JobFairy.com Weblog: Ideal Candidate Poll

1.21.2006

Ideal Candidate Poll

1. Does the employment status of a job candidate affect your decision to bring them in for an interview?

Yes, I am more likely bring them in if they are currently employed
Yes, I am more likely bring them in if they are currently unemployed
No, it has nothing to do with whether they are employed or unemployed

2. What is the most important attribute when evaluating a job candidate? Please rank in order of importance (1 being the highest, 6 the lowest):

Relevant work experience
Attitude
Work ethic
Work status (currently employed)
Cultural fit
Education

3. How do you most often look for passive candidates?

Conferences/Seminars
Reading about them in the press
Networking
Searching the Web/Blogs

4. What is the best thing a candidate can do to stand out during and immediately following the interview process? Please rank in order of importance (1 being the highest, 5 the lowest):

Appropriate attire
Persistent follow up
Good manners
Asking the right questions
Being prepared by researching the company

5. What do you look for in a resume when deciding to bring in a candidate to interview? Please rank in order (1 being the most important, 5 the least important):

Candidates proximity to workplace
Leadership experience
Broad range of experience
Relevant work experience
Educational and professional credentials

6. What candidate behavior is most offensive and would automatically disqualify them? Please rank in order (1 being the most offensive, 5 the least offensive):

Late to the interview
Delay in responding to communications (email, phone)
Awkward interview style
Inappropriate appearance
Forgot their resume

This is from a survey sent out to recruiters about their ideal candidate. I couldn't believe some of the choices in here, period. On #1, of course there's going to be a preference for the currently employed. So you always want to look employed whether you are or not. #2, I can't believe whether or not you're employed is even a factor. But to most HR personnel, it is, so watch out. #3, I can't believe people waste their time pursuing "passive" candidates. That's so dysfunctional. If they wanted another job, they'd get their act together and look for one. I wouldn't want people who couldn't even figure out to do that trying to solve problems for me. I want people who can think and act. #4, Appropriate attire and persistent follow up? OK, if I'm going for a .NET development position, my skills don't matter as much as my wardrobe does? So sucky code is fine so long as I look good doing it? We *so* need to get the non-techies out of anything to do with IT. NOW. Persistent follow up? Not if you've been reading the articles on this board. How else are you going to know if they want you or not? If *you* pursue *them*, then they have the upper hand in negotiating salary because they *know* how badly you want to work for them. Not a good position for you to be in; you could leave 10 - 20K on the table doing that. Oooof. #5, proximity to workplace? So I might not be as qualified as the others, but I live close, so I can get to work and make those errors in the code all the sooner? When I'm bringing in someone to interview, my questions are, "Can they do the work" and "Are they responsible enough to do the work and do it right"? #6, well, obviously these are the questions of HR people who are used to a buyer's market. Sometimes people do run late over things they can't control. If they call and tell you that they're running late quite a bit before they're actually late, I like to see that because then I know how they handle problems. And in the workplace, there will be problems. Delays in getting back to you are the candidate's way of weeding out those who are not truly interested. Awkward interviewing style? Most IT people are awkward with people they don't know well. What's inappropriate? The sheer shirt that shows bra that the hiring manager's wearing (yes, this actually happened to three Fairies, folks), or the dorky pocket protector the engineer's got going on? And as to forgetting the resume, well, I never bring mine. It's online, as it should be. This is a good way to gauge how together the company that wants to hire you is. Do *they* have a copy of your resume? Besides, I often get presented through agencies. For this one job I once had, I got presented by an agency; they used a resume that was nearly a year old and way out of date because that's what they had in their database. I got the job - a 35K raise. I wouldn't have gotten it had I brought my own - it would have undermined their credibility.

posted by Shocking Pink # 1:52 PM

Comments: Post a Comment

<< Home

1.21.2006

Ideal Candidate Poll

Archives