Glassdoor<\/a> spoke to Omer Molad, CEO\/Founder of Vervoe, a recruiting company that replaces face-to-face interviews with online simulations for small and medium-sized businesses.<\/p>\nMolad built his business on the premise that hiring is painful, and he has unique insight into the frustrations and insights of recruiters.<\/p>\n
Here are a few of the secrets that Molad says recruiters won\u2019t tell you, but really want to.<\/p>\n
\n1. \u201cWe could have gone higher if you had negotiated.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\nSalary negotiations are like a game of poker \u2014 both job seekers and recruiters are trying to maintain control and win the hand. \u201cVery few (if any) recruiters will be so bold as to say \u2018we took advantage of you and we don\u2019t value you highly,\u2019\u201d said Molad.<\/p>\n
In fact, there is often a salary band or range that recruiters have for each role. Their initial salary offer is very rarely at the top of their salary band, so base pay \u2014 as well as benefits like vacation days, work hours, etc. \u2014 can usually be negotiated.<\/p>\n
\n2. \u201cDon\u2019t go overboard with buzzwords \u2014 we can tell.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\nIt\u2019s smart to include keywords in your resume and to come off as knowledgeable about your particular industry. However, \u201cdon\u2019t try to look smarter than you really are,\u201d said Molad. Authenticity is key. Recruiters and employers want your personality to shine \u2014 not your ability to throw out words and phrases like \u201csynergy,\u201d \u201cmove the needle,\u201d \u201cROI,\u201dfeed the funnel,\u201d etc.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not about specific questions or answers that stand out, but rather the candidates who display a great deal of passion about what they do that really stand above the rest,\u201d said employer Academy Sports + Outdoors.<\/p>\n
\n3. \u201cYou never had a chance after that bad first impression.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\nYour mother was right: first impressions are everything. And according to Molad, few recruiters can get past a bad first impression. Unreturned phone calls, poor manners and clumsy interviews will all hurt your chances of moving on to the next round.<\/p>\n
Hiring managers and recruiters will bite their tongues, fighting back the desire to say, \u201cWe just don\u2019t like you,\u201d said Molad. However, take it from us: You must really dazzle if you\u2019d like to make up for a rocky first impression.<\/p>\n
\u201cInterviewers often care more about the likability of entry-level candidates than whether or not they\u2019re actually qualified for the job,\u201d said career coach Peter Yang.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is because the person interviewing you will often also be your future boss and mentor, so it makes perfect sense that they would want to hire someone whom they personally like and want to work with.<\/p>\n
“A strong interview performance means establishing a strong connection with your interviewer. Try to show off your personality instead of just answering questions robotically. You can even get a bit personal if you\u2019d like to.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n4. \u201cYour references weren\u2019t very flattering.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\nIf a recruiter or hiring manager had doubts about you, they won\u2019t let you know if unflattering references just confirmed their doubts, Molad said. \u201cYour references should talk about your strengths in specific situations \u2014 not just basic information,\u201d added HR expert Jordan Perez.<\/p>\n
\u201c[References] should be ready to provide examples of actual projects where you exceeded expectations. Your reference should easily cite one or two situations that highlight your strengths.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBad references can ruin your candidacy as much as good ones can strengthen it,\u201d said Sam Keefe, digital marketing manager at AVID Technical Resources. Her advice to ensure that only the good shines through? \u201cGive only references who will say positive things about you. Work hard to build good working relationships with coworkers and bosses.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n5. \u201cI back-channeled you, and found out the truth.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\nBackdoor references, or back-channeling, is one of the sneaky ways hiring managers and recruiters gather more information about you \u2014 it refers to when employers reach out to mutual connections in order to get their honest opinion of you.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis phenomenon is even more prevalent in the last five years or so because of LinkedIn\u2019s growing popularity,\u201d said Keefe.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven if you choose not to give anybody there as a reference, backdoor references can reveal the skeletons in your closet. Backdoor references can be especially common when you\u2019re looking for a job in sectors like tech.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n6. \u201cWe already gave the job to an in-house employee.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\nUnfortunately, it\u2019s perfectly legal to advertise a job that is almost certain to be filled by an insider. In fact, some research has shown that internal hires generally perform better than external ones. However, \u201cphantom jobs\u201d can be downright annoying when you\u2019re looking for a new position.<\/p>\n
Even though federal labor rules don\u2019t require employers to post openings, many HR departments require roles to be listed on a job board for some period of time to ensure a fair hiring process. Therefore, Molad said, don\u2019t expect recruiters to come right out and say, \u201cIt was a beauty parade to show management we ran a process, but it was a sham and you were never really considered.\u201d<\/p>\n
Instead, shake it off and get back on the horse \u2014 there are plenty of opportunities out there, and the job that fits your life is just a few clicks away.<\/p>\n
\n7. \u201cYour last few social media posts were deal-breakers.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\nRoughly 80% of recruiters and hiring managers use social media to look for and vet job candidates, making it extremely important to have a professional presence on the Internet.<\/p>\n
\u201cHiring managers are reviewing social media pages to become educated about the background and brand the person is articulating and to look for red flags,\u201d said Alan Weatherbee, senior vice president of talent search for Allison+Partners. \u201cThey aren\u2019t using it to find ways not to hire someone who is qualified, but to make sure they present themselves in an accurate way.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to employment experts, you should make sure that your social media pages, whether it\u2019s LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, mesh with what you\u2019re saying on your resume, cover letter and other application materials.<\/p>\n
After all, no one is going to hire someone who claims to be a head of marketing in their resume while their Facebook page is full of complaints about their job answering phones at an advertising company.<\/p>\n
Janet Elkin, chief executive of workplace staffing company Supplemental Healthcare, says you want to make sure your social media pages are void of any political comments, inflammatory messages or anything else that might offend the person who might just hold your future in their hands.<\/p>\n
\n8. \u201cThe team is dragging its feet waiting for another candidate\u2019s response.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\nEven the most direct recruiters and hiring managers will hesitate to tell you that you\u2019re \u201cPlan B,\u201d said Molad. So if an employer seems to be dragging its feet or delaying in giving you the green light to proceed \u2014 or the red light that you\u2019re not right for the role \u2014 chances are they have another candidate in the pipeline.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t take it too personally \u2014 being a runner-up isn\u2019t a horrible thing. Often times, other candidates fall out of the running because of personal circumstances or other job offers. Being number two still means you are in contention.<\/p>\n
If you feel like a recruiter is slowing your process down in order to accommodate a preferred candidate, use it as a challenge to convince the recruiter of your awesomeness and your true fit for the role.<\/p>\n
No matter what, remember that the secrets recruiters keep are withheld with the business in mind, not because they are trying to be malicious. If you are faced with any of these, the right opportunity probably just hasn\u2019t come your way yet. Don\u2019t be afraid to be upfront with a recruiter and communicate both your concerns and your goals.<\/p>\n
\nRead: 4 things employers will look for on your CV<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Recruiters may seem intimidating, but they genuinely want the best for both candidates and the company. Good recruiters want you to have the best experience possible during the application and interview process \u2014 but even though they want the best for you, there are some things that they just can\u2019t share, says Glassdoor.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":267145,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9872],"tags":[7186,26],"class_list":["post-274219","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","tag-glassdoor","tag-headline"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/274219","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=274219"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/274219\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":274381,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/274219\/revisions\/274381"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/267145"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=274219"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=274219"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=274219"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}