Navigating the Recruitment Journey

Supporting candidates throughout their recruitment journey is our top priority when building relationships with professionals in our network. We have consulted our experienced talent acquisition team here at Aubay UK for their valuable advice regarding how to put your best foot forward, make sure who you are as a person comes across in the interview process, dispel a few recruitment myths, and more.

How can a candidate impress you during an interview? 

• Engage in meaningful conversation: Some people join interviews with the expectation that they are going to be asked a bunch of questions and they just need to have the right answers. In actuality, the interview should be a meaningful conversation for both parties. Showing a genuine interest and actively engaging in the conversation is a great way to leave a lasting impression on the interviewer.
• Demonstrate your due diligence: If a candidate has done a significant amount of research about a company and is able to showcase their knowledge in the conversation, it demonstrates their level of interest in both the role and the company.
• Articulate your suitability for the role effectively: In the interview, clearly communicate why you are the ideal candidate for the position, but also manage your time well. You should aim to highlight your skills, experiences, and qualifications that are relevant to the role clearly and thoughtfully. Rambling can demonstrate poor communication and time management skills.
• Asking lots of open-ended questions: Any recruitment process is a two-way evaluation. Yes, the interviewer is assessing if you are suitable for the role, but this is your time to gather the information you need answered to decide if this is a company you actually want to work for and a role you actually will enjoy. You need to have prepared a minimum of 5 open-ended questions to ask during the interview. It’s better if you have 10 or more questions.
•  Finish the interview assertively: Conclude the interview by expressing your interest in the role, ensure that your questions are answered, and ask what the next steps are and who you will be speaking with next.

How can a candidate actually make their personality shine?

• Being an active participant in the recruitment process: If you are an active participant in screening calls, interviews, requesting feedback, and any other conversations you are having with the recruiter, your personality will naturally reveal itself because you will get to know the recruiter better.
• Examples are the most effective tool in your kit: You can tell from the examples a candidate provides how committed they are to their job and if they are passionate about what they do. Recounting a story, positive or negative, can provide valuable insight into your character and who you are as a person – helping the recruiter assess if you will be a good culture fit with the rest of the team.

How much should I be reaching out to a recruiter?

Take the initiative when you are working with a recruiter to build a relationship and rapport with them. People tend to assume that the recruitment process is fast, but it often isn’t. The recruiter will keep your resume and notes in their pipeline and will get in touch with you if the right opportunity arises. The people being hired now probably started building a relationship with the recruiter a couple of months before. Even if the recruitment process was unsuccessful for one role, stay in touch with the recruiter because they may have an opportunity that is more suitable for you in the future.

What is a misconception that a lot of candidates have about CVs?

There’s this notion that your CV must be one page because recruiters won’t read past the first page. This isn’t true. It is far more important that they are able to read your CV easily. It’s actually preferable that your CV is two pages but easy to read instead of squishing it all on one page. And if you are a highly experienced candidate, don’t be afraid to have a 4-5 page CV. Just ensure that all of the information is relevant and contributes something with meaning to your CV.

What are you looking for when you are reviewing a CV?

The most important thing on a CV is always the content’s relevance. You should be able to articulate not only your work experience, but also your relevance for the role that you are applying for based on technical, functional, or business domain. We’re looking at education level and how long candidates are staying in jobs.

No matter what, your CV should be laid out very clearly, no fancy gimmicks are needed. But what we’re also looking for is something different, whether that be something unique about the candidate’s experience, or to do with their hobbies, interests, and languages listed.

What is a red flag when you are reviewing a CV?

• Copy and pasted responsibilities and accomplishments: The level of achievement, mission, and responsibilities is distinct for every role. If a candidate has just repeated the same description multiple times, it shows the candidate isn’t serious.
• Inconsistencies and simple errors: Correct use of grammar, spelling, clarity, and consistent formatting demonstrates professionalism and attention to detail.
• A strong pattern of poor stability: If there are a couple of gaps or short experiences, this isn’t a problem. However, if there is a strong pattern of leaving roles after not much time, this raises concerns for recruiters.

What are recruiters looking for on a candidate’s LinkedIn profile?

• Informative and consistent: Your LinkedIn profile should be as informative as possible, but maybe not as in-depth and detailed as your CV. Avoid any discrepancies, consistency in presenting your experience across both platforms is important.
• Your profile is kept up to date: Even if you are not actively seeking a new role, it’s still important to keep your profile up to date because a recruiter may still be looking at your profile and have an interesting opportunity for you.
• You’re engaging with your industry: It’s always nice to see that a candidate is engaging with your industry and that they have a strong professional network, but it’s not essential.

Don’t forget that every recruitment process is a mutual evaluation. While you are being assessed for suitability, you also have the opportunity to evaluate the company and role. Approach the process as an active and engaged participant, and initiate the open-ended conversations to have to gather the information you need to make an informed decision. Not only will this help you make your final decision when it comes time to accept an offer letter, but it will impress the recruiters and hiring managers that you speak with – leaving a lasting and professional impression.

If you have any questions or want further advice, feel free to reach out to any member of our talent acquisition team who will be more than happy to help you out!