Navigating the interview process through a recruiter is often like engaging in a complex game without knowing the rules, but if you understand the process and play strategically, you can reduce some frustration and give yourself the best chance at success.
A college friend of mine recently reached out to me for advice after a couple of frustrating experiences with recruiters. On two separate occasions, after interviews with different recruiters, he was told he was moving on to the next round and his resume was being forwarded to the hiring manager, when in fact, this was not true.
Why would a candidate be told they had made it past the initial screening process when the recruiter had no intention of forwarding their information to the hiring manager?
Today, I am going to share some insights that may help you better understand how the different methods of candidate recruitment work and some steps you can take to avoid believing your search is going better than it is.
A Candidate Is Misled During Recruitment Process
In my role as President of MarketPro, I often receive calls asking for advice or perspective regarding the executive search process. The MarketPro team of seasoned former marketing executives has a proven track record and long history of success in placing C-Suite marketing talent.
While our primary focus is on executive roles such as Chief Marketing Officer, Head of Brand, Head of Communications, , Chief Digital Officer, and other marketing-specific senior level positions, we have spent over two decades developing an extensive understanding of the recruitment process, which gives us a thorough and unique vantage point when it comes to different practices within the recruitment industry.
I had a very interesting conversation recently with a friend from college who called me to get some advice on his job search. His area of expertise is not in marketing, so he is not a candidate that we would normally work with at MarketPro, but the situation he encountered can happen to anyone.
During two different interview processes, my friend was told after his initial interview with the recruiters that his information was being forwarded on to the hiring manager. This would indicate that he passed their initial assessment and would get the opportunity to meet the hiring manager and the chance to be considered for the job.
Because of his network within the industry, he was able to determine that this was not true and that in both cases his resume never reached the hiring manager’s desk. Obviously, this was frustrating to him, and he wanted to understand why this happened and what he might do differently in the future to prevent this.
Before I go into some of the potential reasons that may have contributed to my friend’s unfortunate experience, I want to provide you with some information about the way different recruitment firms work.
Executive Recruitment Is Not All Done The Same Way
As a candidate, it is important to understand that there are different types of recruiters, and they do not all operate in the same way. There are both internal and external recruiters, and those that work on contingency and those who work on a retainer basis.
Internal Recruiters
Some companies have an “in-house” recruiter who is employed by the company and exclusively fills roles within their organization. This individual may receive bonus compensation for each candidate they place.
External Recruiters
External recruiters are hired by companies to help them find candidates to fill open roles, and they work with multiple clients at one time.
Then, within these external recruitment firms, there are those who work on a contingency basis and those that are retained. Your experience as a candidate can be very different depending on which category your recruitment firm falls into.
Contingency Firms
A contingency-based search firm only gets paid if the hiring organization chooses to hire one of the candidates they presented. This model focuses on the first available candidate. These firms normally work with numerous companies and handle a large number of job openings per employee. Also, many companies that use contingency firms to find talent will give the details of the position they are seeking to fill to more than one contingency firm, and some also run their own search at the same time.
Some of the main downsides of contingency firms are they are more focused on quickly filling positions, which often means they do not thoroughly vet candidates, and they are more likely to concentrate on those who are already looking for jobs rather than seeking out the best talent for a specific role.
Retained Firms
A retained executive search firm is hired by a company to find premier talent for high-level leadership positions, such as CEOs, CFOs, or other C-suite executives. These firms partner closely with the hiring organization throughout the entire process, and they are the only firm tasked with finding talent for this role. Organizations pay the executive search firm a sum of money (retainer) upfront, and then the remainder of their fee is collected using one of a few different fee structures.
Some of the biggest benefits of using a retained search firm like MarketPro, the leader in marketing executive search, is that the level of dedication and commitment they offer far surpasses that of contingency firms.
They Know What Their Client Is Looking For
They build a solid consultative relationship with the hiring organization and have a deep understanding of their needs and culture, which leads to finding an individual who is a great fit.
They Conduct A Broader Search
They invest the time and resources to conduct in-depth searches, focusing on the best possible candidates who are unlikely to be actually looking for a new role.
