Recruitment software company Bullhorn have carried out a survey of recruitment consultants to find out what actions are most likely to stop applicants getting a job from them. Anyone looking for a job should read this excellent Telegraph write up of it. Some of the advice is contradictory but that only shows that where human beings are involved there is no one right answer.
Some of the advice should be put in to practice by all jobseekers straight away:
- never lie about you qualifications or experience
- always show interest in the job itself, not just the money
- be realistic about the kind of job you can do
- be keen and show the recruiter you're keen but don't over do it
So are you following these rules and giving yourself the best chance?
'Three in 10 recruiters said candidates who apply to jobs for which they are clearly unqualified was their biggest bugbear, with 43pc indicating that they would ‘blacklist’ such candidates and suppress their names from CV searches, the survey by recruitment software company Bullhorn found.
The other top four negative candidate behaviours, which damage career prospects, are:
- Exaggerating qualifications – 21pc of recruiters say it’s a 'pet peeve'
- Focusing on salary above all other job factors – 15pc don’t want to work with candidates who think that salary is the most important factor in a new job
- Responding to a job posting that is way beyond their level of experience – 13pc of recruiters indicate these unrealistic applications waste their time
- Calling or emailing more than once a week for status updates – 11pc do not want to hear from candidates that often
Art Papas, founder and chief executive of Bullhorn, said: "Some job candidates have no idea how their own behaviours can be a total turn-off to the recruiters who are trying to help them.
“The findings of our survey will hopefully not only help job seekers get inside the heads of recruiters to be able to better position themselves, but also help make the job of a recruiter a lot easier.”
The company also asked recruiters to disclose which attributes would set a candidate apart from other applicants with a similar background and qualifications. Among other things, recruiters said those candidates who present themselves well at interview, have a good personality "fit" with the company, and those being referred by a friend or colleague stood a better chance.
A third also said the names of companies where a candidate worked previously would give them the edge.
Interestingly, fewer than four per cent say that “the name of the school they attended” will help truly differentiate a candidate.
Another red flag for recruiters are gaps in employment, Bulhorn warned.
If the dates of employment and education don’t line up properly in a candidate’s resume, 89pc of recruiters will assume he or she was unemployed during those gaps. Almost half of recruiters associate the title “self-employed” with being unemployed. And 42pc of recruiters think that “independent consultants” are actually unemployed.
Tips for success
Play hard to get: Fewer than 5pc of recruiters said that “sounding and acting desperate to get a job” was their number one negative candidate behaviour.
Don’t stress, social media rating systems won’t hold you back: Of the 663 respondents who recruit for the marketing, PR and social media industries, less than seven per cent say they consider candidates’ Klout scores in deciding whether to pursue them as prospects.
Be personable: When given a choice between “someone who is socially awkward and unexpressive with a genius IQ” and “someone who is highly sociable and collaborative with an average IQ,” 95pc of recruiters chose the latter.'
Via The Telegraph