Ask Recruiters How to Nail Your Email Responses and Phone Interview

Ask Recruiters How to Nail Your Email Responses and Phone Interview Ask Recruiters How to Nail Your Email Responses and Phone Interview Receiving direct contact from a recruiter is an exciting part of the job search and a welcome break from rejection elendices and non-responses. Out of hundreds of applicants or thousands of LinkedIn profiles, the recruiter decided you were one of the few worth reaching out to congrats The next step is to validate their instincts. Whether youre responding to a recruiter email or participating in an initial phone interview, its critical to show that you are professional, skilled, and a strong communicator.We reached out to four recruiters to gain insight into what theyre looking for in these initial interactions.Samantha Harmon, AjilonAdam Karpiak, Karpiak ConsultingLizbeth Hernandez, JobscanTabitha Trent Cavanagh, ThinkingAheadHow to Respond to a Recruiter EmailA recruiter could be sending an email or LinkedIn InMail to you for a couple reasons. Typic ally, theyre either doing cold outreach for a role (sourcing) or responding to your job application.What to do when a recruiter contacts you unexpectedlyWhen a recruiter finds your LinkedIn profile and messages you out of the blue, their primary objective is to open a dialogue.Im hoping to be able to hear something that isnt a complete shut down, said Karpiak. I just want a sliver of daylight where I can try to figure out what kind of value I can add for them.I hope to establish a mode of communication to keep us on their radar and convert them to apply, said Hernandez.Recruiters are generally happy to receive any response at all during cold outreach. Jump way up their list by going beyond a simple tell me more and showing genuine interest in the role.I feel confident about them when they take the time to look up the company before they even draft their response to me, said Hernandez. If they respond with anything that shows that theyve researched the company, our founders, our mis sion, or my background, thats always good news.Ultimately, the best responses to those messages include something like, Yes, I am interested. When can we set up a time to connect? said Harmon. It shows interest on their part, and it demonstrates the lets meet halfway mentality.Harmon added that only following up with questions about the client or pay things an agency recruiter might not even be able to disclose at that point can suggest that they arent actually interested, or that they may not binnenbinnensee what we do as valuable. Those people are likely not going to become candidates.Some job seekers might not have a high opinion of recruiters after slogging through a job search, but there are great recruiters out there who will become your advocate if you let them. When a recruiter comes calling, its not a time to vent your frustrations. Be professional and courteous.Unless they are downright rude, nothing would really deter me from wanting to have an initial conversation, sa id Cavanagh.I can tell sometimes if a candidate will not get along with me or treat me like a cog, said Karpiak. Im not a cog. Im a partner in the process. If they just want me to blast them out there or are disrespectful to me because Im a recruiter, Ill pull the plug.Get more recruiters to your inboxHow to Scan a Resume with Jobscan (208)How to Scan a LinkedIn Profile with Jobscan (253)??Text Tutorial Try it NowApply for jobs with a resume optimized for the exact applicant tracking systems recruiters use.Text Tutorial Try it NowBring recruiters directly to you by optimizing your profile for LinkedIn search.How to respond to a recruiter phone interview requestIf youve applied for a job and a recruiter responds, its likely to schedule a phone screening. Replying to these messages can be nerve-racking for job seekers who suddenly see their dream job within reach. The key to these interactions isresponsiveness.When I email a candidate to schedule a phone screen, what I mostly care ab out is, Are they being a pain to schedule? said Karpiak.We look for clear and professional responses, but we really look for responsiveness in general, said Harmon. That dictates how smoothly our process of working with them will go and how invested they are in their job search at this point.The real tests come during the phone call.What Recruiters Are Looking for in Your Phone InterviewThe phone interview is your opportunity to validate the recruiters instincts and show off the depth of your skills.We ask basic questions about the candidates skillset to make sure that were on the same page about experience and requirements, said Harmon.Hernandez wants to know how theyve applied the skills and qualifications from their resume into their actual work.Instead of reciting the skills on your resume, its much more important to intelligently discuss what it is you do, exactly.Its easy to list things on a resume, Hernandez continued, but when I ask you to tell me about your background, I wa nt to see how confident you are in verbally articulating that skillset and how you market yourself.A set of corporate recruiters weighed in on this in a previous article. You want to know how good they are conveying their past experience to someone that theyve never met, said non-profit recruiter Andrew. In that initial conversation, Im gauging what their communication skills are like.Recruiters cover a lot of ground in a short phone interview.Confirming that your skills align with the job description is a primary concern for recruiters at this stage yet they have more ground to cover during the 15-30 minute phone interview.This is the recruiters first good opportunity to start assessing culture fit and long-term expectations.Culture fit is big, but at a startup, I also look for things that a candidate can add to the team or potentially even teach our team, said Hernandez.I care about their interests, their passions and their WHY, said Cavanagh.Hernandez added that this candidate mi ght be my coworker one day, so I am screening for someone who will be respectful, friendly, and mindful towards the team.This also includes how a candidate fits in not only with the current team, but the companys long-term goals.Tell me what you want down the line, said Karpiak. Then tell me why you cant achieve that at your current job.Where do you see yourself eventually may be cliche and perhaps overused, said Hernandez, but it actually lets me know whether or not we can offer you the ability to pursue that goal and, from a business perspective, whether our joint goals align.Hiring someone is a big investment. While you dont necessarily need a structured five year plan, having a clear idea of what youre working towards can inspire confidence in the recruiter, especially if you make a point to align it with company values.How to respond to a recruiter (and nail it)To recapBe responsive. Dont make the recruiter work for it.Show your interest by researching the company and the role .Articulate your skills and experience clearly. Know why youre good at what you do.Show that youll be a good coworker by being friendly, professional, and courteous.Prepare a long-term vision for your career (preferably one that aligns with the company).Additional readingWhat Do Corporate Recruiters Want? We Asked ThemUnderstanding the Recruitment Process The Key to a Successful Job SearchHow to Answer What Are Your Salary Expectations?