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Tips For Candidates

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27 Aug 2014

Interview Scheduling Etiquette for Candidates

By melanie

Throughout the interview process (which often entails multiple rounds) there is a lot of back and forth between recruiter and candidate in order to schedule candidate interviews with the client. There are often cancellations on both the client and candidate end and the hope is they are not last minute (ill save that for another blog!!). Here is an example of improper interview scheduling etiquette on the part of a candidate.

One of our clients provided availability to offer up to the candidate for a third round interview. During this particular interview, the candidate was supposed to meet the President of the agency. It should be a given that senior members of the agency have quite limited avails and their time is very valuable and should be treated as such— especially by a prospective employee. The client offered these avails and the candidate took days to reply. The President had been holding this time slot for him and was informed last minute that he could free it up because the candidate could not commit.

This really looks bad on the part of the candidate. It comes across as flighty and disrespectful and sends a signal of disinterest and lack of commitment or care. Even if the candidate is very busy during the day with his or her current job obligations, replying to emails regarding client interviews is extremely important and should be made somewhat of a priorty as it affects other people’s schedules and can also affect impressions in a major way.

If a candidate has chosen to explore an opportunity, timely replies regarding scheduling interviews for new opportunities is expected.

27 Aug 2014

Why Eye Contact During an Interview is so Important

By melanie

Candidates must make eye contact during an interview as lack of this contact most always results in negative feedback on the part of the client. Eye contact signifies confidence, strong communication and a human connection. A lack of eye contact can be a sign of insecurity, nerves, lack of confidence in ability or experience, and inexperience. Eye contact can really make or break an interview– it is that important for candidates to look into the clients’ eyes when speaking during an interview.

This can be very difficult as nerves often take over or perhaps there are moments when thoughts are being gathered and eye contact is lost. This is truly something that candidates should practice before an interview so it comes as second nature. Keep that eye contact with the client strong– obviously don’t be creepy about it and burn a hole through the client!!! But make sure eye contact is maintained as this makes candidates look confident and secure in what they are communicating.

Eye contact is of course one of many important factors to remember during an interview but it is one that candidates often forget and one that can ruin their chances of landing the role.

27 Aug 2014

An Important Tip on Targeting Salary

By melanie

While it is never a good idea to be completely motivated by money when pursuing new opportunities or deciding whether or not to accept an offer, money is clearly a factor and a motivation for candidates as they search for and evaluate the best next step in their career. As a recruiter, part of my job is to guide candidates regarding their salary requirements so that they present a number that is optimal for them (based on current salary and level of experience) and realistic for the client (based on budget and scope of the role). Candidates often come to us with rather unrealistic expectations regarding salary and we try our best to ground them before we present them for roles. Sometimes we opt to not represent them if they are not flexible or realistic regarding salary.

That being said, a situation that I often run into is the following—a candidate has just received an internal raise and still wants a significant increase on the base salary in order to make a move. In my opinion, this is greedy and it also looks greedy to a potential employer. This type of candidate never looks good in the eyes of a potential employer. We often level with this candidate and advise them to either make a lateral move or ask for a slight and fair increase.

Someone who was just increased from $55k to $65k internally should not be targeting $75k to make a jump shortly after this increase—it just isn’t fair.

There are a few lessons here: 1) a good recruiter will accurately guide candidates when it comes to salary negotiations, 2) candidates should focus more on the actual role (is it a good long-term move with great opportunity for growth) and less on the immediate salary increase, and 3) candidates should leave greed at the door when negotiating salaries.

27 Aug 2014

Why You Should NEVER Lie About Your Current Salary Information

By melanie

This blog will probably seem so obvious to most candidates but you would be shocked at the fact that I have run into this situation with candidates in the past. It is VERY important to disclose all pertinent information in a truthful manner to your recruiter so this can be relayed to the client. I have blogged about candidates lying about their current salaries (and there is a difference between base salary and total salary package) and trust me they usually don’t get away with it.  The truth is often comes up in reference checks (informal or formal).  In the same vein, candidates MUST always be truthful about their current employment situation  and reasons for leaving. I worked with a candidate (a wonderful one) who had actually left her job—meaning she was no longer employed by the company!!!—and she did not inform us, even throughout reference checks, which was when we found out and had to inform our client that the candidate we were representing was no longer employed. This is seriously a cardinal sin in our eyes and in the eyes of the client. This makes the candidate look unprofessional and deceitful, and in most cases will result in the loss of an offer from a client. Even if the reason for leaving is negative or reflects poorly on candidates, they must disclose the situation to their recruiter so they can be transparent with their client about the candidates reasons for leaving. The moral of the story is candidates should always be honest when disclosing their career history and current job situation to recruiters or directly to clients (if they are not using a recruiter’s assistance). The lie will catch up with you more often than  not.

27 Aug 2014

Why You Should ALWAYS Show Enthusiasm During An Interview !

