Ah, the 90s. Michael Jordan was ruling the courts, everyone was watching Friends or Seinfeld, "wazzup” was actually cool, and we all were started to learn the internet dial up noise by heart.
And when it comes to music, there was some of the best of the best – from Lauryn Hill crooning away feelings we didn’t even know we had, to Tupac shedding truths in his rhymes. 90s music was able to capture just about every feeling ever known to humankind—even the ups and downs recruiters feel on a daily basis.
So why not go back to the days of slap bracelets, beanie babies and everything plaid when all the feelings were felt? Below are 14 songs from the 90s that represent the range of emotions felt by every recruiter:
1. When you start sourcing for a new job and get a slew of applicants who just don’t cut it
We’ve all been there: endless streams of emails and submitted applications—and all from applicants who just aren’t quite what you’re looking for. Even worse, they’re pushy with their daily follow-ups and burning desire to “check in” every freaking minute.
That’s why TLC put it so perfectly in No Scrubs when they crooned stop “trying to holler at me!”
2. And the ones who don't answer your InMails
What is this? You put yourself out there to tell a prospect you’re interested and that doesn’t even warrant a “Thanks, but no thanks” response?? That’s just cold. That’s just “ice, ice baby” cold.
3. When you send a generic InMail…and the candidate calls you out
You’re busy. You have a lot of candidates to message. And sometimes, you don’t have time to research them and personalize your InMail. But then, the candidate calls you out…and you know next time you should say their name and tailor your message. Oops.
4. When you find your dream candidate
You thought purple squirrels were an urban myth, but here’s your star candidate sitting across from you, checking off every box the hiring manager gave you as requirements. And you know exactly how K-Ci and JoJo felt with the lyrics “All my life I've prayed for someone like you. And I hope that you feel the same way too.”
5. When you are waiting for that dream candidate to respond to your message
Did you just imagine all of the great conversations you had? Did you say something wrong or offend them in some way when you literally spelled out every acronym they asked about…and they still keep you waiting? It’s enough to drive you “insane in the membrane.”
6. When it turns out that the candidate has a lot of demands
Some candidates are bigger divas than others, and just keep bombarding you with all the things they “want” if they accept the job. By the end, you “never wanna hear” them say…that they “want it that way.”
7. When the candidate is choosing between your offer and a competitor’s
You’ve given them your best offer, you’ve done all you can and now, quite frankly, you’re just annoyed they still aren’t 100% sure if they want to say yes to your offer. It’s pretty simple: “you can get with this, or you can get with that” but just make up your mind now.
8. When there are other recruiters poaching your star prospect
Finding yourself in a tit-for-tat talent war with a competitor is no easy time, which means it’s a perfect situation for Brandy and Monica’s 1998 hit The Boy Is Mine. The R&B crooners summed up rivalry scenarios best when they sang “you need to give it up” and stop “acting like a fool.”
9. When the star candidate rejects your offer after months of stringing you along
It’s a devastating let down when you’ve spent months courting someone, fought off rival employers and now, you’re left in the dust. They’ve changed their mind and – just like Sinead you feel like “nothing can take away these blues.”
10. When you have to convince the candidate to take a lower salary
As much as you’d like to, sometimes you just can’t offer a candidate the higher salary they want. That’s when you have to get creative and convince them that the job is worth it and will be a great fit. After all, “mo money mo problems.”
11. For all the times you didn’t know they were looking at other jobs
When you know a rival is trying to poach your star hire, that’s one thing. But when you’re completely oblivious to what you’re up against, you can’t even prepare. When the candidate chooses the other side, there are a lot of “what ifs” that go through your mind. But like Britney says, “how were [you] supposed to know that something wasn’t right?”
12. When the candidate chooses YOU
The interviews go great, the candidate’s references check out, the hiring manager approves and the start date has been set! You wish you could feel like this every day because you feel on top of the world, like MC Hammer says, they “can’t touch this.”
13. When you’re killing it at work
Multiple critical roles to fill, the hardest hiring managers to please, budget restraints everywhere you turn and still you’ve managed to land star hires and close deals because ‘THIS IS HOW WE DO IT!”
14. When your company’s culture is so amazing, YOU feel like the purple squirrel
You helped create this amazing work culture and now, qualified candidates are reaching out to you. Yes, you still need to find the best ones for the job, but things are a lot better than they used to be and you’re feeling “too sexy” for any obstacle that comes your way.
You’ve got this!
*Image from Dazed
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Topics: Industry humor and fun
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