Recruiting in China

Our exploration of The Job Candidate Bill of Rights created by Accolo¡¯s John Younger gave us a chance to take an in depth look at what it is that job candidates want, expect, and deserve from recruiters and hiring managers.

The 11-week series led to discussion among candidates, but it also sparked some talk regarding the rights of the recruiter. Over at Confessions of an Executive Restaurant Recruiter they even took the candidate Bill and applied the rights one-to-one for the recruiters of the world.

We love the idea of a Recruiter Bill of Rights (and a hiring manager Bill of Rights for that matter), so we¡¯ve borrowed some ideas from the aforementioned Executive Restaurant Recruiter post, the folks at SittingXlegged, Guerilla Job Hunting, and recruiters that we work with. We¡¯ve also culled the depths of our own addled brains just for good measure to come up with our own Recruiter Bill of Rights:

1.Self-Evaluation: Job candidates will look themselves in the mirror and form an honest opinion of what they want out of a job and what they have to offer. They will also realize that maybe they aren¡¯t perfect for every single job on the market.

2.Homework: Job candidates will not go into interviews blindly. They will utilize the resources at their disposal to learn as much as possible about the company and the position.

3.Truth: Job candidates will provide the truth in regard to experience, education, accomplishments, etc. Lying on a resume doesn¡¯t help anyone.

4.Change: Candidates shall be willing to listen to advice given by the recruiter when advice is given in an honest attempt to help. Candidate will also be willing to make the changes necessary to make themselves a better candidate for the positions they¡¯re interested in obtaining.

5. Salesmanship: It¡¯s important to realize that while your dreams are meaningful, they¡¯re not always the top priority for a company. Candidates should commit to demonstrating how they can serve a company right now and selling themseleves as the right candidate for the job.

6. Communication: Hiring managers will keep open communication with recruiters on all matters pertaining to the job search. They will give timely updates when their needs change or when new positions open.

7. Commitment: Hiring managers will commit to hiring. If the right candidate comes through the door, mangers won¡¯t put off hiring just for the sake of ¡°seeing as many people as possible.¡±

8. Integrity: Job candidates don¡¯t have to accept every job offer that comes their way. However, coming up with a new set of demands each time is not a viable means for finding the right position or the right compensation, and it makes the recruiter¡¯s job almost impossible.

9. Follow-Up: It¡¯s something that candidates demand, but sadly they don¡¯t receive it enough. They¡¯re not the only ones, though. Recruiters also need to be kept abreast of the candidate¡¯s situation. Whether it¡¯s touching base after an interview or just returning phone calls.

10. Respect: It¡¯s the lifeblood of the job search, but nobody feels the other parties involved are giving them any. Candidates need to respect the time, efforts, and basic humanity of recruiters, and they should expect the same.

Over the next several weeks, we hope to break this Bill down just as we did the last. Hopefully it will give everyone a better understanding of the challenges facing recruiters, and maybe it will help candidates and recruiters work together more effectively than they have in the past.