Vivo

Something doesn't smell right. Should you say something?

Dear VR:

As part of our interview process, we invite candidates in to shadow us for a day. A stellar candidate spent yesterday with me. The problem is he had extreme halitosis.

What should I have done? Should I tell HR the real reason I don’t want him to work here? Should we hire him anyway, and overlook the bad breath? Should we tell him?

PS: I now think this may be the reason he’s been unemployed for the past year.

Signed,

Still Gagging

Dear SG:

That is a tricky situation. It is definitely your right to say nothing and just decline to hire this candidate. You don’t owe him or anyone else anything more. But, just think of how much he might benefit from learning the truth. What if no one has ever told him?

Be honest with your HR department. Perhaps your HR Partner would be willing to speak up.

Each of us has had to suggest deodorant, bathing, and even had to ask consultants to step up their laundry habits. It’s a moment of discomfort for all involved. But once done, we all breathe a bit easier…

Companies may think you are overqualfied

This is by far the trickiest concept for candidates. It’s hard for anyone to wrap your brain around – if qualified is “good”, overqualified must be great. Notsomuch.

First, what is “overqualified”?

Generally speaking, it means that the candidate has too many years of experience, and/or has advanced behind this position’s level.  Simply, the client wants someone more junior than you. It could be that they want someone more hands on, and it could be that there is a fair amount of menial or rote work involved.  Either way, they specifically do not want people who exceed the minimum requirements from a career level or career focus standpoint.

Why isn’t overqualified an attractive attribute?

In a tight market, with tons of resumes, employers must make quick assumptions based solely on resumes.  Several assumptions can be made about the overqualified candidate: (1) he or she is desperate; (2) he or she will not enjoy the role; (3) he or she will be too set in his/her ways to be a valuable contributor to our team; and/or (4) he or she will leave for a more appropriate position at the first available opportunity to do so.

Can these negative assumptions be overcome?

The short answer is, “not easily”.  It is, after all, still a fairly tight market. However, several factors – if true – can keep the overqualified candidate from having each door slammed in his face. First, the candidate should be able to demonstrate a compelling reason for the seemingly backwards career move. Hate management, because you miss hands on? Love engineering, and found that “paperwork and processes” weren’t for you? Was this your favorite job, and something you’re looking to get back to?

Second, the candidate should have a tellable career story with the ability to showcase how this move does not detract from the big picture plan.  “My ultimate goal is to get into wireless, and spending 3 to 5 years in this role will really help where I’d ultimately like to end up.”

Third, the pay must be appropriate.  Explain why this compensation works for you. Sell it!

Fourth, don’t be defensive.  If I had a dollar for every candidate who defensively raises his voice when we ask about whether the role would be a step backwards, I’d have a pot of dollars. It’s there. It’s blaring. Discuss it.

Lastly, really want the position.  If it is truly beneath you, it shows in your interview. It comes across and there is no way you’ll get hired. 

But, none of this matters if you can’t get in. Ultimately, the overqualified candidate is best advised to network or leverage experienced placement firms to help position herself. Her resume is likely to get skipped over on paper alone. Anyone know a good recruiter?

This is too good not to share.  One of our recruiters, innocently sent the following e-mail:

“Hi [name removed to protect the candidate],

I had sent this job description to you later last week and never heard back. I was wondering what you think and if you would be interested. Is there a good time early next week where we could discuss the details? Please review the description below so you can see which position I am referring to.

Thanks!

[Silly Recruiter] (Not his real name.)”

An hour and a half later, he received this in response,

“Let me see…
I have not done Java in 4 years because the jobs were crap (boring, working with people that do not speak English!
The job description is in San Jose and I HATE people from the South Bay!
I am a Flash Game developer (MUCH more interesting).
Java is dying because they gave all the jobs to [deleted racist comment] and the best talent has moved on! The father of Java left Oracle!
I would rather slit my wrists!
I not interested now, in the future , or in the past in crappy Java Jobs!
Did that answer your question [silly recruiter]? “

Whoa there buddy. Thanks for the laugh!

This is too good not to share.  One of our recruiters, innocently sent the following e-mail:

“Hi [name removed to protect the candidate],

I had sent this job description to you later last week and never heard back. I was wondering what you think and if you would be interested. Is there a good time early next week where we could discuss the details? Please review the description below so you can see which position I am referring to.

