CAN YOU PLACE A CANDIDATE YOU DISLIKE?

You get a resume, it looks wonderful, the credentials are stellar, the salary range is on target, the old recruiter pluse starts beating a little faster, you leap for the phone with sweaty palms ready to grab this wonderful candidate before somebody else places them.

The person on the other end of the phone sounds like a cross between Mother McCree and somebody scratching on a blackboard. They have the attitude of an old dog with a sore foot. They regale you with all the reasons they hate their current boss, current company and if they were any more negative you would nominate them for terrorist training in a remote area of the desert or they simply have no personality on the phone, nada, zip zilch, zero or they giggle and say things you haven't heard since the last obscene phone call came in when the caller asked you what color your underwear was that day.

Arrrggghhh! Ok, maybe it's just that some people don't do well on the phone. You look at the resume again and wonder how the hell somebody with that job record and credentials can have the personality of a rattlesnake. If they are local you decide to get them in the office and see if you can figure this one out. Maybe they will do well in person.

In they come, presentation is good, well dressed, well groomed then they open their mouth and as they start to tell you all the reasons they are looking, what they are looking for and why all you really want to write on your interview notes is "obnoxious, arrogant, ass. Now what? You have three openings that are a slam dunk fit for the credentials and experience. Your obnoxious candidate knows it and you know it and you know they know you know it.

Do you send this candidate? How do you present this candidate? Do you just sell the credentials and hope that if the client wants to interview that your candidate just hates recruiters and will interview a different way with your client? Do you dare tell your client that this person has the personality of a slug or a rattlesnake. Do you dare broach the subject with your candidate and try to make a warm puppy out of a rattlesnake?

Have you had this experience and if so did you place the candidate or did you relagate this person to the file where obnoxious candidates go to wither in the hopes that another recruiter will be willing to take the heat to try and place them?

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Permalink Reply by Derek Wirgau on July 8, 2011 at 4:02pm

The most difficult lesson for me to learn when I transitioned from corporate managment to recruiting was to move from "recruiting candidates that I would hire" to "recruiting candidates that the client wants to hire."

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Permalink Reply by Sandra McCartt on July 8, 2011 at 4:28pm

Great point Derek. If i thought i had to work with "Strawberry Shortcake" every day i would cut my throat. there is enough shortcake in internal recruiting to give the whole world insulin shock. Give me the big bad wolf any day. Mr. Wolf understands what it is like to be a recruiter. Strawberry "just loves people".

Knowing that if i place someone in internal recruiting i am looking for Miss Strawberry with a degree or masters in HR ,knowing full well that the bitch will probably try and cut my throat within six months. Would i hire her, no way ,will my client love her absolutely. Do i like her, uh nope, makes my skin crawl. Will i place her, of course. Clients pay me all the time to replace myself until Strawberry gets bored with recruiting and wants to do something important. Gotta love em.

Derek Wirgau said:

The most difficult lesson for me to learn when I transitioned from corporate managment to recruiting was to move from "recruiting candidates that I would hire" to "recruiting candidates that the client wants to hire."

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Permalink Reply by S. Terri Patterson on July 8, 2011 at 5:17pm

So, so, agree...everyone will not always get along with everyone, but like minded jerks usually work best together, just find the fit.

Jerry Albright said:

I realized quite a while ago that I am not the one personally hiring anyone. While I do believe my clients expect me to weed out unprofessional, unmotivate, etc. types - I don't expect everyone to get along with me on a personal level.

I've placed arrogant jerks before.

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Permalink Reply by S. Terri Patterson on July 8, 2011 at 5:33pm

Present the candidate with matching credentials, and provide your analysis and let the client make the call. If rattlesnake is not slected let him/her know clients response. Maybe they will put a check on the obnoxious behavior and try the human experience. Unfortunately arrogant jerks need work too, but let the client decide what their culture can handle.

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Permalink Reply by Sandra McCartt on July 8, 2011 at 6:06pm

Wouldn't it be fun if we could look at the viper and say, "Sorry Hisster, they just thought you were a jerk with a sucky attitude. Take that back to your pit and think about it." Unfortunately Mr. Snake may have a brother-in-law who is the president of your best client.

And truth, beauty and jerkiness are in the eye of the beholder. There are people who think Casey Anthony is pretty. I think she looks like Elvira in Drag and i don't do crazy.

S. Terri Patterson said:

Present the candidate with matching credentials, and provide your analysis and let the client make the call. If rattlesnake is not slected let him/her know clients response. Maybe they will put a check on the obnoxious behavior and try the human experience. Unfortunately arrogant jerks need work too, but let the client decide what their culture can handle.

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Permalink Reply by Thomas Patrick Chuna on July 10, 2011 at 3:19pm

If the skills match, I submit them..they may get along great with the hiring authority and not me.. I only pull the plug on candidates who are uncooperative with me, or who act like idiots in front of the hiring authority.

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Permalink Reply by Sandra McCartt on July 11, 2011 at 1:36pm

@Thomas , You and i have enjoyed a couple of those. I shall never forget the guy we got so exicted about who was flown half way across the country on a big job. Managed to tell the HR rep and the hiring manager and everybody else he talked to that their three week vacation offering was far below industry standard. Proving once again that advanced education does not include common sense 101. All he had to do was interview, get the job offer and ask for another week. But no, he had to draw himself up and splain to company that their vacation plan was shoddy.

At last check he still doesn't have a perm position. When i spoke with him about it his response was, "Well they should know that they are below industry standard." So much for trying to tell a candidate that he had just made a jerk of himself.

@Bill, Amazing, isn't it how they will lie about things like having a degree, not ever having been in the pen, jobs they never had and even use their brother in law as a reference. I had one who sent a phony resume , used a friend to verify his employment, got an offer and kept giving excuses as to why he had not returned the background form with his social on it. I had an attorney do a fraud prevention search and discovered his picture complete with orange jump suit and a number on it. He then indicated that was his twin brother. When i asked him how he and his twin had come to have the same name he couldn't answer that one. Maybe he will marry Casey Anthony and they will live happily ever after.

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Permalink Reply by Sandra McCartt on July 11, 2011 at 1:37pm

Oh, and guess what he truned out to have been doing? A recruiter ... that was an interesting few weeks.

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Permalink Reply by Sandra McCartt on July 11, 2011 at 2:01pm

I was trying to think of something clever to add to that but i can't. LOL, you pretty well said it all.

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Permalink Reply by Mat von Kroeker on July 20, 2011 at 2:12pm

Excellent resume and skills ARE his/her personality. Position 60% functional, 40% technical? Warning to the client. Position 100% technical? Just hire'm and throw'm in a cubicle. Personalities don't register on a applicant tracking system "Spy Cam". "Dammit--- that jerk just finished twice the work of anyone else in the dept!! Probably because he's not socializing--- of FB'ing--- or Twiting--- or.... "

IoW: Always submit a great resume--- give your client the option, at least.

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Permalink Reply by Sandra McCartt on July 20, 2011 at 2:40pm

I like the analogy of resume and skills being personality. In IT i think that is right on target. In sales or other client facing spots, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. They make ice cream in at least 31 flavors. I like pistacio nut. A lot to be said for those who are not "eat up with social media" getting the job done.

I think we have to keep in mind that we are only the conduit not the final authority. Misuse of the power to screen out is a dangerous thing.