Posted on Tue, Oct 19, 2010
By Tessa Linsman
Recruiters commonly joke with one another and give the name “stalker” or “Serial Job Seeker” to those candidates that apply for our jobs who tend to be a bit aggressive in their job search techniques. How can we, the recruiter, differentiate between an excited and anxious job seeker and one who is just plain desperate?
The healthcare industry seems to have more than its fair share of aggressive job seekers, which really keeps us recruiters on our toes. However, we need to keep in mind that it is not always a negative thing when someone is calling frequently. Quite possibly, they could be your next best hire. They may just need a little more hand-holding and schooling on the ways of executing a successful job search.
Being a recruiter in the healthcare industry allows us to work with candidates at every stage in their career and in every level of the organization, which can create some unique dynamics. Our employees work in shifts, evenings, nights, weekends and holidays and they may have a Master’s Degree or no degree at all. They come to us knowing that we can offer them a stable career with opportunities to grow, as well as other outstanding benefits like medical insurance and tuition reimbursement. This makes our facilities highly sought after and desirable in a damaged economy. Therefore, when these job seekers reach their recruiter they tend to be more assertive and demanding – are they being considered, and if not, why? And “what else can you offer me?”
It is our job as recruiters to be able to differentiate between anxious yet desirable candidates and those who are truly aggressive and are desperate to get a position because they have been released from a position and/or have burned too many bridges in our small world of health care, where everyone knows everyone.
It is easiest to simply send candidates an email telling them they are not being considered for a position and should keep looking at our website, which is full of jobs that make them wonder why they can’t get just one of them. However, I have found that taking a few minutes to learn more about what they are looking for and what the method to their mad, assertive behavior is, can either assist me in finding a great candidate or in diffusing an angry job seeker. Be polite, yet honest with them if they are not being considered. Give them as much constructive feedback as possible to help them understand why they are not a good fit for your position. Let them know what the hiring process for your organization is and what to expect, then stick to that plan with them so there are no questions.
We will always have aggressive candidates – seems like a new one every week. However, if we can take the bull by the horns and deal with them head on, we may be able to keep our organizations out of risk and just maybe find a few diamonds in the rough along the way.
