Let’s face it, if we’re all being honest, most recruiters don’t know EXACTLY what qualifications the hiring managers are looking for in the roles they’re hiring for.
Why is that?
Well, most recruiters are not (nor should they be expected to be) subject matter experts for every role they’re hiring for, and they’re usually not clairvoyant so they can’t read the mind of the hiring manager.
Instead a recruiter has the joy of using vague job descriptions and intake meetings. Both of which only capture the surface of what is really needed for each role. Then they have the joy of reviewing a bunch of résumés, which also has vague, surface-level information.
The good stuff…the stuff that removes subjectivity and ambiguity…the stuff that helps improve hiring manager engagement…the stuff that allows everyone (including the applicants) to know who is actually qualified and who is not…is the stuff UNDER the surface, the detail, the “meat & potatoes”…the good stuff!
Here’s an Account Executive example of typical ambiguous job description jargon that doesn’t mean anything:
– Ability to manage complex sales cycle
– 2+ years sales related experience
– Excellent communication and presentation skills
– Outstanding proficiency with MS Office, specifically PowerPoint
– Good business acumen
– blah, blah, blah
That’s like 30% of the population in those examples! Applicants are going to interpret what that means 50 different ways. Recruiters and hiring managers are going to be frustrated and scratching their heads wondering why there are so many unqualified applicants.
What if you could just get this type of information given to you by every applicant for that Account Executive role. This would be an example of just one applicant:
– Spent most career selling to Medium Enterprises (1,000 – 5,000 employee companies)
– Spent most career selling to the “Mid-Management Level (Sr. Director, Director, Sr. Manager, Manager)”
– Last sales role ADS (avg. deal size) was $10,000 – $25,000
– Last sales role 75% of revenue came from existing clients
– Conducted own demos at 3 previous software companies
– Minimum Salary Expectation: $85,000
Now that’s information that’s actually useful.
Stop living and working with 1998 technology and tools…there is a better, easier, and faster way to screen applicants!!!
Check out the comments for two more great examples.
