Imagine yourself in the world of a recruiter. It may seem quite foreign to you presently, viewed from the lens of a job seeker, however, it can be a force to reckon with once you begin selecting candidates for significantly valuable positions. You would learn that a day in the life of a recruiter presents several recruitment challenges of its own. Right from defining what your client or hiring manager expects in terms of the ‘best-fit’ to filtering out irrelevant applications to waiting for the final hiring decision to be communicated to candidates desperately seeking your response.

Yes, it is a demanding profession. So, as a recruiter, while you are contending with various occupational demands springing out of nowhere, you really wouldn’t want candidates to unnecessarily interrupt your work due to their ignorance. So, over the course of your recruiting experience you develop a natural revulsion over certain mistakes and behavioral responses of applicants.

Here are few of the biggest recruiter pet peeves that candidates should be wary of:

Incomplete, generic and inaccurate resume: The biggest put-off for a recruiter aiming to find a resume with the most targeted content enlisting relevant skills and specific actions, is to obtain 10 copies of the same resume sent by the same applicant for 10 vastly diverse job-roles. It immediately sparks a suspicion in the recruiter`s mind about the credibility of the candidate. If you have submitted an application for the role of ‘Web Developer’, then by no stretch of imagination can you objectively think of applying for the role of ‘Accounts Manager’’. It indicates laziness on your part and casts a doubt over your interest in the company. Focus to ensure that your experiences as mentioned in your resume contain relevant keywords specific to the job description and outline quantifiable achievements. Your actions should read more than what the job description expresses.

Visit the VMock platform to learn how to create a powerful resume that is targeted at the job meant for you! Ensure that you do not make mistakes on your resume which can easily be avoided. Provide all standard necessary personal details including your contact information (phone, email address and street address). Prefer mentioning your mobile number instead of landline since it allows the recruiter the flexibility to directly reach you and not be restricted by how and when you obtain the message. Avoid stating inappropriate email addresses like –fansforlyfe@abc.com or using flashy font styles that lend a jarring effect. Also, focus on formulating your tasks in the form of action-oriented bullets avoiding use of third-person. Stating your achievements in third-person renders an impression of over-stating what you have previously done, making your practical experience seem insincere. Lastly, spend due time on proof-reading your resume to correct any grammatical or spelling error. It denotes carelessness and prevents the recruiter from viewing you as a responsible and reliable professional. Keep the length of your resume to a maximum of 2 pages by eliminating any irrelevant experience that does not at all align with the jobs you are applying for. Also, inserting common but vague phrases such as ‘strategic achiever’ or ‘dynamic team player’ does not really yield any additional value to the recruiter. Support these phrases with actual, practical incidents that substantiate these claims.

Lack of preparation: Recruiters are really adept at identifying applications that suggest a lack of effort on the part of the candidate. It is only when you seriously invest time and effort in researching about the necessary skills and qualifications required by the relevant industry, company and profession of your interest, would you be able to successfully impress the right recruiter. Do your homework about the company’s various product lines and policies before you face the interviewer. A recruiter goes through a tough route of arguments, discussion and negotiation to make your case to the hiring manager. An oversight in gathering knowledge about the company cannot only prove detrimental for your career prospects but also land the recruiter in a questionable and awkward position. Attend job fairs, seminars and various other recruiter-information sessions to learn more about the company in question.

Ineffective communication: How to talk to a recruiter- While reaching out to a recruiter over email, ensure that you address them correctly. Follow that up with an explicit and precise introduction about your professional background and reason for applying for that particular role. Do not merely send a generic email draft attaching the same resume copy. While answering a phone call from a recruiter, reflect accurately to answer questions regarding your expectations. Often, recruiters complain of candidates answering with an awkward response such as “Which job position is this regarding?”. Keep track of all job openings which you have applied to along with the status as communicated by the recruiters. In case, you feel that the recruiter is in the middle of something important and intends to keep the phone call limited to basic points, ask for the relevant time when you can get in touch to clarify any pending questions. Another tendency to be cautious about, is that you cannot contradict yourself on the already discussed employment terms. Recruiters are provided with defined benchmarks for compensation and other perks for a given position by companies. This is the precise reason that recruiters bring the subject of salary, location, bonus expectations during the first few screening rounds. If your response meets the benchmarks, only then do you make the cut and are called in for the next rounds. Refrain from deviating from your responses during the interview round as that would simply defeat the purpose of your shortlisting and prove the recruiter`s work as inefficient. Also, maintain a balance between regularly following up with the recruiter and incessantly calling them to elicit a response. Your anxiety should not get the better of you.

Getting too personal: Recruiters narrate horror stories of candidates forwarding their social media or LinkedIn profile links as responses to an advertised job position. Sending a Facebook request to apply to a job is really a career-self goal. Additionally, texting a recruiter before having spoken to them about the opening can really catch them off guard and make it awkward. Avoid providing your photographs either in the resume or email you forward to the recruiter. Recruitment is entrusted with the task of looking at your merits and not your social profile (although some might). These actions may sound outrageous, but ask an experienced recruiter and you would certainly find a wry smile appearing on their face. As it turns out, they are not too uncommon.

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The system evaluates the resume on critical parameters including how distinctly you reflected your core competencies. The application provides guidelines and details through specific examples, how you can demonstrate key soft skills –‘communication’, ‘leadership’, ‘teamwork’ and ‘initiative’ through your resume.

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