Refreshing Honesty

Please reply with a smart formatted CV with a snappy overview of you and your suitability. 

Due to the high number of applicants expected for this role, I will only be able to contact successful potential candidates. If you have not heard anything a week from application, I am sorry but you have been unsuccessful.

Anyone looking for a new role understands that this is a difficult market for all concerned including the agencies who are often faced with a plethora of candidates and a dearth of roles. I am not looking to criticise, but rather comment on the piece I saw recently on a job advertisement.

I have seen the problem personally when applying for roles over the last few months. I know the need for prompt response and endeavour to do two things; a) I look to only respond to those roles that interest me and for which I think I am a valid and credible candidate - why waste my time? -, and b) to respond actively and quickly.

In one particular case I received an email "Invitation" to apply for a role at around 6pm. I responded within half an hour and called the next morning. At that point I was advised that the agency had already screened 150 applications BEFORE I even received the email and had over 200 left to look through.

If you consider that they are probably restricted to sending three candidates through and that they are not the only agency working in the assignment, then you see the sort of numbers involved, even allowing for overlaps.

From all this the hiring company may receive, say 15 candidates from five agencies and I know from other feed back that there are instances the may interview just ONE and an internal candidate.

As I said I do understand this is the way it is and that the agencies and individual recruiters are working hard to make the best of a tough market, but as a candidate the worst thing is to be left in the dark about your candidature as it (hopefully) progresses. This need not be much, even a polite "thanks, but not in this instance" is appreciated.

Unfortunately, a recruiter keeps you fully informed and updated on progress or  lack of progress seems to be somewhat exceptional. The norm seems to be "contact on activity" ie they call or mail just when needed, but it is not uncommon to feels as if you have dropped into a blackhole and hear nothing at all.

On my part I try not to bug recruiters with regular calls (maybe I should?) and instead keep in contact with those that seem most appropriate every few weeks. I look to gauge the right balance and hope I get it right.

So it was with some surprise I saw the comment reported above at the end of a recent advertisement from a major, respected agency. At least it sets out the expectation. In truth this was not one I applied for.

What was interesting was that I subsequently gained some insight from the other side through a mutual friend. He had been speaking with the recruiter involved who had been commenting on his own frustration at being swamped  with completely inappropriate applications for any role he advertised. The example given was the number of new graduates applying for any role they see, especially roles that demand experience.

In this market I cannot criticise anyone for trying as hard as they can to find work - we all know it is extremely tough for graduates. I also know having been a recruiter, that agencies will only keep seeing work from hirers if they only show credible candidates per the hirer's role specification. They are caught in the middle and it is not a comfortable place.

So back to the headline for this blog, I thought the inclusion of the statement in the advertisement was refreshingly honest.

Personally I will still value most highly the recruiters that demonstrate a commitment to communication, even in these difficult times, and knowing the numbers involved, stay positive in my efforts and encouraged that I am seeing opportunities even if they are frequently slow to progress and hard to close.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad