“In these unprecedented times…” Odds are you’ve opened countless emails that started out that way, sent from companies as varied as the bakery down the street, your preferred shampoo manufacturer, or an online retailer you bought a single shirt from at some point in 2002. It can start to get old after reading it for the eighty-ninth time, but it’s accurate. Times are tough.
This is especially true for your job search. It’s easy to lose hope when it seems like nobody is hiring.
“In these unprecedented times…” Odds are you’ve opened countless emails that started out that way, sent from companies as varied as the bakery down the street, your preferred shampoo manufacturer, or an online retailer you bought a single shirt from at some point in 2002. It can start to get old after reading it for the eighty-ninth time, but it’s accurate. Times are tough.
This is especially true for your job search. It’s easy to lose hope when it seems like nobody is hiring.
“In these unprecedented times…” Odds are you’ve opened countless emails that started out that way, sent from companies as varied as the bakery down the street, your preferred shampoo manufacturer, or an online retailer you bought a single shirt from at some point in 2002. It can start to get old after reading it for the eighty-ninth time, but it’s accurate. Times are tough.
This is especially true for your job search. It’s easy to lose hope when it seems like nobody is hiring.
Know what interviewers plan on asking before you’re even in the room
Interviews are nerve-wracking because many applicants don’t know what to expect. What questions will pop up? What kind of personality will their interviewer have?
If you’re worried about an upcoming interview, check out this quick video. We asked a few of our top recruiters what their go-to interview questions are, and they even detailed a few of their favorite answers.
Here at Job Journey we want you to get the job you want.
That’s why we write about online job searching, interviews, and all that good stuff.
But it can be kind of hard to figure out where all those juicy brain-boosting articles are. They’re spread out—some are old and some are new.
So, we’ve decided to write periodic posts that put the articles you want in one place.
Today’s theme? Interviews.
Is it possible to ruin your chances of getting hired before you even meet your interviewer? Yes it is.
We frequently get questions from readers about the interview process. One of the most common is why they never make it past the first interview.
Although we covered interview tips in a recent blog, here’s one more key fact—the formal interview process often starts before you even step foot in the building. We’re talking about the phone interview and any other interactions you have with your recruiter or HR professional leading up to the interview. Many times, this is when mistakes happen.
Here at Movin’ On Up, we don’t fault jobseekers for tripping up. If you’ve never had a phone interview before, how are you supposed to know how that world works? Everyone has to start learning somewhere.
To help prevent you from committing these pre-interview mistakes, we asked our recruiters for their thoughts. Here’s what they had to say.
If you’re the best person for the job, recruiters and HR professionals want to see you succeed. After all, your success is their success! Although calling every once in a while is fine, this means that calling every day to check in is not only unrequired, but also rather bothersome. In extreme cases, applicants have even been known to treat their upcoming interview like a side dish to a main course. Literally.
“I once had an applicant call to follow up on their application while going through the drive through. Then they put us on hold to order a number one with a soda.” — Tracy S., MI.
But the real reason to stay away from overcalling your recruiter or HR contact? It makes it look like you’re unable to do work on your own, and need constant contact. Employers frequently look for applicants that are clearly able to handle deadlines and projects on their own.
The job search is hard. Constant rejection can sting. However, you should never bring up these experiences in your interactions with recruiters or HR professionals. They want to see you at your best, not your worst.
“I’ve had some applicants start our first phone call off by speaking poorly of their previous managers. While I understand bad managers exist, when an applicant starts off an interview that way it makes me think about how they’ll talk about their future manager if we hire them. I’ve also had applicants speak at length on businesses they have applied to and been rejected from. Basically, try to keep negativity out of any interaction with your recruiter or HR professional.”—Carlos D., OR.
“It’s hard to make an offer to an applicant who reveals too many personal issues during a phone interview. Although I get that a bad divorce or single parent situation can be tough, I want to use the phone interview to see what you might look like as part of a business. Spending so much time on negative personal experiences takes away from that.”—Roxanne P., TX.
Keep the conversation to your accomplishments and accolades. Although everyone has bad experiences, a phone interview is not a great place to share them.
Regardless of how friendly your recruiter or HR contact is, you still need to remain professional. Whether they’re nervous or tired of the whole job search process, some applicants say or do things they shouldn’t. This can be over the phone during an initial interview, or by email.
But what exactly does “professional” mean when it comes to the job search? Not doing these things.
“Sometimes I’ll call an applicant and have a great phone interview, but then they disappear. I’ve had some cancel interviews multiple times with issues such as car trouble, personal problems, and last minute emergencies out of town. Once I received all three excuses from one person! Although I get that life happens, we can only reschedule so many times.” —Tracy S., MI.
“What gets to me is when applicants don’t do their research. I’ve had people come in saying they think we’re just a temp service and don’t do anything else before I can even tell them about how I can help them with a temp-to-hire or other eventual fulltime position. They come in hurt and frustrated before I even say anything. Since we’re in a smaller market and have established clients, I might be the only one with access to that job posting. And they’re perfect for it!”—Shannon J., WA.
The job search can be frustrating. However, put that frustration away when you’re having a phone interview or emailing your recruiter or HR professional. Be the best version of yourself, and always believe that this one could really be the one. If you don’t believe in yourself, they won’t either.
Click here for more in our Ask a Recruiter series.
Have questions for our recruiters? Let us know in the comments below!
More of your questions about the recruiting process answered.
Last month, a few of our top recruiters answered some of the questions readers had about recruiting.
This month we are answering the rest of those top questions.
The answer to this question is going to depend on your individual experiences. There aren’t any specific “good answers” our recruiters can provide here, since everyone is different. However, there are a few topics you can cover and adapt to your personal circumstances.
“I think good answers are ones that are quantifiable! For example, an accounts receivable person could say that they were successful in their last role by cleaning up the aging reports and collecting over 1 million dollars in 2016.”—Shannon Jacoby, Bellingham, WA.
“There are three main inspirations I see great applicants come up with: other people (for example, mentors, former managers, or co-workers), luck (being at the right place at the right time, working with the right person or company, etc.—they show how they turned a random moment or connection into an opportunity to succeed), and commitment (when they get knocked down, they come back up and try again no matter how many attempts it takes).” —Heather Buster, Texarkana, AR.
Although much of the interview focuses on testing your hard skills (your job experience and abilities), your soft skills are being tested as well. How do you handle stress? Do you make the proper amount of eye contact? How does your personality fit in with the company culture? Interviewers look for certain cues for insight on how you might function as an employee.
“I recruit primarily on the industrial side, so I look for behaviors that indicate that the individual can handle the position. For example, if someone can physically do the job, can understand the industry terminology I use, can fill out their own paperwork, etc.”—John Calabrese Jr., Utica, NY
“I look at eye contact and body language. Is the candidate staring out of the window or are their eyes darting around the room? Also, how do they treat the front office coordinator? If you’re rude to my staff but play nice with me, that says something about your character.”—Desiree Stevens, Littleton, CO.
The answer to this one depends on the staffing company, as benefits can vary.
“I can’t speak for all staffing agencies, but Express does have insurance available for temp and contract to hire positions. If the position is a direct hire to the client, then it will depend on what the client offers.”—Kevin Nissen, Oklahoma City, OK.
“Yes, many staffing companies offer benefits to their employees. You can also check online at the affordable care act website for available insurance plans if your company or agency doesn’t offer benefits.”—Heather Buster, Texarkana, AR.
We hope you enjoyed this two-part series! Please let us know if you have any other questions or concerns!
Have any more questions for our recruiters? Let us know in the comments below!
