Finding talented people is one thing, but screening them for consideration in your company is a totally different proposition. And that is the problem with bad recruiters! They know where to find talent but they are terrible at screening that talent for the company's benefit. Why? Because many of them don't have a clue of how the company's business is run. They are just purely focused on the process of recruiting versus the purpose of recruiting - which is to find the candidate who can bring the best value to the firm both personally and professionally.
Bad recruiters don't look at your résumé and cover letter and try to visualize how someone with your experience could be a real addition to the company. They solely rely on key word searches to find your résumé in their database or they rely on the résumé that most closely matches the job description. Well, I can assure you that a well-written résumé does not always equal a good candidate! Most companies with the best advertising campaigns have the worst products! Plenty of cool commercials and even more crappier products.
Bad recruiters ask dumb questions that have nothing to do with the job you would be performing. Their intention is to screen you out before anyone of substance can talk to you. They enjoy being the Gatekeepers and in their minds they truly believe that they are adding value to their company. So below I've listed the top 3 questions that bad recruiters utilize most to improve their performance at talent prevention.
Talent Prevention Question #1 - Bad Recruiter: Please tell me your salary history? Applicant Response: Uh, no! What does that have to do with whether or not I'm the right person for the job? So your perception of what I was paid in the past is a predictor of my success in the future? I didn't know that was a behavioral interview question. How about you just be transparent and tell me what the salary range is for the job. Or are you hoping to low-ball me if my current/prior salary is significantly lower than the bottom of the salary range you have budgeted for the job? Or are you just asking for my salary history as a cheap way to do a salary benchmark on applicants for the job? Mmm, I think I'll pass on that question. Next!
Talent Prevention Question #2 - Bad Recruiter: What are your salary expectations? Applicant Response: Uh, is this the game where if I pick the right number then I'm still in the running and if I pick the wrong number I'm either low-balled or eliminated from the process? Sorry, I don't like this game. How about you just forward me along to the hiring manager and she and I can have a real discussion about my fit on the team and the value I'd bring. If our salary expectations are not aligned then I'd much rather be talking to the hiring manager so that we could both discuss how to reach some common ground on a total compensation package. I want to work for the hiring manager, not you - Mr. Bad Recruiter!
Talent Prevention Question #3 - Bad Recruiter: How long would you stay with our company? Applicant Response: Uh, you mean you're handing out lifelong employment contracts? Or is this the game where your company has a crystal ball and can foresee the future? Mr. Bad Recruiter, I'll stay with your company for as long as we are both mutually benefiting from each other. Do you really want me to say that I'd stay with your company my entire professional career? That would assume we both had crystal balls! Or do you expect me to hang myself by saying that I'm only planning to stay for a year until I pay off some long overdue debts? Shame on you for asking me that question, Mr. Bad Recruiter!
To all the job seekers who are both employed and unemployed, please beware the Bad Recruiters because they are indeed the Talent Prevention Agents! To paraphrase a quote from Morpheus in the movie, The Matrix, "They are the gatekeepers. They are guarding all the doors, they are holding all the keys. Which means that sooner or later, someone is going to have to fight them."
