How a College Grad Can Get Recruited

College grads should also recruit the recruiter

The recruit or career seeker must understand the recruiting process is a two way street! The recruiter, hiring manager or job interviewer has to sell the position and company to them as well!

Every step in the recruit, interview and hiring process is essentially a “buy me, because…” proposition. However, there is another point of view critical to the recruit or career seeker’s success. He or she must understand the recruiting process is a two way street! The recruiter, hiring manager or job interviewer has to sell the position and company to them as well!

A serious mistake college recruits and career seekers make is assuming the recruiter, hiring manager or interviewer is competent or properly trained in how to conduct the recruiting and hiring process! In my experience as an employment mediator, ill-trained individuals in each of these steps of the employment process are all too common. Companies routinely find themselves in legal hot water promoting individuals into management or recruiting positions and then “turn them loose” in process.

For instance, let’s take a look at the job interview process. The one thing that has been consistent is the inconsistency of job interview questions. Recruits and job seekers should understand that the person doing the interview might not be the sharpest knife in the drawer. He or she may not have been adequately trained. Job interviewers routinely ask illegal or improper questions either out of ignorance or deliberately with the intent to discriminate against certain groups. That makes learning to give good job interview answers and asking good job interview questions so important. The questions asked at job interviews often hide what the job interviewer really wants or needs to know! One of the things in the job interview process for the applicant involves discovering what that is. As a recruit, why am I being asked these interview questions?

When preparing for a job interview spend time investigating the business. You should learn about the history of the company and what it does for the industry. Review the company’s website and its about us page. I would be looking at how well it treated its employees with things like salaries, benefits and promotional opportunities. Ask the interviewer questions such as:

“What are the company’s goals?”

“Where does the company see itself in five, ten years?”

“Why is the company a good fit for you?”

“Why will the company be a good fit for me?”

Try to find out how well the company is doing financially. It would be to the job recruit’s advantage to know if the company is going to be around for a while. You could do some research with the Chamber of Commerce and the Better Business Bureau. I would make inquiries with local, state and federal consumer advocacy groups for any complaints filed against the employer.

Is it on the verge of layoffs that could include the position I’m being recruited for?

Will the business be sold in the near future?

Are their any bankruptcy issues?

Does the organization have a history of employment complaints on file with state and federal agencies?

Are there any employees that you know personally, who could give some insight into the “culture” of the organization and its management?

College graduates and career seekers are not just being recruited to interview for a job; they should recruit the company and job to get an interview with them!

Yancey Thomas Jr at You can learn basic employee rights of TN @ Aug 28, 2008 19:39:08 PM