Recruiters. At least once in your life, you spoke with a Recruiter. Of course, those of us who are more experienced (and have moved Companies) have had interactions with a dozen or so. Some of us have formed impressions of what a Recruiter is and should be.
Three awesome Recruiters who embody the Human in HR – Recruiters Candidates Love.
Based on my interactions with several employees as well as my own experiences as a candidate, here are the top 3 traits that make Recruiters lovable to candidates.
Recruiters Who Set Proper And Realistic Expectations
You don’t know what’s on the other side of the fence but you’re willing to give it a shot. No matter how prepared you are for a change, a new environment, new set of people and new culture is still something you’ll have to adjust to. It’s always good to have a close-to-reality picture of what you’re getting yourself into and Recruiters are instrumental here. They are your first point of contact in the Company they represent.
Meg Agustin, an Executive Recruiter from CDA does really good in setting candidate expectations – introducing the culture, personalities and Company overall – while ensuring good candidate fit to the aforementioned.
Btw, Meg is also a blogger, however her latest post (check here) was way back 2015. It may be time to get her writing hat back on! 🙂
Recruiters Who Give Feedback
Everyone has areas for improvement, yes? During interviews, it’s the same. We also have areas that we could still do better at – like how energetic we are and how well we present our 10-15 years or so of experience in a 10-15-minute interview, for example.
If you think Recruiters should just ask questions and assess based on answers, think again. Recruiters also give feedback. While it can be an altruistic form of service, it may also benefit the Recruiter in the long run, in as much as it benefits the candidate in the shorter term. Developing trusting relationships is great because it is these candidates who would keep you updated in their career movements and would refer other qualified employees.
Clydie Ayura is one such example of a Recruiter who gives real-time feedback to the candidates. A few years ago, she reached out to me for opportunities (of course). I was reluctant but took the call anyway. We met in person, too. Basically, I was just responding to her questions with my most recent recollection of accomplishments and such. Not volunteering any information nor was I asking questions. I, in fact, was not interested. However, her feedback (that I should be more proactive and more energetic during interviews, etc.) helped me when it came time for me to take opportunities seriously.
Recruiters Who Give Time
Usually, recruiters call candidates, interviews them (over the phone or face-to-face) and sends them to the hiring manager for skills assessment and final interview. That’s it and that’s ok.
Here is where Aileen Sinay takes it a step up. She is (almost) always present during hiring manager interviews. Talking with them before and after to check-in on the candidate, set-expectations and understand candidate’s impression of the conversation. When she’s not around, someone from her team usually is present.
Not that it is necessary, especially for more experienced candidates, but it makes you feel a little bit more special. That you are a human being treated as you deserved instead of being just another number to add to the reports.
Aileen is Founder of Margherita Lotti, a socially responsible recruitment firm.
Amid the shout-outs here and there about Recruiters who don’t even respond to candidates, I want to bring to the fore that there are Recruiters who have HUMAN (figuratively) engraved at the core of their practice.
Do you know anyone who is also an epitome of a great Recruiter? Feel free to drop their names here! 🙂