Are Recruiters Looking For Qualified People?
A common assumption made by most candidates is that, Im qualified. Why dont you call me? Simply put, you answered your own question. We dont want qualified people.Recruiters are only looking for exceptionally qualified people.
Especially in this market, companies dont need to hire us to find qualified people. They can do that on their own for FREE.
If you want to have recruiters notice you, if you want recruiters to call you once they receive your resume, and if you want recruiters to return your phone call, then you must demonstrate why you are exceptionally qualified. We are not looking for just qualified, or as most candidates indicate in their emails, I think Im a good fit. Recruiters dont want a good fit either. We want exceptional fits.
Our book, This is NOT the Position I Accepted,was written for this exact reason. We really attempted to help candidates understand how to demonstrate they are an exceptional fit. The 5 steps in the book give great detail on being or becoming exceptional. These 5 steps closely follow a sales model, after all, you are now in sales.
1) Define the product. That is you. Why are you so different from your competition? This is the, what makes me exceptional part. If you cant define this, then you are not exceptional. Dont feel badly. Not everyone can be exceptional. Only the top 15 20% are exceptional.
This is probably the biggest reason most candidates fail at being exceptional. They dont take the time to perform an in-depth analysis of their strengths and transferable skills. (We have a free skills assessment tool for you do download at the bottom of our home page.
2) Identify Customers. All good sales people have a target list of customers , who they want to talk to in that company, and how to get to them. This is your network. Of the thousands of candidates I interview, very few have a real focused, targeted list and a plan to get to the person. Real sales people dont just randomly call on companies and neither should you.
3) Marketing Materials. This is your resume. Sales people know that marketing materials are just support documents that open doors. These documents dont close the sale. Most companies that are market focused have multiple marketing documents. They know that customers are motivated by different things and they need to get to what motivates that customer to make a sale. One size fits all, doesnt work.
Your resume should be focused to the company/hiring manager/recruiters motivation. Your resume should clearly articulate the benefits to the person or recruiter whose attention you want to attract. This is not one size fits all.
4) Sales Presentation. In the candidates case the presentation is the interview, either via phone or face-to-face. Sales people practice this at length. Sales reps often have the manager go along to ensure they are skilled at this. Sales reps anticipate objections, seek out the answers to overcome the objections, and then practice to make them appear unrehearsed. Sales people know exactly what questions to ask to elicit the information needed to make the sale.
Most candidates dont rehearse their presentation to anyone. They practice answers in their head, but rarely write out the answers. I have watched more interviews collapse when the hiring manager asks, What questions do you have for me? The candidate sits there like a deer in the headlights. This part of the interview is so important that we have included over 150 questions to ask in an interview in our book and have even divided the questions into categories. The list includes questions on leadership, initiative, values, management style, and questions specific to the job, organization, etc.
The questions you ask are often more important than the answers you give.
To receive a free chapter on, Winning the Phone Interview CLICK HERE.
We also have a whole chapter on the ten most important questions to ask in an interview.
Less than 10% ever ask even one of these. Amazing.
5) Follow-up and closing. It is all a waste of time if the follow-up and closing doesnt happen. For candidates, this happens in a couple of different areas, thank you letters (we even provide an example), second and third interviews, and of course closing the deal. This may even include a contract.
Mastering, NOT JUST KNOWING THESE, but mastering these will make you the exceptional candidate recruiters are seeking.
Knowing them will ensure you stay a qualified candidate.
For more information on becoming exceptional see all of our free resources, review the free audio library where we post new audios every week, read our other career management blog entries and even listen to our talk radio show on Mondays at 11 noon PDT on latalkradion.com.
Now you have the resources and tools to become an exceptional candidate. We hope you will pick up the tools and begin using them.