This is the final in a series of eight articles, geared towards recruiters but which provide important insights for job seekers.
If any recruiter ever claims that they have not been conned by a candidate, they are either a novice in the field, totally unaware, or a liar. (Of course, they may just be lucky, but I doubt it.)
Just as there are professional students, individuals who arrange scholarships to continue their studies so they never have to actually get a job, there are also professional interviewers. These are individuals who interview brilliantly. They convince everyone that they are the best possible person for the job. Any red flags, such as length of employment, they can easily explain away. They are masters of their trade. The problem is, they are terrible employees.
So why do these charlatans get away with their cons? It’s simply the fault of the interviewers. They so want to fill the position that they forget the basics. It’s almost like a person with a horrible disease clutching at straws to find a cure. They are great targets. But recruiters must not be targets, they must be recruiters.
So, what red flags must be allowed to wave from atop the flagpole like Old Glory?
If the candidate can’t hold a job, you don’t want them. And if they don’t include dates of employment on the resume, it’s a sign they can’t hold a job and you don’t want them.
If the candidate's references are LinkedIn recommendations, you don’t want them. There are no negative recommendations on any LinkedIn profiles. Why? Because the owner of the profile controls what appears on their profile. No one is going to post a negative recommendation. Moreover, many people trade recommendations. They simply cannot be trusted.
If there are discrepancies between the candidate’s LinkedIn profile and resume, it is not necessarily a red flag but is a topic for discussion. What is a red flag is if the candidate’s behavior on Facebook, X, etc. is less than professional, while totally so on LinkedIn.
If the candidate is not available during regular business hours to be interviewed by the recruiter, you don’t want them. If they can’t meet with the recruiter, they won’t be able to meet with the employer. Moreover, if they can’t figure out how to take time off in the middle of the day to interview, even if it is a video call which they could take on their phone in their car, that pretty much tells you everything you need to know about their ability to cope with predictable situations, not to mention the unpredictable.
If the candidate’s voice mail message is unprofessional, that can be a red flag. They obviously have not prepared for a job search where a professional image is everything. If they do not prepare properly when, in essence, they are their own client, the probably won’t prepare well when the client belongs to the employer!
When conducting a video interview, and there should always be a video interview, note where the person is. If they are in their car because they are at work, fine. But if they are home, pay special attention to the background. If they are using a background image or have blurred the background, they are hiding something. That’s a red flag. If the room they are in is messy, it’s safe to assume that that is how their office will be. True, they might know where everything is and therefore, from their perspective, there is order. But, still, impression is reality and employers do not want clients or prospective clients to think their employees are disorganized.
Finally, look carefully at the candidate’s resume. Even if they have kept their jobs for a good length of time, and have no gaps in their resume, it is a definite red flag if the candidate has not really advanced in their career. If they have not increased their responsibilities and authority, it is best to pass on them. They have no ambition. A person who does not grow in their career will not contribute to the growth of a company. Clients want to grow or, at least, not stagnate, which is what the candidate has done in their career.
By identifying red flags, a recruiter can eliminate unattractive candidates and focus on candidates who have the potential, not only to be hired, but to remain on the job a significant period of time. At the end of the day, that is what the recruiter wants. No recruiter wants to have to honor their guarantee that a candidate will stay on the job a minimum amount of time.
Efficient Candidate Vetting | Employment Edification (wordpress.com)
