r/interviews • u/SuspiciousLog5554 • 1d ago
Recruiter here, What would actually make the hiring process better for you?
Hi everyone,
I’ve been recruiting in the tech industry for about 5 years now, mainly for mid-to-senior engineering and product roles across the U.S. and Europe. Over time, I’ve realized that while we recruiters see things one way, candidates often have a very different experience.
I’d like to hear from you directly:
– What’s one thing you wish recruiters would stop doing?
– And what’s one thing you’d like to see more of in the hiring process?
I’m genuinely looking to better understand where we can improve, communication, transparency, interview prep, or even the way we reach out. Honest, constructive feedback is very welcome.
Thanks in advance for sharing your thoughts. I’ll be reading through all the comments and replying where I can.
Appreciative recruiter trying to do better
5
u/mostlymeanswell 1d ago
Don't ghost. Along with this sentiment, if you received my resume and acknowledge said receipt, even via auto reply, but don't send a dispo letter if you choose not to interview me, this is still ghosting.
In the initial phone screen, or preferably in the initial contact, reiterate the salary range. I no longer apply for any job that doesn't include the salary range, but I've experienced a 'shift' in the range when the offer is extended. It's a bad look for the company, insulting to the candidate, and immediately erodes trust. I've declined offers as a result. Related: high-level description of the benefits package IS part of the salary.
Also, in the screen or initial contact, explain the hiring process. How many rounds? With whom? Focus of each round? Timeline - how long does it take from this contact to a decision? e.g., "it's 3 rounds, with these people and focusing on A, B, and C, respectively. We're hoping to extend an offer by X date."
Please stop relying on ATS and AI to screen applications / resumes. It's tedious, insulting, and exhausting trying to sort out how many of the key words in your JD I need to use in order to pass through the screen and how many is too many, also causing me to be rejected. Additionally, there's absolutely zero logic in forcing your candidates to rework their resumes to exactly match your requirements' verbiage. If I can read the bullet points and recognize synonyms and transferable skills but your ATS / AI can't, how many 'unicorns' are you missing out on just because ATS doesn't understand "collaborate with key stakeholders to define requirements" is the same skillset as "lead discovery sessions and document business requirements"?
Finally, thinking through the lens of IT, consider your process from the UX perspective and smooth out the sticking points that would make you, as a candidate see red flags about the company or abandon your process. Don't lose sight of the fact that we're interviewing you too.
Be ruthless in your assessment of the process and evaluate it as different personas: would a currently employed, passively looking but near perfect match get irritated by the process? What if you're a near perfect match but unemployed? Would you feel dejected by the lack of clarity or communication but fearful enough to move forward anyway? Will either of these candidates withdraw because of the process? If they stick it out, how likely are they to stay after being hired? Or will they jump at the first company that feels less... unscrupulous? Are your interviewers engaged and knowledgeable or does it feel like they're in the job market too? How responsive are the interviewers or HR to candidate questions? If they don't know, will they follow-up with the candidates after finding the answer? Teach them how to interview, provide interview guides and scoring rubrics to help them assess the candidates objectively. Are the interview guides even relevant for the position? Are they dated /outdated? Do they have inherent biases built into them? If you truly want to improve your processes, act as if you're the candidate and then adjust from there.
Good luck!