Below is an interview with Alex Karmazin, a recruiter at one of the largest IT recruitment firms in USA. In light text are the questions. And right below it are Alex's answers. Let's go!
Briefly tell me about your recruiting experience?
I’ve been a recruiter at a large staffing agency for about 12 months. Got into it after referring people into a job in my previous role. I loved the feeling of being able to help someone find a job they love and decided to do it full time.
What is the most common mistake that developers make in their interactions with recruiters?
Being dishonest about their past experiences or attempting to falsify their credentials (whether it’s about years of experience; tools; languages, etc.) I’m not the most technical of recruiters - I’ll admit that - but the truth will come out eventually either way. Even if I can’t catch it, the hiring manager will know exactly the kinds of questions to ask and how to spot the B.S. And guess what - now you’ve wasted your time, my time, my team’s time, and the hiring team’s time. Not only would I (or my company) not want to work with you in the future, but you’ve probably now been blacklisted wherever you tried to fraudulently land a job.
Should a candidate tell you that they have a job offer?
Yes, absolutely. There is no reason to hide something like this. If anything, it lets me know you are:
- Good enough at what you do for someone to extend you an offer, and;
- Are likely not happy with the offer, which allows me to probe into how I can potentially offer a better solution.
At the end of the day, nobody should ever “have” an offer. If I ever receive an offer for a job I absolutely want, not a minute will pass before I hit “Accept” on that email from HR. The fact that you “have” an offer obviously means you have certain concerns/doubts about it. Maybe I can help?
Should candidate say “I am open to opportunities”?
Usually, no. I get it if someone unemployed says this but if you already have a job and you say “I’m open” to any recruiter who gives you a call - that doesn’t really instill a sense of trust or loyalty for the person on the other line. All it means is that if I help you land a job you’ll just continue looking for whoever pays that extra dollar and will never really truly settle into a single role.
How should candidate answer the reason why they are looking for a job?
Truthfully. That’s it. Tell me what bothers you. Don’t like your job? Don’t like your boss? Don’t like your team or environment? Don’t like your career path? Don’t like your commute? Don’t like your pay or your benefits? I can’t really offer a solution unless you tell me what the problem is.
Are there anyways that recruiters mislead candidates?
I’m sure there are recruiters who do, and I’m sure all recruiters who do will proudly proclaim to never have. My cornerstone is always to be as transparent and brutally honest with you as I possibly can be; I’ll tell you everything I know and can possibly disclose, but it’s a two-way street. If you are deliberately attempting to mislead me or are being dodgy and I spot it - odds are we aren’t going to be working together in the future.
What is a perfect candidate for you?
No such thing. Again, just be honest and transparent; I’ll be honest and transparent back, and we can make things happen!
What is a bad candidate?
Many shapes and colors, but someone who has terrible soft skills, or sounds scripted/canned, or can’t speak to basic experience off their resume will be an obvious red flag for me. Another indicator is someone who doesn't follow through when they promise to - according to the time tables we both laid out and agreed to. If you say you will send your resume within 48 hours, and it’s been a week - I won’t even bother following up with you. Obviously, you’re either not actively looking or you are but can’t even manage your own schedule.
If a candidate sees a job posting on LinkedIn & a recruiter is offering the same opportunity: which one should the candidate pursue?
Depending on who the recruiter is and the company they work for. Plenty of “recruiters” will simply take your resume and go and apply with it to the LinkedIn posting. Some of my firm’s competitors are famous for this. I’m proud to say that we work directly with hiring managers and decision-makers vs just throwing your resume into a resume mill. All of the jobs we work on are “qualified”, with detailed job descriptions, manager information, and top attributes those managers will be looking for in the right candidate. If you go through me at least you’ll know where the resume will end up and will have a living person to keep you up to date on the job.
What would you recommend to a candidate who is working with you to land that dream job?
Well, first of all, tell me what that “dream job” is. Everyone has different “dreams”, and I’m happy to just show you everything I’m working on. Unless I understand what you want to be doing in your next role I can really only do so much in helping you achieve that dream. I almost always start my conversation with the candidate by just asking “What do you want to do next?” Often, depending on their answer, I’ll flat out tell them “Unfortunately, I can’t help you - that’s just not my niche - but I might know someone who can.”
What is a common weakness among technical candidates? For example, do you find them lacking communication skills OR do they show lack of motivation?
Not even communication skills, but more so soft skills. I speak to folks of all sorts of backgrounds on a daily basis and I’ve worked with people from all over the globe. A major turn-off, however, is when the person on the other end of the line is being deliberately rude or unprofessional. Look, I don’t want to waste your time, and I wouldn’t dare waste mine. If you don’t want to work with me - that’s fine, the best I can say is “good luck in your search”. I’m only a resource for you if you want me to be a resource. If you think you “got it” - all the more power to you.
How do you typically screen candidates?
I go through the candidate's experiencs, education, career track and logistics (commute, compensation, etc.) Ultimately, I want to make sure to touch base on all of the pains a candidate is experiencing in his/her current role to see if I can be helpful in alleviating any of those.
Should candidates tell you their current salary?
It certainly helps. I almost never ask this question instead asking something along the lines of “is there a specific number you’d like to target as far as compensation goes?” However, if a candidate is being dodgy in answering (“I’m flexible”, “I’m open”), I’ll switch gears and try to see where they were most recently, and I’ll use that - plus 5k or so - as a baseline. I don’t want to short-change anyone; we all have bills that need paying and a quality of life we are used to. The recruiter’s goal when I ask this question isn’t to try and see how I can swindle you, but to make sure I have a specific baseline that I can use if a relevant role comes along.
What are 5 Inside Tips for candidates to stand out?
Be transparent; be timely; be confident; e-n-u-n-c-i-a-t-e; and learn how to sell yourself.
What are good questions that candidates can ask you?
Since many of my clients are external, I can only answer so much about the environments and projects in which they’ll be working. I’ll provide every detail I can but a lot of those sorts of questions are best reserved for the hiring team. I’d be happy to walk through the logistics with you, like benefits, interview process, how to prepare for an interview, etc.