Someone wrote: “I know you want to put the candidate in the control of their career, but make sure you tell candidates how to be a responsible driver.” It’s a great point. Just because you control your career doesn’t mean that you can make everyone else bend to your will. It doesn’t matter how good you are: you still need a recruiter and a hiring manager to be on your side.
Anyone who has worked as a recruiter knows the horror stories. You find the perfect candidate. They have an amazing portfolio of work, outstanding references and are great during the interview. It’s a slam dunk. All that’s left is negotiating the offer.
And then disaster strikes. Maybe someone said something during an interview like: “You are our top candidate” or “I can’t imagine the hiring manager not putting you at the top of her list.” Somehow, someway, the candidate becomes overly confident that the job is locked in. They move from guiding the process to believing they can control it. The perfect candidate is now the perfect nightmare.
Usually it starts with the candidate making scheduling demands. Next comes the dismissive emails, the constant reminders about other offers, the number of recommendations ...
