The Kiss of Death - Recruiting101

As part of this weeks' celebration of the basics of Recruiting known as Recruiting101 here on RecruitingBlogs.com:

When a candidate tells you they think the interview went great and that they did well and they want the job, don't get excited and don't buy anything on credit. As a general rule, when you hear a candidate say those words, it's the Kiss of Death.

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Permalink Reply by Michael Homula on July 14, 2009 at 2:41pm

Wow isn't that the truth! Those words mean the candidate is FAR too eager and probably wasn't paying attention at all during the interview once they decided they wanted to job. JD - remember the piece I wrote a while back called It Isn't Over Until The Boss Knows? Basically you can't count the placement until the candidate gives notice (and you better coach them through that) and you can't count the fee until the guarantee period is over.

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Permalink Reply by Jerry Albright on July 14, 2009 at 3:12pm

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Permalink Reply by Slouch on July 14, 2009 at 4:48pm

1. no, that would be good. It's always good when the client says we want to move ahead.

2. I would call that an opportunity and a great starting point. Usually, if that happens, the candidate says they are not interested because they think the client is going to come back and say they are not interested

3. There is nothing wrong with a candidate that is positive but I have seen that when that happens, there is a good chance you the recruiter will get a visit soon from death. Maybe dressed a little nice looking to give you a big wet one and a lot of times, there is no escape.

Sandra McCartt said:

and if your client came back and said, "The interview went well, he did really well, i think we would like to move forward with him, would both sides sounding positive be the double kiss of death or a good starting point?
Or what would you call it if your candidate came back and said, " I don't know, i think i screwed up the interview, don't think it went very well and i really don't think i want that job? Is there something wrong with a candidate who is positive, feels like they aced it and is interested?

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Permalink Reply by Laura Garcia on July 14, 2009 at 5:04pm

after all interview debriefs where the guy/gal says they "nailed it" I think..."they blew it!"...with out a doubt!!!

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Permalink Reply by Slouch on July 14, 2009 at 7:18pm

it's not negativity. It's time management.

Sandra McCartt said:

I have never seen such negativity. God no wonder there is a recession. :)

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Permalink Reply by Slouch on July 14, 2009 at 8:15pm

Sandra, what I am saying is that mentally, you should be prepared to hear your client tell you that they are not interested in moving ahead. Now of course this is not always the case but I have found that it is in most cases and because of my belief that is is true, it helped shape how that relationship would move forward from there.

What I want to hear from a candidate after their first interview is that it sounds like an interesting opportunity but I have a lot of questions.

The thing is that you really have to know where things stand and for me, it was never a good sign when a candidate said they thought they did very well and they wanted the job. They rarely ever got it because the company was not impressed.

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Permalink Reply by Maureen Sharib on July 15, 2009 at 10:20am

"You never count your money when youre sittin at the table.
Therell be time enough for countin when the dealins done." ~ Lyrics, Refrain, The Gambler

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Permalink Reply by Slouch on July 15, 2009 at 10:27am

Hey Sandra, You are right about having everyone pumped and ready to sign acceptance letters but I am talking about the reality bell that goes off everytime you see something that you ( in this case me) know from experience may be a problem. All I am saying is that it usually was the case that when a candidate was super excited about the first interview and thought they did well, my experience told me they did not. That does not mean it's always dead but Recruiting unlike the game of craps, has a memory and if you don't tune in, it spells trouble.

Sandra McCartt said:

Sure, we always have to be prepared for bad news. You like cautious optimism. I like a pumped candidate before, during and after an interview. When my candidates come back with stars in their eyes and most do, before my client has a chance to tell me they aren't interested, i fire off an email to the hiring manager that goes something like.....

John just checked in with me. Don't know the read from your side yet but wanted to let you know that your team did a fabulous job of selling your company and your job. John is very positive, he felt that the people he met and the obvious positive atmosphere in your office was indicitive of a group he would enjoy working with for a long time. Let me know the read from your end, he's on go for a second interview if you are.

I have had clients many times who were on the fence about a candidate and about to say , "oh, i don't know , don't think so", until they got a strong positive back from me about the candidate. I want it so positive that unles the candidate totally blew it my client won't say no yet.

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Permalink Reply by Natalia Corres on July 15, 2009 at 12:48pm

The exception to the rule is the candidate who can articulate the questions and their answers; tell you why he/she thinks they did well, and of course - that the hiring manager has already called you and asked what would it take to get the candidate on board Monday - and even then...it can all go in the crapper if you aren't careful.

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Permalink Reply by Mat von Kroeker on July 15, 2009 at 1:09pm

Attach no expectations to a client nor candidate untill the seat's plenty warm-- and even then there's still no guarantee.

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Permalink Reply by Peter Ceccarelli on July 15, 2009 at 1:34pm

Okay.......beating this to death in my opinion! Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't! Right! So what's the point of any of these conversations?

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Permalink Reply by Slouch on July 15, 2009 at 1:49pm

hi peter, I started the conversation with an opinion that new recruiters should seriously buy into believing. Then others jumped in with their opinions which is always the idea.

Peter Ceccarelli said:

Okay.......beating this to death in my opinion! Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't! Right! So what's the point of any of these conversations?