In a perfect world, we put an advertisement out for a particular role and highly qualified candidates start flooding in, ready to begin working immediately.
Now enter the real world. Finding the perfect fit for a particular role is a difficult task that can last for months. Many hours are spent defining a business’s specific needs, the key skills required for a position, and the type of employee that will best fit in with the company’s culture.
Many candidates will be under-qualified—and that’s not necessarily a deal-breaker. On the other hand, some of the brightest prospects will be currently employed, which makes navigating the application process a little more tricky. Recruiters and hiring managers are left with the difficult task of deciphering who’s simply “playing the game” and who should be considered seriously.
If you’ve found yourself in this predicament, you’ve come to the right place. Here are some tips and tricks that I’ve compounded over the years that will help you make the best decision when considering candidates who are currently employed:
Are they dead or alive?
Don’t start pulling out the obituary section—what I’m referring to here is whether the candidate has come to you actively or passively. If the candidate has applied or reached out directly, they’re considered active. Active candidates are great on the surface, but you’ve got to interpret the motive behind their application. If they’ve made your “it” list, then they likely embody everything you’re looking for in a perfect employee—so what’s the worry, right? Well, unfortunately, we’ve all found the triple “A” candidate who turns down the offer with a “Dear John” letter.
Before you get to this point, look for red flags. Perhaps the potential hire seems to only be concerned about the money. Or if you’ve made an offer, they may ask for a week or two to consider, or simply stop returning your calls. Experience has shown me that active candidates who are solely interested in the money, and not the opportunity or organization, are typically not looking to make a change—they just want more change in their pockets. We can’t blame them for trying, but that’s counter-intuitive to the role we play.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, passive candidates are not typically interested in “gaming the system.” After all, it was you that contacted them, and generally their interest in any opportunity is sincere. Sure, they’d also probably like a few extra bucks in their pockets, but they weren’t out there searching with that goal in mind. All things considered, I’d entertain an interested passive candidate much sooner than one who’s active.
Timing is everything
I’m not a big Styx fan, but these wise words from guitarist Tommy Shaw often ring in my ears when candidates set interview times. If you think you’ve found the next big thing and they’ve set an interview during business hours, you may want to think twice. If they took the day off, yes, all is well ethically. I don’t often ask this directly, but hiring managers and recruiters should be keen in identifying those who are bilking time from their current employers. A lunch hour meeting is one thing, but as you interview, feel the candidate out. If your intuition tells you they’re working one over on the current employer, you must ask yourself, “Will they do this to us?”
If you don’t have anything nice to say...
We all know how this saying ends. Any time a candidate offers up unflattering information about their current employer, it should cause you to pause. Yes, unscrupulous organizations and managers definitely exist, however those who fail to exhibit good manners, regardless of the skills and experience that they bring to the table, will likely be repeat offenders. When the time suits their fancy, who’s to say negative remarks won’t be made about your organization? Over the years, I’ve only had four candidates openly belittle their current employees. While I did not move forward with these individuals, I did make it a point to do a bit of long-term observation and investigation. All I can offer up now is that I am at ease with my decisions.
Yes, helping to build, grow and make an organization better through the people that ultimately fill its walls is a difficult task, to say the least. In an attempt to fill quotas and fill needed gaps, we all want to find the perfect candidate as quickly as possible. As you peruse resumes and scan applicant tracking databases, slow things down and remember that sometimes what looks too good to be true is just that.
Read more of Michelle’s writing on the ResumeEdge Blog, here.
