Recruiters Say... May 8th Edition

A recruiter and hiring manager survey will be open during the summer months.  Responses will be used in aggregate to provide job seekers, including students, a window on what is considered important by organizations in the hiring process. 

You can access the survey here:  bit.ly/1K2PrBU .  Please take a few moments to help us help others. 

Resumes

Surveyed recruiters report that non-standard resumes and those with typos are the least acceptable.  A majority do not have issues with resumes that run over one page, but they do desire resumes that are crafted for a particular position.  All recruiters report that they spend the majority of their time on a candidate’s resume in the early stages.  However, they turn to the candidate’s personal branding when making a final decision.

Cover letters

If a position does not require a cover letter, most recruiters would rather candidates include one only if they believe it to strengthen their position.

Social media

Recruiters are more likely to check job candidates out on LinkedIn followed by Twitter. However, some recruiters report always checking Google, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and even Instagram.  No recruiters reported checking Google Plus.  Recruiters also report that an online resume or portfolio is useful in making a candidate stand out.  Social media accounts utilized for professional purposes (Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Blogs) were not deemed overly important.

Online behavior

Over half of the surveyed recruiters report that they “definitely will not” hire someone who posted about firearms.  Recruiters were on the fence about political, racial and religious postings.  They did not seem to be put off by postings that indicated that a candidate was mature or had a family.

Legal environment

Given that the legal environment surrounding social media and hiring is still evolving, a majority of respondents expressed concern regarding potential legal implications of screening applicants online.

LinkedIn

The majority of recruiters agreed that it is important for a job seeker to have a LinkedIn account regardless of where they are in their career.  A professional photograph, recommendations and group involvement were the most important factors for some of the recruiters.  Status updates and the number of connections were not deemed critical.

Interviews

Recruiters report using phone interviews most often in the first round.   The final round is most likely a panel interview.

Hiring factors

Recruiters ranked the following (in order) as important in making hiring determinations:  1) Cultural Fit 2) Work Experience and 3) Applicable Skills.  Recruiters need assurance that candidates will be a fit for the work environment and hit the ground running.