For Interview Prep & Feedback, Let the Recruiter do the Talking

“Don’t talk with your mouth full.”

“You need to stop saying ‘honestly’ after every other sentence.”

“You will change your image with that company if you shave your exceptionally overgrown beard.”

Who would have the nerve to tell you this? It may only be your mother and your recruiter.

Interview prep is many times an overlooked part of the process, but it is extremely important for both the candidate and the client. And, its information that would probably never be relayed, or heard, if it weren’t for the recruiter in the middle.

For the candidate…

How many times have you interviewed and then walked away thinking you aced it only to learn you’re not getting a call back? You were there, you know what you said and what you did, yet we are surprised many times with the outcome.

Being calm and communicative at an interview is not enough. Often we don’t know how we really did because we draw the wrong conclusions about our performance or what the hiring manager was thinking. A true interpretation of the interview can only come from an intimate look at the interview process and feedback from the hiring manager.

Recruiters help draw the right conclusions because they communicate with the hiring managers or human resources, who tell them what the managers couldn’t tell the candidates themselves. Recruiters also help decipher what may have gone wrong based on basic interview protocol.

For example, would you determine that because you didn’t ask a single question during the interview that the interviewers determined you weren’t interested in the position and that’s why you didn’t get called back? Or because you mentioned how difficult it would be to leave your current company that the hiring manager determined you would take a counter offer. Listening to the guidance of an experienced recruiter can be the link between you and your next great career move.

• Recruiters can provide candidates with the interview guidelines that can make or break an interview like:
  • How should you dress
  • What questions to ask
  • What to do when you arrive
  • Delivering concise, organized answers to questions that include a challenge that was handled
• Recruiters can arm candidates with keys to the job like:
  • Will management skills make an impact on the department you’re interviewing for or is it more important to brush up on your technical skills?
  • Will specific product knowledge or experience matter or is general knowledge of the area sufficient?
• Recruiters can give you feedback and insights to what the Hiring Managers were thinking during your interview to help you in a second interview or your next interview elsewhere if the current one doesn’t pan out.

For example, I had a rock star candidate. Great degree, smart, loyal employee… he interviewed with five managers because looking at his resume; they all wanted him for their team. When the stream of interviews was over, HR told me they were all going to pass. “Pass?” I couldn’t believe it. So, I had a good conversation about some behaviors that would be endearing to a best friend but a turn-off to an employer. The candidate, who hadn’t interviewed in 15 years, had no idea how his demeanor was perceived. We had a hard-love talk, and the candidate became cognizant of these behaviors and turned things around in a second interview with one of the managers. He got an offer and the company got an opportunity to hire their competitor’s number one guy.

These conversations between candidates, recruiters and companies are not necessarily easy or comfortable. It’s very difficult to tell someone they are perceived negatively and to point out things that someone could take offense to. But if presented in a way that lets the candidate know the recruiter is really looking out for their best interest, they can become a better person/employee because of it, and are typically grateful.

For the client…

Clients many times don’t see the value in relaying solid job information and feedback. They consider it another to-do item on an already packed schedule. But this step can actually save HR departments, Hiring Managers and Companies time and money if they just make it a habit to partner with recruiters in this way.

If there isn't communication between all parties, then after all the time and money spent interviewing, the candidate would be lost. Then, additional time and money would need to be spent to find the replacement candidate.

It also doesn’t do the company any service to not help the recruiter prep the candidate before the interview. If the candidate doesn’t know which job descriptions, products and people they are talking to and about, they can’t prepare the right examples or questions. This again causes a huge waste of time for both the candidate and client. Since many of the recruited candidates are not actively seeking new employment, they are already hard to find diamonds in the rough, so clients can’t afford them to be dismissed simply because they weren’t properly prepared.

Additionally, job descriptions are often written in a way that makes it difficult to conclude what is really important to the hiring manager. Getting the keys from the company allows the recruiter to weed out unqualified candidates and hone in on better fitting ones. Furthermore, some job descriptions can scare great candidates away because the candidates are led to believe they are either over or under qualified for the role. Recruiters can relay the essence of the job which again can paint a more accurate picture of what the candidate would be doing.

• Companies that share the keys:
  • Allow the candidates to prepare the right examples from their work history.
  • Are not left wondering if they missed out on a really good employee because the candidate was improperly prepared.
  • Help recruiters look for the right person for the organization.
• Companies that share after interview feedback:
  • Can help the candidate prepare for the next interview.
  • Help to relay sensitive information that could otherwise not be relayed.
  • Can help recruiters hone in on the right candidate for future searches.
  • Leave a lasting impression on the candidate that the company can follow through and cares about them.

Bottom line, a strong relationship between the candidate, the company and the recruiter, that encompasses interview prep and feedback, is one of the surest ways to a win-win hire.