Authored by: Ron Cottick, CPC, CHRM
Companies have a particular mindset when it comes to hiring. That is usually driven by Human Resources (HR) and is fueled by the past experiences of those involved in the hiring process. When you have someone who brings recruiting experience from a previous employer to their new employer, they bring the mindset with them. What happens more times than not is the process the company uses then becomes very much like the masses. It does not always have relevancy to what is best for their company.
Here are some of the most common mistakes companies make, generally perpetuated from HR, since they almost always manage the recruiting process for the company.
1. Rejecting candidates based solely on the RESUME
2. Not understanding the scope of responsibility or role of the position, having a poorly written job
description, stating inaccurate or incorrect qualifications and being too generic
3. Having a short term mindset for filling the current need versus the hiring a candidate for a future bigger
picture
4. Hiring candidates like themselves (or the Hiring Manager whom the position reports to) instead of a
qualified candidate with the right skill sets for the current need and additional skill sets that can add
additional value for future growth
5. Being poorly trained to INTERVIEW, poor INTERVIEW skills
6. Having a lengthy decision process
7. Asking candidates for proprietary or quality information to help solve their problems with no intent to
hire
8. Hiring like everyone else instead of what is right for the company
So, how do you get the attention you are looking for and work your way through a process that that has these elements associated with it? You find a way to circumvent them, that’s how. What am I talking about here? Glad you asked.
Before I answer that question let me say that you will not likely get any attention if you are marginally or not qualified for the position. Companies have been raising the bar on their qualifications for several years now and if you are not a very well qualified candidate, there is probably not much you will be able to do. Additionally, this is a two-part scenario. Having a RESUME that gets you the invite to INTERVIEW and going through the INTERVIEW to get you the position.
Here we go, addressing the items above by the numbers.
1. Almost all, if not all, companies have Automated Tracking Systems (ATS) for candidate management. It
also functions as their database to internally search for candidates (although that is not always done, and
if so, done poorly limiting a candidates chance to be discovered). I won’t get into why but the ATS is
also where your RESUME goes when you do an online application for a position. It is always better to
get your RESUME into the hands of the Hiring Manager first and/or the HR Recruiter or Representative
second. You want someone to read it. Having a RESUME, with a Career Summary and Cover Letter
that is written to the position and reads well, will enhance your chances greatly to getting the invite you
are looking for, to INTERVIEW.
2. The Hiring Manager does not always write the job description, and if they do not, guess who writes it?
And, who do you think is the best person to write the job description? The Hiring Manager, of course.
So what happened here? Many times job descriptions are sitting in an archive and get recycled when a
new like position is opened. They are not always up to date or have the right information in them. The
Hiring Manager is busy, not necessarily trained in writing job descriptions or just doesn’t want to deal
with it and selects what they think is the right one to use. They send it forward to HR to have the
position filled. The job descriptions are scanned for accuracy and correct qualifications by, guess! HR of
course. Is this the best place for that, not likely. So what you end up with is job descriptions that can be
inaccurate, too generic and have incorrect qualifications. Ever see one like that, wondering what are they
really looking for? You probably have. Here’s a way around that but the burden will be on you. Get to
know the company and its product line. As best as you can, with your knowledge, skills and expertise,
determine what it is the company is really looking for. Get to know what the company would expect in a
candidate for the position. That, and your interpretation, is the job description your RESUME should be
written to.
3. Hiring Manager’s and HR both usually have a short-term mindset when filling positions. They look for
someone that does exactly what the job description calls for and overlook or ignore the “added value”
of a candidate. That doesn’t discount the fact that they like to hear what is in a candidate’s background
that can make them a leader or keep them a leader in the industry. Well stating your background
addressing “added value” during the INTERVIEW will carry much weight in your favor when it comes
decision time.
4. Hiring Manager’s have a tendency to hire candidates much like them instead of recognizing the
candidates that bring the best value. They don’t always recognize the attribute that compliments the
group and brings some different but additional value. You can be like “Mikie” without being ‘Mikie”.
Show how you are not narrow minded and can think beyond the box, that you thrive in a team
work/player environment and be innovative while being like “Mikie”. There is such a thing as modeling
and if you model your interviewer during the INTERVIEW you will come across like “Mikie” without
being “Mikie”. It does work.
