What are candidates looking for

What are candidates looking for

 

The answer to this question is rather simple at first glance. They are looking for a job so they can earn money!!! so the most essential aspect of the job would be how much does it pay. It gets more exploratory when the candidate is not exactly looking for just money. Recruiters should be able to understand this and not just start throwing numbers at the candidates.

 

A recruiter’s job becomes one of a recruitment councilor when he/she comes to know that the candidate they are talking to has many other parameters in mind apart from the pay rate. The job becomes tougher when the candidate only gives you 30 seconds to impress him/her with your job proposal. If the recruiter is able to touch the inner expectations effectively then they have a good submission. 2019 had been a seller’s market and so will be 2020. From what I see around us, the hiring market is heating up. Multiple jobs are chasing a candidate. They are spoilt with choice and this has increased their expectation level. They are increasingly asking for better benefits, 2-3 days / week remote work, higher responsibilities, better work-life balance.

 

Candidates are not hesitant to tell the recruiters that the only reason he/she is looking for a change is because he wants to work from home rather than going to office 5 days per week. Many candidates are not really concerned about how big is the organization on the contrary they are looking to work with startups, while there are many candidates who are very brand conscious. Some candidates tend to reject offers just because the manager who interviewed him/her was not liked by them while some are ok with work environment as long as they are able to work on the technologies they want to. Most good candidates are not even posting their resumes online these days and they have a very good reason to do so.

 

Candidates which post resumes online are hounded by recruiters day and night. They end up wasting so much time managing these recruiters that a point comes where they get tired with the search. Good candidates are getting 1-2 positions on daily basis, even without any effort to find a job. Recruiters message them on LinkedIn, do headhunting, find their personal contact information and screen their LinkedIn profiles. In such a scenario they are content with what comes their way, instead of going all out to find a job. As a search firm we like to focus on passive candidates who are not looking for jobs. Old candidates which have found their way in our huge internal database. Candidates whose GitHub account is impressive and they are authorities in the technologies they specialize on.

 

Following are the non-rate related negotiating points that can help a recruiter close a good candidate:

– Exposure to latest technologies
– Greater Benefit
– Better Commute
– Opportunity to grow
– Company image in the market
– Ability to work partial remote
– Company Domain
– The work can maintain their clearance level
 
Article by: Kites Consulting