"Recruitment Process: A Two-Way Street"

A technically excellent candidate. A position description that finally arrived. And a response that ended the conversation before it began.

I recently completed a recruitment assignment, and it reminded me of a conversation I think is worth sharing.

I recruited this role before, so I already knew the position and the business. The only thing I didn’t have yet was the final Position Description. Rather than wait, I started speaking to potential candidates. One candidate immediately stood out. Technically, he was excellent.

During our conversation he said, “If the company doesn’t even have a Position Description ready, that tells me something about the company.”

I understood his perspective and explained that starting early was my decision because I already knew the role. A few days later, the Position Description arrived. I called him back. He was interested. I asked him to review the Position Description, visit the company’s website and, if appropriate, update his CV to better highlight the experience most relevant to the role.

I wasn’t asking him to change his experience. I simply wanted to make it easier for my client to recognise his value.

His response surprised me. “My CV is who I am.” “It’s already up to date.” “You’re the one who approached me.” “I’m not changing it.” “This is my submission. Either take it, or I’m happy where I am.”

At that point, I stopped trying to convince him. I thanked him for his time and told him I’d review his CV and decide on the next steps. The truth is — I’d already formed my opinion.

I still presented him to my client because, technically, he was a strong candidate. But I also shared the conversation we’d had. My recommendation wasn’t based on his skills. It wasn’t based on his CV. It was based on his attitude. My client agreed.

Looking back, he could have disagreed with me differently. Something as simple as, “I believe my CV already reflects my experience well. But if you think I’ve overlooked something relevant, I’d appreciate your feedback.” Same opinion. Completely different attitude.

What struck me most was the irony. He expected the company to have a Position Description because he believed that was part of respecting the recruitment process. Yet when the Position Description became available, he wasn’t prepared to spend a few minutes making it easier for the company to understand how his experience aligned with it.

Recruiters don’t ask candidates to do these things to create extra work. We do it because recruitment is a two-way process. A Position Description helps the candidate understand the role. A well-presented CV helps the client understand the candidate. Respect the process goes both ways.

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