What recruiters like in a job candidate

- [Instructor] Recruiters are the gatekeepers to hiring managers. And one quality they consistently look for in applicants, likability. Here's how to increase your likability factor with recruiters. First, complete the application. Yeah, this sounds basic but you may be surprised. Internal recruiters are working on multiple open roles with several hiring managers with different demands and tons of different timelines. Most aren't trying to give you busywork by asking you to complete an online form or assessment, but rather trying to keep all things organized. Even if you have a referral into the company, which I highly recommend to avoid some of the gymnastics and whims of the applicant tracking system, it's likely you'll need to complete the standard online application for legal reasons. Well as a former recruiter I'll be the first to say this process has a lot of room for improvement. Being difficult may get you weeded out since recruiters likely have other qualified candidates in the que. Don't stonewall the salary question. It's standard for recruiters to ensure a candidate is in the salary range before moving them to the next step. This is equally helpful to the candidate so that you don't waste your time on a role that doesn't pay what you expect. While you may have been coached to avoid giving a number, which is good advice by the way, don't be so stubborn it costs you the relationship. A better process is to ask if a salary range has been determined by the company so that they give the number first. If you don't get a direct response simply share a range that incorporates your target salary. For example, based on what I know about the role at this stage, I'm expecting between X and Y. Even if pressed for your current salary, which is irrelevant and now illegal in several U.S. states, you can still include your expected range within your answer so there's no confusion later. Build a relationship. While you're correct in assuming that the hiring manager is the person you ultimately need to impress, don't make the mistake of treating the recruiter like a stepping stone. They can be a helpful advocate if they like you. Be respectful, send a thank you note, and keep in touch. Even if things don't work out with the primary role you're targeting, they likely have several open roles to fill for different managers or departments and may know of other jobs in the company that could be a match. Understand their challenges. Hiring moves at a glacial pace. In my experience this is often due to hiring mangers lack of availability, not the recruiters lack of responsiveness. If you're not getting a reply as quickly as they promised, which is typical, recognize the hiring manager may be traveling, waiting on a sign-off from a supervisor, or otherwise unavailable. Yes it might also be the company has sloppy hiring practices or is entertaining their top choice while you wait as runner up. But if you lose your cool you may also lose this opportunity or another one in the future. Feel free to briefly check in with an email stating, I really enjoyed meeting the team last month and am very interested in next steps. Recruiters often have more openings than they can fill, and need to hound hiring mangers to get a response. While this might make for a less than stellar candidate experience for you, recognize it may or may not be representative of what working at the company will be like. So choose your battles.