What Do Recruiters Know That Candidates Don’t?

By Selipha Kihagi

With the growing numbers of job seekers out there applying for the same jobs you are, standing out and being one step ahead of the rest is necessary. This means that you need to not only understand a job advert, but you also need to think like recruiters. Once you start seeing things from a recruiter’s point of view, you are able to use that information to improve your application and interview skills.

Recruiters always have inside information of all the jobs advertised, meaning that they will use this information as the basis of their hiring process.

So, what do recruiters know about the job that you don’t?

1. Some jobs are easier to fill than others
Recruiters know which job will be filled in only two days of advertising and which one will take weeks to fill. Why? It is all dependent on the current job market and the position. For example, an Admin Assistant position will take lesser time to fill than a corporate sales position, senior positions usually take the most time and banking jobs are fast to fill.

Knowing this, you can focus on applying for jobs as soon as you see them. If you are applying to a senior position, there is always a longer period to apply.

2. The job description is likely to change once you are hired
This should not come as news to you. Have you heard of stories where people want to leave their jobs in only the first month? Well, this is because what they signed up for when they accepted the job was not what they got. The job description you see when you are applying for a job is almost always subject to change.

Remember recruiters will not mention this to you, but ready yourself for responsibilities you didn’t expect. Change is not as bad when you expect it.

3. How you answer a recruiter’s call is part of the interview
Interacting with recruiting managers on a daily basis gives you a perspective of the hiring process that you didn’t have. When recruiters call you for an interview, they expect that you know the position you applied for very well. They also want you to be expecting the call.

So, when you start asking recruites to remind you what position you applied for, and then go on to explain that you apply to many jobs and are not sure which one they are talking about, you make it too easy for them to judge you. If you wrongly answered the call, recruiters will only that you will mess up the interview as well.

4. The salary range is in the top list of deciding factors
How much salary you want to be paid for the job is not just another interview question that you can get away with; it is important to recruiters. You probably have applied for jobs that require you to provide salary information. The essence of this is to see if the company can afford you or not.

So, when you mention a much higher salary that is the company’s budget, you will not be making the cut. And if you quote a lower salary, then recruiters might leave you out too.

To be successful in your job hunt and interviews, it is important that you see the jobs from a recruiters point of view then do research.

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