Recruiter Gaffes at Top of Job Seekers' Frustration List

At some time or other as a job seeker you may run into an opportunity to try out for some work introduced to you by a recruiter. While it's always nice to have someone outside the usual network help out, the very fact that a recruiter doesn't know you may be the first bad mark in an already tough game.

Depending on individual commitments to professionalism, HR specialists and job seekers may be working a very special love-hate relationship indeed.

A Tenuous Position from the Start

While a job - including the jobs recruiters and HR specialists do - may be tough, it certainly doesn't help when you start with the cards stacked against you because you're unemployed. Aside from the stress you experience on a daily basis, having to depend upon another person with whom you don't know where you stand may add salt to an already open sore.

Recruiter Gaffes

Despite being humans themselves, some recruiters and HR specialists don't seem to realize that they're dealing with the livelihoods − no, the very lives − of well-qualified people who may desperately need a job. These people have bills to pay and families to feed. With all respect to the specific needs of the employer, and in recognition of the fact that many recruiters have to jump through hoops to get their jobs done, many well-qualified work candidates suffer greatly at the hands of the recruiters.

I have spoken with a few job seekers recently on the sensitive topic of this handling. Here are some common HR gaffes that really get their gall.

Poor Communication Skills

Not surprisingly at the top of the list: poor communication. Here are a few examples...

Recently one job seeker was working with a recruiter on a position in another state. After the initial interview, a follow up interview, and promises of following up with the candidate soon afterwards, this job seeker never heard from the HR folks again. Says the candidate, "On the phone everything sounded great and positive, but this was then followed by a wall of silence! Talk about unprofessional! If he didn't want to follow through, or I wasn't the person for the job, just tell me!"

Keeping the Candidate Posted

Assuming the HR specialist is willing to engage the job candidate at some level, steady communication factors in for an overall positive experience − even if the candidate eventually doesn't get the position.

One job seeker recently commented, "If there is going to be a significant delay in filling the position (after the initial round of interviews are complete) or if the requisition has been canceled for whatever reason, it would be really nice if the recruiter would at least e-mail the candidates to let them know about the delay − instead of letting them hang for months on end without any communications at all."

Feedback to Candidates Who Weren't Selected

Given that some job seekers are lacking in their communication skills, there are many who do communicate well. Among these candidates are those who sincerely take to heart the lessons they learn from failure. When these candidates ask for feedback from the recruiter, sometimes recruiters don't bother to answer.

Says one job seeker in this fix, "Aside from the standard questions that are trotted out by interviewers without any thought, there is the downright rudeness in actually refusing to tell you why you failed the interview. How are we supposed to stand out later if we don't know what's going wrong now?"

Communication

In reviewing numerous conversation threads from job boards and discussion forums across the globe, it seems that every form of falling short in the hiring process centers on communication.

While many job candidates could use some brushing up on their communication skills, recruiters and HR specialists should make the effort to take up the slack when communication drops off. After all, in this economy they are the ones lucky enough to even have a job. While their job entails the ability to communicate with people, why not communicate well?

Resources / Recommended Reading:

• Job Seekers: Beware of Recruiters as "Information Poachers"
• Displaced Workers Growing by the Millions: America's New At-Risk Population
• Learn a Foreign Language to Further Your Career• John's Other Articles