Job Search

3 red flags candidates look out for in hiring companies: They’re how you ‘get blacklisted,’ says ex-(insert company name) recruiter

While finding suitable candidates can be challenging, there are ways to conduct yourself that could make doing so even harder.

“There’s something called validation seeking behaviour, aka desperation,” says Lee Harding, a recruiter and some bloke who likes to talk about talent acquisition. He adds that “it’s that ‘pick me’ energy that actually repels the opportunity.”

Here’s how to avoid giving it off.

Don’t reach out to a candidate over and over

First stop contacting the same candidate over and over again, especially in a short space of time.

If Harding sees that “you’ve contacted me 20 times in the last two years and I’ve never agreed to work for you once”, he says, that’s a red flag. He immediately thinks “something’s wrong with that company for them to have not filled this role by now”

Regardless of how much of a fit you think I might be for the job, a candidate’s likely not going to take the time to investigate your role further.

“This is how you can kind of get blacklisted,” he says.

Don’t advertise your vacancies

Another red flag for a candidate: advertising your vacancy on LinkedIn.

Just by putting up that one signal on the site, “we already know that you need something,” says Harding. It means that you might not be as picky when it comes to your choice of candidate, that you might not be looking to hire the most suitable candidate for the position.

“It reduces the appearance of being a high calibre employer,” he says. Plus, it changes the dynamic in a conversation with a candidate. Now, they’re really trying to convince you of a great job opportunity because they want you at the company. Instead, you’re trying to convince them to consider you.

“It’s kind of like asking for a handout on the corner,” says Harding.

Finally, if you’re hiring, don’t post your opening on social media, especially if you’re inclined to do so from a place of pride. Harding gives the example of a post like the following:

“I’m hiring for this amazing and truly exciting opportunity to join our team. Please contact me or tag people who may be interested in joining us”

Though exciting and a cause for celebration, recruiters who post like statuses are “showing up very needy and desperate” he says. They’re “bleeding out on social media”.

Ultimately they’re showing a weakness in a similar way to recruiters who advertise their vacancies on LinkedIn. It’s clear they need something.

A post like that “repels people because they’re not coming from a place of strength,” says Harding.

Instead, if you’re hiring and want to signal to the world that you’re looking for employees, try framing the situation as a new beginning or a chance for growth and sharing concrete examples of why somebody would be lucky to work there.

Remember, “you don’t need any job,” says Harding. “You want a good job.”

This article was written in response to an article titled “3 red flags recruiters look out for in job candidates: They’re how you ‘get blacklisted,’ says ex-Amazon recruiter”

I’m sure you’ll agree that my article is as equally nonsensical as the original article found on CNBC.