With the Christmas and New Year’s period now over, Recruiters are once again sorting through resumes and job applications, seeking the best candidates to fill their current and future job vacancies.
If you receive a phone call from a Recruiter, it is most likely that your application has stood out above 80% of other candidates in the field and they have a genuine interest in you. A telephone screening can provide you, as a Job Seeker, with the opportunity to leave a positive lasting impression that could lead to endless opportunities.
The following are four types of candidate behaviours that have the potential to ruin any opportunity at making a positive lasting impression on Recruiters during a phone screening.
1: The ‘Cat & Mouse’
One of the easiest ways to make a bad impression with a Recruiter is to play hard to get and answer every question they ask with either another question, or a very vague response. You are better to be honest and clear on what you are looking for in a job, so that the recruiter can help you, help yourself.
2: The ‘Missing in Action’
Remember that recruiters are the gatekeepers to an array of endless opportunities. So make the most of it and answer or return their calls promptly. If you aren’t contactable or go MIA over long periods, you are reducing your chances significantly of getting current or even being made of aware of future opportunities.
3: The ‘Rambler’
When you are asked a question, answer it quickly and concisely, don’t ramble or use it as an opportunity to share your life story or gain sympathy for your job seeking frustrations. This will only make a bad impression.
4: The ‘Whinger’
If you badmouth your current employer and spend the entire conversation complaining about previous employers, you are not likely to make a lasting good impression. Recruiters are looking for top candidates to put forward to their Clients, and provide them with a polite, professional and loyal employee, not a miserable, disloyal person with the wrong attitude.
