The scary truth is: headhunters and recruiters are very sensitive to some warning signs that whether you – as a candidate – might be potentially troublesome down the line. If you show any of them, you can be sure that you will not be kept in the recruitment process. Here the most important “red lights”:
1) You think that there is no point to spend too much time preparing your CV
Your CV is the first impression that you make on a recruiter or decision makers before they actually meet you. Make the most of it! And believe us, there are recruiters / headhunters who make this kind of connection: sloppy CV = sloppy candidate. This is why the quality of the document is so important.
Note: if you want to check whether your document is perfect enough, send it to us for a free CV report.
2) You think that touching base with a headhunter every week is OK
No, it’s not. You don’t want to be taken as a stalker, do you? You need to know how much follow-up is too much, and then not to cross this border. And most importantly: do not interpret a lack of reaction as a lack of interest. Still worried? Read our previous article on how to handle communication with headhunters.
3) You do not prepare for interviews
In short: if you fail to plan, you plan to fail! In today’s world, there is no excuse for failing to research the company that has invited you for an interview. Everything is on the Internet. Therefore, before a meeting with a headhunter or an interview with a potential employer, take some time to research the most important information about the company, the person you will be meeting with, etc. Here a short guide including all must-do’s before an interview: How (not) to prepare for interviews.
PS: We don’t want to scare you, but there’s a whole lot of other reasons why recruiters might think you’re a bad candidate… you’ll find the complete list here. Make sure you don’t make any of those mistakes!
Are you sure you do not send any of those warning signs to the recruiters? Feel free to talk about it to one of our Career Angels during a free 45-min career consultation. To schedule one, simply click here.