By melanie

One of the most important interview tips that I can give to candidates is the following: SHOW ENTHUSIASM DURING AN INTERVIEW!!! This probably seems like a given but you would be shocked at how many clients circle back with me and tell me that the candidate showed zero enthusiasm during the interview. Candidates should be very enthusiastic about the agency/company and come to the interview having done a lot of research and being equipped with knowledge about the agency/company process, history, culture, brands represented, and key players. Candidates should also show a lot of excitement about the role itself and appear completely interested in the job function and prepared to explain how their backgrounds correlate to the role. Candidates must use the interview as a time to sell themselves and to express sheer enthusiasm for the agency and the role at hand. Even if candidates have doubts about the agency or the role or start to feel like it isn’t a good fit during the interview, these feelings should never be expressed during the first interview! These doubts and questions can be addressed at a later stage of the interview process, however the first interview is all about making the best first impression possible. Very often candidates sound extremely excited about an agency/position when I speak with them but fail to show these emotions during the interview, which results in them not getting a second interview. The moral of the story is SHOW ENTHUSIASM as a part of selling yourself to your potential employer. Sometimes it is this expression of enthusiasm that truly helps candidates to get the job as clients have a lot of heart for great attitudes, spirits, and someone who really wants to join their team.

27 Aug 2014

Why what you wear on your interview can be almost as important as what you say

By melanie

Candidates need to think very carefully on what to wear to an interview as this is an important part of making a good first impression in the face of the client. Clients obviously care immensely about candidates’ skillsets and evaluate them accordingly but the wrong outfit (especially when interviewing for fashion companies or agencies) can be detrimental. There are always exceptions to the rule based on the particular culture and vibe of the client but in most cases candidates should err on the side of toned down- not boring of course but not too loud either. The outfit should not be a distraction to the client and it should also show that the candidate is professional.

I have seen cases of a wonderful candidate being rejected because the outfit was too loud and showy and this made the client feel that his personality would follow suit! This wasn’t the case but the client only has certain elements to go on and forms opinions accordingly. Please ask your recruiter what to wear to the interview and more importantly, listen to their advice, as the recruiter will know the company well and will be able to guide a candidate on what would be or would not be appropriate.

27 Aug 2014

Why You Shouldn’t Drag Your Heels on Responding to an Offer

By melanie

To all candidates: I might sound like a broken record but this lesson continues to prove essential as candidates continue to make the same error.

Candidates should not take more than 24 hours to review an offer and make a final decision about whether or not they are accepting it. Of course there are extenuating circumstances (the candidate has questions regarding the offer and is awaiting the client’s answers; the candidate is suddenly called out of town due to an emergency, etc). As a general rule though candidates should respond to the offer promptly– even if it’s to decline.

There are multiple reasons why candidates should reply to an offer promptly–

1) Often there is a backup candidate who would love the job, so taking a lot of time to make a decision affects other people’s chances at pursuing an opportunity as well as puts the client in jeopardy of losing multiple candidates

2) Even if the candidate wants the job it might appear that he or she is pursuing a counter offer– which is a turn off to the client

3) It might appear that the candidate is not that excited about the offer so, even if he or she accepts, a lot of momentum and enthusiasm has been lost and by that point the client is not so excited about them joining the company.

The bottom line is candidates should not drag their heels when reviewing and responding to an offer. It is really quite simple at the end of the day– you either want the job or you don’t… So take a day to think about it and decide either way so everyone can proceed accordingly and get on with it.

27 Aug 2014

A Breath of Fresh Air

By melanie

I had a great morning today… Not only because Melanie and I made a wonderful match between a great candidate and client but because both were so easy and nice to work with! Both had a clear idea of what they wanted throughout the process and they were honest and forthright from the start. It obviously feels very fulfilling as a recruiter to “fill a role” but when it goes without a hitch due to both client and candidate cooperation and respect there is really no better feeling!

27 Aug 2014

Why Candidates should keep their recruiter up to date with any salary changes

By melanie

Candidates should keep their recruiters up to date regarding salary changes– either internal increases or a change made when transitioning to another job. I am working with a client to negotiate an offer for a candidate that the client really likes and would like to bring on board. Salary negotiations are very critical and often times tricky and challenging. In this particular case, the candidate is a bit out of the clients budget for the role and the client would like the candidate to potentially make a lateral move. When I asked the candidate if she was comfortable with making a lateral move (let’s say her salary was 75k), she told me she had received an internal raise and was now earning 80k. Thus the salary that the client had in mind for the lateral move was no longer accurate.

This is a great example of why candidates should always keep their recruiters up to speed regarding compensation changes as a client’s offer will be based on their current and desired salary… And obviously any changes in current compensation will affect the offer!

27 Aug 2014

A Great Start to Thursday Morning

By melanie

This morning was very nice as Melanie and I had breakfast with a lovely and talented candidate. She was really the perfect candidate—poised, polished, articulate, informative, and curious about what we do as well. She came to the interview totally prepared to speak about her experience in detail and asked all of the right questions. One of the things I appreciated most was her honesty. She was completely upfront about the fact that she was quite happy in her current role and had not actively been exploring new opportunities. She was, however, open to having conversations with different agencies and seeing if something struck her as a good fit (which emphasizes my previous blog to candidates- “The Best Time to Look Is When You’re Happy”. It was refreshing to meet with this candidate and it got my morning off to a great start and even reminded me why I love this job as much as I do. Because of how wonderfully she presented herself and her experience, I will always think of her when I am briefed on new roles that are relevant to her background and carer goals.

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