The Client Only Meets The Top Candidates
These candidates are meticulously screened to ensure only the cream of the crop is sent to interview with the client. At MarketPro, we interview between 70 and 75 candidates for any given position, and after going through our meticulous vetting process, we end up with six or seven who move on to meet with the hiring manager.
Why Would A Recruiter Tell A Candidate They Were Moving On In The Interview Process When They Were Not?
Now that we have defined the different types of recruiters, it will be a bit easier to explain what my friend most likely experienced during his two recruiter-based interviews.
The First Scenario
As explained earlier, firms that work on contingency are looking to find a candidate faster than their competition can. My friend’s first interview was with a contingency-based recruitment firm that likely asked him two or three screening questions they came up with based on the information they received from the hiring manager. Based on these questions and the recruiters limited understanding of client needs, they ruled him out. So why did they tell him that they would be forwarding on his information instead of just telling him that he was not a good fit?
It seems likely that the recruiter did not want him to attempt to work with a competing agency or forward his information directly to the client. In the event that the recruiter was wrong in their initial determination (that he was not a good fit) and the client chose to hire him, they would not be compensated at all for the placement. So rather than being honest with my friend, they just told him he was making it to the next round so it would reduce the risk of him continuing to pursue the position without them. Unfortunately, this is common when working with contingency-based firms.
At MarketPro, we form lasting relationships with our clients and our candidates and offer both parties any consultative help we can. We would clearly tell a candidate that despite their excellent background and experience, the client was really looking for this specific skill set and that they were just not a close enough fit this time.
The Second Scenario
His second interview was with an internal recruiter from inside the hiring organization, and once again, he was told his information would be passed on to the hiring manager. An internal recruiter is totally different from either type of external recruiter and is an employee of the hiring company, has total knowledge of what they are looking for, and is dedicated to securing talent for available positions within the company.
My friend actually came in through an employee referral program, which can be an effective way to secure new high quality talent. Since the candidate was referred by a current employee, the employer knows they have already been somewhat pre-screened, and if they do not perform well, it reflects poorly on the referring individual, which holds them both to high quality standards.
Employee referral programs provide a bonus to the referring employee. Internal recruiters typically receive a bonus for each filled role. Unfortunately, we have seen it too often that companies can be short-sighted in how they allocate bonuses, by removing the recruiter bonus if they have to pay the employee referral bonus. This will lead the recruiter to look out for their own interests, not of what is best for the organization.
We do not know for sure what happened to my friend but based on the circumstances, these are the likely outcomes.
What You Can Do As A Candidate To Alleviate Frustration
Find out if the external recruiter is a retained executive search firm or a contingency search firm
Ask the recruiter you are talking with if they are a contingency firm or a retained search firm. There is nothing wrong with working with a contingency-based firm, and there are many reputable ones out there placing candidates in great jobs every day. If the contingency search firm presents you with an opportunity, obviously the right thing to do is work with them. A retained search firm offers many significant advantages, but they typically only work senior level roles.
- They work closely with the hiring organization, so they have a complete understanding of the role;
- They are focused on finding the right fit, will offer you honest feedback, and have the ability based on their compensation model to be straight with you every step of the way;
- You may not be the right fit for this current placement, but a retained firm is more likely to take detailed notes on your candidacy and contact you down the road for another position.
If you choose to interview with a firm that works on a contingency basis, you will at least be aware of some of the things you may encounter.
Keep In Touch With Any Employee Who Refers You For A Position
If you meet with an internal recruiter and they tell you they are sending your resume on to the next step, then you should reach out to your referring contact and let them know where you are in the process. Let them know the internal recruiter told you they were forwarding your resume to the hiring manager and ask your contact to reach out to the hiring manager directly and put in a good word for you. This mitigates the risk of your resume not being forwarded due to any conflicts of interest.
When you are ready to make a strategic move forward in your marketing career, you can be sure that MarketPro will be a partner you can trust. Our team has decades of experience placing top-tier marketing talent in desirable positions with leading organizations that take their career to new heights. Get in touch with us today and let us help you find the next right step in your career.