So I covered the pet peeves that recruiters have about candidates, but what about the things that irritate candidates about recruiters?
Well believe it or not, recruiters aren’t perfect and there are a few little habits that get on the nerves of those they are supposedly trying to place. So what could they possibly be? Here are a handful of the top annoyances from the candidates perspective.
1) Claiming a candidate is the perfect fit for a role, before knowing anything about them.
The recruiter barely knows the candidates current job title, but claim they’ve got the perfect role for them. Trying to sell roles to unqualified candidates isn’t going to work on either side…
2) Misleading job specs.
A job might sound like the perfect fit in writing, then after completing the application and speaking to a consultant in more detail, it becomes clear that the job is nothing like how it has been described in the job advert and is in no way suitable for the candidate. That was a nice waste of time.
3) Not identifying the employer in job postings.
A lot of candidates won’t apply for a job if they don’t know who the company is. After all it plays a pretty big factor in choosing a new role!
4) Leaving the candidate in the dark.
Job seekers like to know what’s going on throughout the hiring process and they count on recruiters to keep them filled in, so if they don’t it’s a tad frustrating!
5) Not returning phone calls.
They fail to keep a candidate updated, so they give them a call. Straight to voice mail. No call back.
6) Leaving the office to meet clients, but not candidates.
Relationships with candidates are just as important as with clients, but are often neglected. Yes the client is the one paying, but recruiters need the candidates to fill the roles.
7) Not giving feedback after an unsuccessful interview.
If a candidate is unsuccessful in an interview, they want to know why, so they know what to work on next time. Recruiters take note, candidates expect feedback, good or bad!
8) Asking for salary expectations before telling the candidate anything about the job.
Yes it’s an important factor, but should it really be the opening line?
9) Not informing a candidate when the role has been filled.
It’s only courteous to inform a candidate when they have been unsuccessful in the hiring process, otherwise they may have their hopes hanging on a role that is no longer available.
10) Sending out generic copy&paste style messages on LinkedIn.
This is something that a lot of recruiters do and it can be spotted a mile off. The worst offence is forgetting to change the name at the top of the InMail. It happens.
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