Thanks!

[Silly Recruiter] (Not his real name.)”

An hour and a half later, he received this in response,

“Let me see…
I have not done Java in 4 years because the jobs were crap (boring, working with people that do not speak English!
The job description is in San Jose and I HATE people from the South Bay!
I am a Flash Game developer (MUCH more interesting).
Java is dying because they gave all the jobs to [deleted racist comment] and the best talent has moved on! The father of Java left Oracle!
I would rather slit my wrists!
I not interested now, in the future , or in the past in crappy Java Jobs!
Did that answer your question [silly recruiter]? “

Whoa there buddy. Thanks for the laugh!

Waiting for the phone to ring?

You’re perfect for the job. It was written just for you. Ever think that, and assume that recruiters just don’t know what they’re doing? Well, while that may be true, there may be more to the story. It may be your resume.

Here are 3 reasons your phone may not be ringing:

(1)    Too Long!  If your resume is more than 4 pages, it’s likely unnecessarily long. If there are two or more pages of technologies in which you excel, plus a page or so summary, before you even dive into your work history, your resume is not likely to be seen. Worse yet, resumes like this are often signs of a more junior candidate.  A wise client once told us, he uses a secret mathematical equation to discount the validity of a candidate’s experience, based on the number of resume pages. While we suspect he was joking, we do urge candidates to avoid naming every technology and task, and to highlight expertise on their resumes.

(2)    Poor Grammar and Misspellings. We rarely look the other way for poor grammar and misspelled words. If you miss a comma, most recruiters are not likely to dismiss you. However, using “there” instead of “their” and confusing “its” and “it’s” are good reasons to move on to the next resume.  For highly technical positions, we’ll come back to the resume with misspellings if no others were more qualified. But, that’s a big “if”.

(3)    Mismatched Fonts and Formats. This may sound picky, but how you put together your resume highlights several things about you as a potential employee. Your resume shows off your eye for detail. In some cases, it shows how you view consistency, and commitment to a theme. It may send a message about how much or little you care about image and appearance.  Mismatched fonts and formats really show us a level of carelessness that is often inconsistent with what our client has asked for in a candidate.

Our advice: Have a friend proofread your resume. Have someone you trust help you edit it down to a manageable size.

Everyone wants feedback.  At Vivo, we will give candidates as much constructive feedback as we are given.  However, not all clients give us feedback to pass on.  So, we’ve compiled some of the more typical comments we hear for those times when the candidate swears she “aced it”. Each of the 3 are subtle – and rarely go noticed by the candidate.  Which are you guilty of?

(1) The candidate was not passionate about the industry/company. In almost every interview, the candidate is asked something about why she or he wants the position.  This seems to be the “break time” for many candidates. The filler. A chance to get a sip of water, while the interviewer queues up more interesting questions.  What the candidates seem to forget, is that companies want employees – and even consultants – who feel strongly about them, and the industry in general.  Before the interview, research the company and the industry trends and give an answer that suggests you have a vested interest in working there not just anywhere.

(2) Overrated. Literally.  If you rate yourself an “8 out of 10” in something, you’d better have written a book on it.  This is the most common trap interviewers seem to love. We recommend not using numerical ratings.

(3) Inconsistencies. Inconsistencies are more than just “he didn’t do everything he said on his resume”. That would be easy to cure.  It’s more than that – it’s answers that do not support previous statements. Example, the candidate is asked what she likes about project management, and says she “loves the fast pace”.  When the next interviewer comes in, he asks “why are you leaving XYZ company?” and she answers, “the pace is frenetic and I’m burning out.”  When the two interviewers talk later, they disqualify the candidate for “inconsistencies”.

Now, you’ll note that this candidate had a very good explanation.  By “frenetic” she meant disorganized – fast, but with no direction.  But, not noting the potential inconsistency, and happy that her interviewer had smiled and nodded at her, she let that statement stand alone.  By thinking through and even practicing answers to common questions (What do you enjoy about this kind of work? Why are you leaving your present position? Etc.), she may have heard the potential inconsistency.  Simply answering “after a year there, I realize that they are not likely to put any meaningful structure in place for their project management approach, and I’m watching everyone around me burn out as a result” would have negated the “inconsistent” label.