Over the years I have had a few stories in my locker that still make me smile. A couple of them relate to “dressing for an interview”. A new recruiter on my team was working a mandate with a very good client of ours who needed an admin support person. A pretty junior role but a good job with a good company. The recruiter suggested the candidate wear her best dress for the interview (this was quite a few years ago). The morning of the interview the candidate arrived and she did indeed have on her best dress, a short fluffy bridesmaid dress… We briefed the client and he didn’t blink an eye, conducted the interview and hired her on the spot. If I’m remembering correctly, she retired from the company after 20 years.
The second was a while ago too. I was interviewing a young man right out of university for an entry level position with a pharmaceutical company. He arrived in the most vibrant green suit I had ever seen and prominent on the right cuff was a sewn-on label from the retailer. I cautiously suggested that he remove that before his interview with my client but he was unsure thinking it should stay put. I won and it was removed easily and he got the job. The miracles of LinkedIn connected us a few years ago and he thanked me again for the advice and told me he had risen to a VP role in the pharmaceutical industry.
Recruiters have a tremendous responsibility to handle candidates with care. We hear personal stories that would rip your heart out and others that years later make us smile. We can’t always find someone a job or book them an interview but we can listen, we can return phone calls and answer emails, offer anecdotal information and suggestions.
Building a candidate data base is much more than collecting resumes!