An eager job seeker may have the best intentions, beginning with a phone call, sending a couple emails, then incessantly following up with the recruiter until they get a response. While the candidate may think they’re being proactive, their actions are actually scaring off recruiters and decreasing their odds of getting a callback. Keep reading to learn about the wrong way to interact with a recruiter to avoid making these mistakes in the future.
Constant Phone Call and Emails
As I mentioned above, reaching out to a recruiter by phone or email too many times will definitely scare off recruiters. While it’s great to follow up after an initial phone call or after an interview, there is a wrong way to do it too. As a rule of thumb, your first follow up should be seven days after an interview or initial phone call, and if you haven’t heard back then wait another 48 hours. If a recruiter tells you that they will contact you when they have heard something, then you should respect their wishes and wait to hear from them. A lot of times the recruiter’s hands are tied when it comes to timelines so if they don’t have an answer for you right away, it’s out of their control.
Not Revealing That You’re Interviewing With Other Companies
Many candidates are afraid to reveal to recruiters when they’re interviewing with other companies because they believe it will hurt their chances of landing the position. In fact, recruiters like to know this information upfront so they can better manage the situation. If the recruiter knows this ahead of time and an employer really likes you, then they will do their best to move the hiring process along before you can accept another position. But if you try to conceal this and it comes up later, the recruiter will lose their trust and may even pull you from the process.
Vague Messages on Social Media
Reaching out to recruiters through social media is often encouraged by many job experts, but there is a vague guideline about the best way to do it. Most recruiters are in agreement that candidates should not reach out via Facebook, but Twitter and LinkedIn are fair game. That being said, how you reach out and what you send in your message is very important too. For example, if you send a generic direct message on Twitter asking a recruiter to call you about a job, chances are they’re not going to respond. If you send your resume in the message or ask for their email address to send them your resume directly, you will get a much better response.
Even when candidates think they’re being proactive or have the best intentions, their actions can still be perceived as overbearing and cause the recruiter to stop communications. Think about these scenarios the next time you go to follow up or reach out to a recruiter and make sure you’re not doing it in a way that would offend them.
