During our weekly roundup of recruiting news last week, we came across a familiar conundrum. Talking to Forbes’ expert career advisor, Liz Ryan, a gentleman named Shane outlined his problem.
Shane starts off by explaining that over the course of his job hunting, he’s been to the same office four times to be interviewed. During the first three interviews, he’d met an HR person, employees in the Planning department, the hiring manager (we’ll call him David) and the VP of Strategy. From what he could tell, he’d received good feedback.
Weeks of exchanging information, sharing his references and a plethora of emails later, and he’s invited in for a “brain storming session.” He was initially reluctant to go to the session, as he was concerned about giving away consultation advice for free. Nonetheless, he went along, marking his fourth trip to the office.
This time the leaders are very complimentary, but the session comes and goes and he still has no job offer. He asks Liz, how can he push the company to either offer him a job, or get them to leave him alone? After all, he doesn’t want to jeopardise his chances of working there, but he also doesn’t want to be taken for a ride.
Liz’s advice was simple: start off by sending a note to David thanking him for his time and asking what the next steps will be. Mention that the job search is “heating up” – regardless of whether there’s another job offer in the pipeline or not – because if they are interested in actually hiring Shane, this note should prompt an over-the-phone conversation.
After all, Shane deserves to know whether David is serious or whether he’s wasting his time. Liz notes that should David request another interview, Shane should voice his worries in a non-confrontational way, by saying that he’s concerned that David and his colleagues don’t think he’s right for the job.
Then, Shane should express that he can only work for a company that has full faith in him. While Shane can’t be sure why they’re stalling and refusing to commit, Liz reiterates that he should know his worth. If the next conversation doesn’t end in an interview, he has to walk away.
Four interviews is more than enough time to decide and he’s already running the risk of giving away his expertise for free. As Liz explains: “just because a company is happy to pick your brain, it doesn’t mean they are willing to pay for your advice.”
As candidates, it can often feel like the companies have all the power and all you can do is kowtow to their demands, whatever they may be. But here’s where recruiters can help: by partnering with an expert team that has your best interests at heart, you can find the right job for you without worrying about being taken for a ride.
At Jefferson, we champion the candidate and choose job opportunities based on the individual. We value quality over quantity and so only suggest jobs that we know will be a hit for both candidate and employer. Get in touch today to see how we can help you.
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