In my nearly two decades as a Professional Recruiter, I have recruited for more than one thousand positions and worked with many more candidates in order to successfully fill these roles.\u00a0Through these interview processes, I have been able to draw commonality among the deals that fell apart.\u00a0Many of these failed interview processes should have never even started.\u00a0There are certainly unforeseen issues that arise which are completely out of anyone\u2019s control.\u00a0On the company side, positions are put on hold due to a change in business conditions, an internal candidate may surface, or a company may restructure and decide to redistribute the duties of the role.\u00a0On the candidate side, someone actively interviewing could receive an unexpected promotion or a different job offer, experience a personal change like a relocation, or previous issues with their employer may be satisfied.\u00a0These unforeseen situations are uncontrollable and all parties just have to accept them and move on.\u00a0Significant time and resources go into interviewing and out of respect for the process all parties should strive to communicate any important information in advance of spending time.\u00a0The Company that is hiring generally communicates as much critical information as possible in advance of any interviews to narrow down the pool of candidates.\u00a0It is imperative that The Recruiter and The Candidate exchange all important information in advance of any interviews as well.<\/p>\n
The Recruiter and The Candidate bear the most responsibility to share critical details that could potentially derail an interview process.\u00a0These are pieces of information that The Candidate knows with strong certainty NOW that will likely prevent a job opportunity from working out.\u00a0While The Recruiter should address these items with The Candidate before presenting his\/her resume to any Company, things sometimes slip through the cracks.\u00a0Some Recruiters may be looking for the path of least resistance and just gloss over general topics to get an interview on the calendar BUT others just may not have the experience to address these topics in advance.\u00a0Candidates should be conscious of any current details that could cause them to turn down a position and be sure to share those with The Recruiter immediately whether they are prompted to or not.\u00a0Candidates generally are far less experienced with the interview process than The Recruiter but at the end of the day it\u2019s a team effort and no one wants to waste time on an interview that never had a chance.\u00a0The 10 Important Details Your Recruiter MUST Know<\/strong>\u00a0will ensure that there are no controllable surprises in an interview process that could have been avoided.\u00a0As long as The Company knows that these details are attached to a Candidate, everyone is moving forward with eyes wide open.<\/p>\n The 10 Important Details Your Recruiter MUST Know!<\/p>\n 1. Total Current Compensation and Benefits Package<\/strong><\/p>\n This topic has become controversial since my original publication in 2016, as many states have made it illegal for a recruiter or company to ask a candidate\u2019s current compensation details.\u00a0While protecting this information is intended to create salary equality, it is not necessarily conducive to an efficient process as compensation details often remain anonymous until the offer phase after many steps of interviewing.\u00a0A candidate may elect, on their own free will, to offer this information early in a process which MAY ultimately save all parties time if requirements do not match.\u00a0At the end of the day, the budget is the budget for a role and does not change because a candidate currently earns more than what is offered.<\/p>\n If a Candidate is comfortable disclosing compensation information, it is critical that The Recruiter understands the total compensation and benefits package\u2026do not leave out any detail that holds value.\u00a0The Candidate should not assume that any part of the current package is standard.\u00a0I\u2019ve watched processes fall apart quickly when a Candidate is astonished that 5 weeks vacation and 2 days a week working from home is not the industry standard (obviously the Pandemic has softened this Work From Home topic).\u00a0Sometimes a discussion about your total compensation package can even help you realize that the grass is not always greener.\u00a0A Recruiter can shed a lot of light on how your deal stacks up against the rest of the market and you may save everyone a lot of time when you realize you already have your best deal.<\/p>\n 2.\u00a0Upcoming Bonus<\/strong><\/p>\n During 1st Quarter, many Candidates anticipate incentive\/performance bonuses but these could be paid out at different times of the year depending on company and type of position.\u00a0With very high demand for talent, many hiring companies are flexible on start date OR may be willing to help with these pending bonuses in some way to expedite timing.\u00a0It is critical to share the timing of this bonus and the amount of the bonus (if comfortable doing so) with your Recruiter during your initial conversation as this could be a total deal killer.\u00a0The Company should be aware of your timing and the bonus amount you are anticipating so they can understand how to work with you as a candidate.\u00a0If you are willing to forgo this bonus for the right opportunity make that clear as well so it doesn\u2019t knock you out of the process due to the perceived delay or the need for a large sign-on.<\/p>\n \u00a03.\u00a0Owe Money Back for Tuition Reimbursement or Sign-On<\/strong><\/p>\n Employee attraction and retention are increasingly important in this candidate short market.