As a recruiter, you have found some real good candidates for the client’s job. But, when you place them in front of the hiring employer, none of them, not even the trophy candidate, makes it to the final selection.
You have to keep searching over and over again with no end in sight. Many a times the interviewing process itself happens to interfere with what can otherwise be good hiring decisions!
Because the fact is that a seemingly strong candidate who clearly meets the job criteria may still fail to make it just because he does not interview well or possesses a slightly radical mix of qualifications. Else, the hiring manager may himself have poor interviewing skills or his emotions/bias may keep him from properly assessing the applicant’s competency. Such superficial reasons often cause a promising deal to fall through.
Well, taking the time to prepare the candidates before they meet with the hiring manager can eliminate a lot of these interview hiccups. This will help them to become confident and come across as savvy, high-class candidates instead of remaining a nervous and worried lot.
Obviously, this will boost your productivity enabling you to make many more placements in lesser time spans. In fact, “candidate prepping” can improve your hiring batting average (sendouts per hire) by 25- 30 per cent. Apart from closing more deals, it will also allow you to build more credibility on both sides of the hiring table. Promoting candidates in this way shows that you care about them and they will certainly spread the good word. And, sending well-prepared, capable candidates is bound to impress the clients with your calibre and standing.
Do it right: “Candidate prepping” is much more than just telling a candidate where to go and whom to meet with. It consists of sagacious advice that will enable them to do their best during the interview.
Pre-interview counselling begins with helping the candidate understand the real job needs and what is expected of him. For this, as the recruiter you yourself have to first realise exactly what the employer is looking for.
Cover the basics about the hiring organisation like goals, philosophy, culture, work environment, interviewers and other dos and don’ts. This information can be shrewdly incorporated by the candidate in the interview answers, thus showing that he is both well-informed and prepared. You can also provide links to the company website and recent articles for further valuable insight.
Then, train them for the actual interview like - how to open the interview, what are the common/expected questions and how to sell their strong points. For this, indulge in a detailed discussion about the candidate’s strengths and weaknesses and how he can present them. Also, help him to recognise his accomplishments and prepare proper examples accordingly.
Explain that the key is to not speak in generalities but provide specific details as they are more convincing. For instance, instead of merely saying that ‘I like to work with figures’, ‘am good at sales’ or ‘have strong team skills’, illustrate with ‘In July 2009, I was part of…… and achieved…..’
But it is again important to consciously limit yourself to helping the candidate plan his responses and tailor them to the interviewer. Never go overboard by telling him precisely how to answer questions or provide scripts as he will only end up sounding hackneyed.
Moreover, coach the candidate to take the lead if the interview does not seem to be going anywhere by subtly guiding the interviewer towards his skills set, achievements or what he has to offer.
Apart from providing meaningful and impressive answers, the candidate should also be trained to ask insightful questions about the job content, position requirements, new challenges and resources available.
He should know how to clarify whether his responses are adequate and also whether he meets the job requirements with a timely, ‘Is that what you are looking for’ or ‘Should I give you more examples of work that I have done that’s comparable’. Also, coach him on how to show enthusiasm for the job, how to ask for the job outright and finally how to close the interview.
Apart from this, providing information on how to dress, speak and present oneself is crucial. Such an overall prepping will help the candidate to overcome his apprehensions and portray confidence.
What’s more, as top trainer and consultant, Lou Adler elucidates, “If you handle the candidate prep well enough, you can also prep your clients without them even knowing it!”
To sum up, remember that the candidate represents you and your company to the client employer. You obviously owe it to him to do everything possible to prepare him for the big day. While not every candidate will get the job, they will definitely thank you profusely for the assistance as well as help you to scale new heights of success.
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