5. Your interviewers are not likely to have been trained much, well or at all to INTERVIEW. Many have
poor skills at best. I despise the usual lead in question that many interviewers use; “Tell me about
yourself”! When I hear that I always think, “now where do they want me to start”? If you get that
question, I suggest you start with something like “when I was in school I always liked doing things
mechanically. That interest led me to get my Bachelor’s (or whatever is appropriate) Degree in
Mechanical Engineering. I developed a further interest in automotive design and after graduation took a
position with X (an infamous auto manufacturer, your choice) as a Design Engineer. With my training,
the experience received, skills gained from that employment and my accomplishments with that
employer, I am looking to take that value to another employer to contribute to the growth of their
product line and company as well as my career”! A little long winded but I think you get my point.
Targeted, concise, direct, to the point, about company first and about you second. This kind of response
will provoke more questions from the interviewer. If you listen closely to the gist of each question, and
answer them carefully, you will find yourself controlling the course of the INTERVIEW. Not a bad
position to be in.
6. Many companies have a lengthy decision process. With multiple interviewers involved in the process
they want to give every participant a chance to give input to the decision process. The Hiring Manager
ultimately has the decision but they are not likely to go upstream if someone strongly objects to the hire
of a particular candidate. It is very appropriate, in fact almost a must, to close each INTERVIEW, with
each one interviewed with, with a close. You should be saying something like “I am very interested in
your company and the position of (whatever it is). I believe my background to be very appropriate for
the position and I will not only be a great candidate but I bring additional experience and
accomplishment that has added value. I look forward to positive feedback from this interview and a
positive outcome. When do you think a decision on my candidacy will be made”? Remember this.
Recruiters consider interviews to be sales calls. When they send a candidate in to INTERVIEW they
look to the candidate as well as themselves to “close the sale”. You should “close the sale”. This
example is “closing the sale”.
7. Getting asked for proprietary or other information as testament to your capability without any hint of
getting hired. This happens on occasion. You should try to avoid this if it comes up, however, it is hard
to say no during an INTERVIEW when you are looking to gain favor with the company. You may get a
question that illustrates a problem (real or otherwise) that the company has and how you would attack it.
If you can, don’t show all your cards. You can illustrate how you may have had a similar problem, how
you approached, what you did and what the outcome was. Hold back enough so they can’t do
something like this without you but enough where you can show that you can solve it. It has been
known, in technical and non-technical positions, where a company would ask for specific information
and reschedule another INTERVIEW to have you come back to go over it with a team in the company.
It could be an engineering issue or even a business plan of sorts. You come back, give them copies for
them to follow along, they like what they see and hear, thank you for you excellent presentation, your
time, and then, tell you they will get back to you. I have seen a number of cases where this happens and
the follow up call does not happen. They got a resolution to their problem and don’t need the candidate
anymore to help solve it.
8. This one somewhat emulates #4 in that the company follows a hiring process like many other companies
do. Remember the ATS? Well, companies usually build their process around the ATS and most of the
companies that develop the ATS assist them. So what you have is one shoe fits all. Not much you can to
here except be aware that most company’s processes start looking alike after awhile. When they do you
can fall into the trap of approaching them all the same way. What you want to remember though is they
are not alike. Remember some of the information from above such as target your RESUME to the job
description. Do differentiate one company from another and keep track of what you do with each. You
will be much better off and your results will likely be better if you do.
A few more points I would like to add here. When you INTERVIEW you want to dress for success. Dress one level up from what everyone would be expected to wear in the work environment you would work in if you were hired. If they wear business casual, you wear business, suit and tie. Be groomed with haircut, neat and trimmed and shined shoes. If they wear less than business casual, at the very least wear a sport coat and tie. At the very least, men and women, dress one step up.
It would be a good idea to have business cards to give to the people you INTERVIEW with. They could have your name, your business title or what you are searching for in the way of a position and obviously your contact information. You also want to be to collecting business cards from the people you INTERVIEW with. That way you will remember whom you interviewed with and their contact information to send them a “thanks for the INTERVIEW” note. You can also use the contact information for future networking.
There you have it, a roadmap to help you get attention. If you follow these tips you will enhance your chances for success. So, GO SEIZE THE DAY.
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