\u00a0It is very common that candidates enter the job search with a certain amount of Tuition Reimbursement they are \u201con the hook\u201d for or they might be working off a sign-on bonus that was used to attract them to the company.\u00a0Often there is a reason bigger than money if a candidate is looking during this period (i.e. A public accountant just doesn\u2019t want to do another busy season) and they are willing to absorb this debt for the right opportunity.\u00a0It is important that your recruiter knows about this so you can collectively decide how to present this liability to The Company.\u00a0If you need help paying this back, The Company needs to know about this before you go in for an interview as it could be a deal killer for them.\u00a0If it\u2019s not a deal killer, they will greatly appreciate your transparency.<\/p>\n 4.\u00a0Retention Bonus<\/strong><\/p>\n Merger and Acquisition activity has really been picking up and with company acquisitions come retention bonuses.\u00a0Candidates who are important to the integration are often offered healthy bonuses to stay with a company through a period of time.\u00a0Many candidates look at these as golden handcuffs if they are going to ultimately lose their positions but if a retention bonus is lucrative enough it will prevent a candidate from leaving until that retention period is honored.\u00a0Regardless of whether the candidate will forgo the Retention Bonus or not, the Recruiter must know about this and take it into account for each prospective interview process.<\/p>\n 5. Other Companies You are Interviewing With and Offers You are Close to<\/strong><\/p>\n It is important for your Recruiter to understand your competitive interview landscape.\u00a0\u00a0A Recruiter can encourage a Company to speed up interview processes in order to stay competitive with other viable opportunities.\u00a0In addition, competition generally works in the Candidate\u2019s favor when it comes to multiple job offers.\u00a0Recruiters are also very aware of the market and may have valuable information to help you compare opportunities based on what is important to you.\u00a0Even if you suspect bias from your recruiter, it\u2019s always good to hear a market expert\u2019s opinion to trigger further research on your end.<\/p>\n 6.\u00a0What is The Bottom Line Offer You Will Consider (The \u201cBuy It Now\u201d Price)<\/strong><\/p>\n The Candidate should not play coy when discussing the compensation package it will take to accept a job offer.\u00a0Some candidates feel it is to their advantage to play close to the vest and they do not answer with definitive terms.\u00a0Companies do not like hearing from a Recruiter that they are not sure what it will take to land the candidate they want and often get a bad taste for that Candidate.\u00a0Candidates who are reasonable, descript and clear have the best shot at landing the deal they want.\u00a0Companies like a \u201cBuy It Now\u201d price and will often pay a bit more to eliminate back and forth and the administrative headaches that come with revisions and additional sign-offs.<\/p>\n 7. Are you Driven by Quality of Life or Climbing the Ladder<\/strong><\/p>\n It is a good idea for The Candidate to give The Recruiter a general idea of what they are looking for in their career currently and what they are looking for over the long-term.\u00a0The Recruiter generally has a good understanding of the environment a company offers and will understand whether or not it will cater to your personal preferences.\u00a0This small piece of information can prevent culture shock down the line.<\/p>\n 8.\u00a0Are you Committed to Completing A Project or Deadline<\/strong><\/p>\n Many Candidates start into a job search not realizing how quickly the process can move.\u00a0If you are in the middle of a large project or have some sort of busy season requirement that prohibits an exit before a certain date, be clear about the earliest start date you can commit to.\u00a0\u00a0The Recruiter will often check in about positions in the interim in case something has changed OR they may have a client who is flexible on start date.\u00a0There is no sense interviewing for a Company who wants someone to start in 2 weeks (which includes most active positions) if you cannot start for 2 months.\u00a0The Recruiter will present this start date up front when making introductions which may rule some interviews out but will ensure if a candidate is interviewed that the start date could work for all parties.<\/p>\n 9.\u00a0Vacation Longer Than 1 Week<\/strong><\/p>\n Everyone takes vacation and most companies provide 2-3 weeks of vacation as part of a candidate\u2019s benefit package.\u00a0If a Candidate plans to take a vacation longer than 1 week in the first 6 months, the candidate should be sure to inform the Recruiter.\u00a0Any vacation inside of 6 months is helpful to know about, however, a 2 or 3 week vacation is critical information as The Company needs to consider this when evaluating candidates.\u00a0There could be certain deadlines or policies that conflict with a substantial vacation.\u00a0Even if a company is very flexible with this sort of thing, it feels a little sneaky to spring a 3 week European vacation on them after the offer is extended.<\/p>\n 10.\u00a0Work From Home<\/strong><\/p>\n Work From Home was hardly a topic when I published this article in 2016\u2026Wow how times have changed.\u00a0Nearly every company will have a permanently altered Work From Home policy after the pandemic completely subsides.\u00a0Some companies will still have a 5 day per week in office culture, while others may no longer even have office space.\u00a0It is critical to share your preferences and requirements for Work From Home with your recruiter to ensure culture and lifestyle fit.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n