Every industry faces its own problems. Whether it is IT, HR, Marketing or Sales. But do specific groups of professions, such as recruiters, too? After all, the Internet says their lives are strewn with roses, and it’s easy to rebrand. Find out what frustrates recruiters the most – and why?
A few words about the most frustrating recruitment methods
In 2022, we conducted a survey about Talent Pooling. From the information that recruiters have obtained, it is clear that direct search/sourcing is the most frustrating recruitment method. This method was indicated by 40.6% of respondents. Advertisements on recruitment portals/social media came in second place, as this method of reaching a candidate was indicated by 26.3% of respondents. The most common reasons for the listed methods to cause upset are lack of response from the candidate and applications from unqualified individuals – indicated equally by 22.7% of recruiters. Another reason, for example, is the time-consuming nature of these methods – the opinion of 17.8% of respondents.
Recruiters spend by far the most time just on sourcing, and this was confirmed by as many as 78% of respondents.
Read more about the most frustrating recruitment methods HERE.
What annoys recruiters about candidates?
Candidates, what you shouldn’t do during the recruitment process!
There are a few basic behaviors in candidates that frustrate the recruiter. If a job applicant is involved in recruitment and wants to maintain a good relationship with the recruiter, he or she should beware of a few behaviors during the recruitment process. Here’s a list of the most basic stumbling blocks you can upset a recruiter with.
Lying on a resume and/or during an interview – lies always come out. Even if you recognize that a slight coloring of skills or experience in a resume is not a bad thing, you must remember that if you are invited to an interview, there will be questions about the resume you sent – and then the recruiter will verify whether what was included in it is true.
Illegible resumes – a basic practice is to make your resume stand out. Remember to use the golden mean. Do not overdo it with the amount of information it contains, and do not give in too much to your imagination in terms of visuals. The more readable, aesthetically pleasing and specific the resume, the better. If the nature of your work can be expressed graphically, try to make your resume visually match the role you are applying for.
Massiveness – when sending your application (resume or cover letter) address the application to a specific company, do not use one template – mass-sent applications can be distinguished from those specified to a specific employer.
Lack of interest – definitely let go of nonchalance or demandingness at the interview. Such behavior will only discourage you. Simple confidence in yourself and your skills is enough to win the recruiter’s interest and favor.
Lack of respect – treat the recruiter as a partner, remember that he or she is the link between you and the employer and wants the best for both parties. This is not always a simple task. Also remember to respect the recruiter’s time, if you are unable to show up for a meeting, or are not interested in the offer – let them know, reschedule or cancel the meeting, it’s a small thing, one message, and it will change a lot.
Ghosting – with perpetually busy schedules, ghosting of recruiters is not an uncommon occurrence, on the contrary, it is becoming more frequent. Recruiters hate , “pouncing,” so if you don’t show up for meetings and don’t respond to messages, it will result in no offers from recruiters. Recruiter networks are really vast, so if a candidate notoriously “ignores” processes, this world will find out about it and stop spending its time on such people. You can read more about ghosting in recruitment HERE.
What frustrates recruiters in the HR industry?
Like any industry – even human resources has its own problems and pains that it faces on a daily basis. What frustrates recruiters about it?
Shortage of candidates – currently we can talk about the fact that specialists on the market are few and far between. Why? Because few people with experience (especially in the IT industry) are looking for work. The ads no longer receive as many responses as they once did.
Nowadays, there is a tendency to look for candidates in the form of, for example, sourcing or talent pooling strictly of those already working, or on the basis of expanding the network by recommending candidates or offering them, for example, better terms of employment, more interesting projects, or a higher rate.
Unrealistic expectations of managers and poor responsiveness and communication – Situations in which people with inadequate knowledge of the market outsource recruitment are often problematic. The reason? Candidates are scarce, and the client may require the delivery of several recommendations in just a few days – which may be, for a particular industry, position or offer, simply unrealistic.
There are also situations when recruitment is not a priority and the manager himself extends the duration of the recruitment due to, for example, lack of time to talk to the candidate or postponing the topic of defining specific conditions and requirements. The person interested in the job is discouraged by the company, and the recruiter who conducted the recruitment process is blamed.
As you can deduce – communication is key to working effectively and succeeding in any industry and in any position.
Professional burnout
Frustration occurring at work can result in job burnout. This syndrome is increasingly common, regardless of age, position and industry. It also appears among recruiters. Among other things, due to the stress, meeting exorbitant demands, or time pressures that this profession entails. You can learn more about the Burnout Phenomenon HERE.
As you can see, the job of a recruiter is not strewn with roses as it might seem. Like any other industry, it has its difficulties and struggles. The most important thing is to be able to develop mechanisms within yourself to deal with them. Remember that it helps to keep wellbeing and hygiene in check when dealing with frustration.
