10 Unspoken Truths Between Companies and Candidates.

We’re a funny lot, us Brits. We keep our cards close to our chest. We avoid awkwardness at all costs. We often run away from conflict. In a hiring process, the leads to a lot of things going unsaid. Sometimes for the best, sometimes not.

…

So here’s our take on 10 conversations you might not be having and why.

1. Competition is Fierce

‍Job seekers know they’re not the only ones applying. Hiring companies know candidates have other options. All too often, nobody wants to ask about it for fear of getting the answer they don’t want – especially if it complicates the negotiation. It can lead to a lot of tip-toeing around the subject.

2. First Impressions Count

‍Even though we all know first impressions can be misleading, especially if people are nervous or there’s a lot going on in a company on the day of an interview, people make judgements about others in seconds. Mess that up and it can be a long way back. Although not totally unrecoverable depending on how sizeable things were mucked up.

3. Who You Know Goes a Long Way

‍Nobody’s allowed to mention it because it should be a meritocratic hiring process. But the value of a connection or trusted referral can turn everything on its head. Hirers want as sure a bet as they can get – if they have an inside track on one candidate but know less about another, it can swing the vote.

4. Job Ads Aren't Always Accurate

‍We know they should be. But job ads are often written with more than a pinch of optimism that the business will a) find a unicorn and b) that unicorn will help them solve a multitude of problems. There’s also a lot of ‘feeling out the market’ going on where businesses start looking to see what type of talents are available. By the time it comes to making an offer, the job description can look quite different.

5. Salary Negotiations are Delicate

‍Candidates want to maximise their earnings. Businesses either have a budget in mind or locked in. It makes for a sensitive topic that neither side want to bring up in an interview. Agencies tend to bridge the gap and get the awkward conversations done early to save everyone time.

6. Interview Preparation is Key

‍Hirers expect a candidate to walk into an interview prepared. They want them to know enough about the company to be genuinely keen to join, not just want the role. But the responsibility is on the candidate. Nobody outlines this expectation for them.

7. How Candidates Treat Others is Huge

‍The interview stage starts long before the candidate sets foot in the boardroom. How they treat the agency, the people on the front desk anyone else they meet can have a big impact on how they’re evaluated.

8. Culture Matters To Everyone

‍Job seekers want to work where they can be happy and make a difference – and hirers want a team that feel that way too. It influences questions and answers from both sides but rarely as explicitly or directly as it could be.

9. Candidates Aren’t Always Assessed Like for Like

‍As with the job description example, every now and then a company will put a job ad out and interview candidates before they’re 100% committed to hiring for that role. In this scenario, candidates aren’t just competing with others in the same field. They could find themselves up against freelancers, contractors, more senior or junior candidates or someone with an adjacent set of skills.

10. A Lot Can Happen Before the Start Date

‍The offer and acceptance stage is a genuinely happy moment where everyone is excited about future possibilities. But during notice periods (especially long ones) things have been known to change. It’s extremely rare a business does a u-turn but candidates will often receive counter-offers, while a few might just get cold feet. It’s hugely frustrating but ultimately a blessing if it avoids a hire that was never going to work out.