Beyond: bites are designed to provide job seekers and companies who want to get recruitment right, useful tips and insights all around the Marketing & Creative world.
In this bite, Anna Smith, co-founder of Beyond the Book, shares quickfire tips to help job seekers navigate the recruitment process with confidence.
Discover the red flags to watch out for when dealing with recruiters, ensuring you're represented by the right people. From fleeting calls to secretive recruiters, Anna's insights will give you everything you need to avoid common pitfalls, leading to better quality interviews and ultimately, the perfect job.
Don't miss this essential advice.
Transcript
Hello world, it's Anna Smith here from Beyond the Book. For those of you who don't know me, I'm the co-founder of Beyond the Book, which specialises in creative and marketing recruitment. I'm here today for our first episode of what we're calling beyond:bites. We are producing a longer podcast every month, but this series is designed to provide some quickfire tips and pieces of advice to the world at large.
Today, I want to specifically talk to job seekers—those looking for a permanent job—and offer some wisdom that should help you secure better-quality interviews, with the ultimate goal of landing the right job. You will be searching for various ways to find a job; you might find yourself applying for a role advertised by a recruiter, or you might receive a call from a recruiter about a job. This is all about identifying the right recruiters to represent you and how crucial that is.
If you are not represented well, three things could happen. Firstly, you may not land an interview at all, which isn't good. The second possibility is that you attend an interview, and there is a significant mismatch— the recruiter doesn't know enough about you, and due diligence hasn't been done, making it more likely you'll have a poor or awkward experience at the interview. If you allow too many of the wrong type of recruiter to represent you, you will inevitably go to more interviews that are unproductive and lead to poor experiences, which is detrimental to anyone's mental health. We need to become a bit more discerning, confident, and aware of how to identify the right recruiters to talk to.
I will go through four red flags to look out for when you receive that call from a recruiter you don't know about an opportunity.
Number one: If the call feels too fleeting. This is really about identifying whether the call was too short for a recruiter to represent you properly. A good recruiter will want to create a profile about you that covers your skills and experiences, cultural fit, and motivations. If you end the call feeling that not enough information has been gathered, that is a concern. You want to leave the call feeling heard and confident in the recruiter's ability to represent you.
Number two: A call that feels a bit too one-sided. Many people have experienced this. It’s easy to identify when the recruiter isn't asking you many questions and instead prefers to sell you the opportunity. The outcome of this is that your CV will be sent off with limited information about you, and you are likely to end up in an awkward interview situation that doesn't result in landing the job. So, be aware of that if the conversation feels too one-sided. You can politely express that you appreciate the call but feel that not enough questions were asked, leading you to believe they might not be the best recruiter to represent you.
Number three: A recruiter who does not tell you the name of their client. If they won’t disclose the client’s name, it’s impossible for you to research and determine if it’s a company you want to work with. This can also be a sign that the recruiter may not have a strong relationship with that client. They might be worried that you will bypass them, but if they are providing a positive experience during your call—where you feel heard and properly represented—there should be no concern about that. If this comes up, feel free to ask them why they can’t tell you the name, and assess if their response makes you feel confident.
Number four: Be cautious if you receive a call about a job for which you are already being represented by another recruiter, and the new recruiter says, "That’s absolutely fine, but come back to me if you haven’t heard from the other recruiter about an interview within a few hours, because we can land you that interview quickly." A recruiter who is representing you well will spend time crafting your profile and will allow their client time to consider what they’ve sent—your CV and/or portfolio. They want to share it with other hiring managers involved in the hiring process, and that takes days, not hours. So, a recruiter who hasn't come back to you within hours is likely a good one, not a bad one. If you don’t hear back within a week or so, then you should follow up with that recruiter.
In summary, lovely world, be confident and discerning. Think about how you feel after the call and ensure you are confident in who will represent you. Remember, less is more; you want fewer interviews, but better-quality interviews, which is good for your mental health and more likely to lead you to the job you want. Everyone will be happier as a result. Take care!
