If you want to find out what prospective employers think of you, don’t wait till you don’t get a job and then ask the recruiter for feedback. It’s a litigious society, so they won’t share it (I never did in my 10+ years of recruiting).
If you want to find out what prospective employers think of you, don’t wait till you don’t get a job and then ask the recruiter for feedback. It’s a litigious society, so they won’t share it (I never did in my 10+ years of recruiting).
Instead, the recruiter will say something generic like how much they liked you but the field was just so competitive. Furthermore, if you ask at the end of the interview process, you can’t use any feedback you do get because your next interviews will be for different jobs with different players. Instead of generic feedback received too late, you need to get personal and specific feedback that you can act upon before a decision is made.
Who else are you considering for this position, and how do I compare? This is the jobseeker’s version of “What other companies are you talking to and how will you decide?” Employers always ask who else you’re considering because if they are still judging you, they want to see how connected you are, and if they already like you, they want to know how they can sell you based on specifically what else you have to choose from. So use the same tactic on them, and see what other backgrounds they are considering and how you can position yourself over and beyond the competition your employer has to choose from.
Have I answered all of your questions, or is there something still outstanding that would make you reluctant to bring me on board? Even if they don’t detail the second part, you can get a sense if it’s yes or no by how they react to the question. In most cases, you will get some details. The interviewer will ask for clarification on a project you did, or on the reporting structure of a previous job and exactly where you fit. Whatever they ask is what is still a question for them, and this is what you must address in your follow-up.
What is your timetable for making a decision, and who is on the decision team? Once you get through the two questions above and you know how to position yourself, you still need to know how quickly you need to act and whom you have to influence. If the employer is convening a meeting of the decision-makers to discuss the finalists next week, and the question they have about you is your marketing ability, then you need to get a marketing proposal in front of the decision-makers by next week. If the meeting is tomorrow, then you need to messenger it tomorrow.
Is Your Job Search Flexible or Just Unfocused?
As a recruiter, I’ve seen lack of flexibility on the recruiting side with employers clinging to every last detail in their ideal spec while perfectly good candidates get overlooked. As a career coach, I see jobseekers prematurely dismissing possible targets waiting for that perfect job. It’s true that you want to be focused in your job search (otherwise you dilute your efforts and come across as scattered and possibly desperate).
5 Questions to Test If Your Resume Is Recruiter-Proof
After recruiting in search and in-house for over ten years, I have read thousands of resumes. Due to sheer volume of resumes received and all the other things that vie for the recruiter’s attention in the hiring process – scheduling, interviewing, networking, reference checks, client debriefs, and more – the resume review process is ruthlessly quick.
Why Conventional Wisdom On Work Flexibility Is Always Wrong
In a previous post, I wrote about why employment statistics are always wrong. In a similar way, conventional wisdom on work flexibility is always wrong. It is impossible to generalize something that is inherently case-by-individual case. Therefore, any boilerplate advice or conventional wisdom is bound to omit a key consideration, underweight or overemphasize other considerations, or take too long-term or short-term of a view.
