFUL
You wouldn’t bad mouth your previous employer in a formal job interview (or shouldn’t anyway!) and you shouldn’t do so in a casual chat with a recruiter either! It’s likely that they’ll ask you why you left or what’s made you want to look for a new opportunity, but you should not use this as an invitation to vent all your frustrations with the company. It won’t reflect well on you.
4) I don’t think I’ll take the job
So you’re going through the motions for a new role; your recruiter has sent your CV through to their client, they’ve invited you in for an interview and the arrangements have been made. Deep down you know that you won’t be taking the job because either you’ve got other interviews lined up, you’ve decided you don’t want to leave your current job, or another reason altogether. If you’re purely going along with the process to keep your options open, that’s understandable; just don’t tell your recruiter this, or all trust will probably be lost and they’ll feel like all their time and effort was in vain.
5) I’m just waiting for my counteroffer
No better way to remind your boss what they’ve got than by threatening to leave, right? If your recruiter has found themselves in the middle of a plot to get a pay rise or promotion, it’s probably best to keep this quiet, than to let them know they’re a pawn in your game.
Useful reading: How to Avoid Candidates Dropping Out or Accepting Counter Offers
