Getting past the job adverts –understanding the recruitment process!

In a day where online recruitment and volume applications are the norm your recruiter will be able to give you honest feedback on your fit for a certain position or company. Many candidates are not aware of the CV volumes that agencies and employers receive. Up to 78% of the CVs we receive for a role are materially incorrect, by this we mean there is a serious error in the application eg the person does not have a visa, cannot speak the advertised languages or has no prior experience in the role. The growth in applications can reduce the feedback candidates receive as recruiters are overwhelmed.
To avoid this you need to do 2 things:

1. Apply for targeted and relevant roles that you have experience in. This will more likely result in you receiving feedback and getting into the interview process.
2. Follow up by email/phone to make contact with the advertiser. Applying by email does not guarantee receipt!

All too often the application process is complicated by pre-screening questions, faceless forms and submittals and the personal contact has been lost. Candidates seeking employment who call the advertiser receive direct response and may quickly get themselves pushed onto the shortlist. Interest and motivation still counts for a lot!

The advantage a recruiter offers a candidate is that they can give you information in addition to the “vanilla” job description. Your recruiter can tell you about the complete interview process, how to handle yourself, who will be conducting your interviews, how to prepare for the questions as well as example questions and other details that may not be available. Recruiters may know who has been rejected and why, preferences of a hiring manager, targets, etc. Applying for jobs directly or recruiters that cannot tell you these details makes the job of navigating the interview process all the harder.

When applying for your next job take stock of what exactly it is you want to do. Apply for roles that are relevant and personalize the application possibly following up with an email or phone call. If using a recruitment agent ask them about the interview process, who is involved, how long it takes, how many other people are in consideration, what the precise preferences are and/ or targets. If your recruiter does not know the answer they can call the client and get the information for you. Using the recruiter as an intermediary is a great way of getting to know as much about the role as possible and increasing your chances of success. Remember, a good recruiter will ask questions and should be happy to do so on your behalf, just remember to keep it professional!