Guerrilla Marking for Job Hunters 2.0 - Jay Conrad Levinson [84]
3. Short list, recruit, and interview: The recruiter’s goal is to ensure his or her time and that of the clients is spent interviewing only exceptional candidates. The key interviewing determinants are personal chemistry and fit. The recruiter will condense the long list of 100 to 200 or more profiles down to a manageable 2 dozen suspects. They then reach out to that group and try to cull it down to 10 prospects. Often this is done with an initial phone call. Their assessment of each potential candidate begins with that call. From the first conversation, they begin analyzing the candidate’s knowledge base, experience, and attitude. In-depth interviews provide an opportunity to conduct a thorough assessment of each viable candidate. From here, one or more candidates will be selected for interviews with the client. As you can see, a lot of work goes on behind the scenes and the assessment continues throughout the process.
• What you need to know: If you get a call from a recruiter, you have been prequalified for an opportunity 60 percent of the time—even more if they have found you on ZoomInfo or LinkedIn. (Too subtle again?) Be on your best behavior when you interview with a recruiter. Be yourself but better. Be together. Know what you want out of life and how the recruiter’s opportunity fits into your career path. The recruiter will make the first assessment of your suitability for the employer’s role. You will pass or fail at this stage. If you treat them like a confidant or marriage counselor you are DOA (dead on arrival). Respect their time and ask questions that are appropriate to the level of the position you are being considered for—be that an executive position or entry-level.
4. Reference checks: Most recruiters informally reference candidates before they are presented to their client. (LinkedIn is an ideal way to do this, by the way.) Recruiters often discover things employers can’t, and many times they are things the candidate wished they hadn’t. They will tell the client, because most professionals would rather admit they were pursuing the wrong candidate than make a costly mistake. (More on this in a moment.)
• What you need to know: If there is something you do not want the recruiter to know that will affect your candidacy for the position, rest assured they will find it. Tell the recruiter ahead of time if you are expecting a bad reference from a former employer and explain the circumstances. No one’s perfect—as I’m constantly reminded by my children. If the recruiter finds out on his own, you may never have an opportunity to discuss or dispute the reference. You will be deselected and you will never know why. Instead, call your references and tell them who to expect a call from. At the same time, tell them why you are interested in the position, why you are ideally qualified, and why the employer is interested in you. Send the reference a copy of your resume. Highlight the achievements that the employer will be looking to confirm. Take a moment to remind them about the role you played in those projects. Take credit for your accomplishments without prompting the reference.
Reference checks are not a license for the employer or recruiter to invade your privacy. Under no circumstances should you reveal your social security number or any banking or credit information.
If you’d like a better understanding of the reference process from the employer’s viewpoint, download a copy of the guide, “Don’t Hire a Liar,” from our web site at www.perrymartel.com. (On a personal note, I have replaced just 2 people since 1985. Perry-Martel’s standard reference check covers the 10 need-to-know areas