What not to say to a recruiter

When meeting with a recruiter to discuss your career and upcoming roles that may suit your skillset, there are a few things we recommend not mentioning.

For starters – when a consultant asks what type of role you’re looking for, don’t just say “anything”. Yes, that’s great you’re willing to work in various industries and areas, but you need to be specific. If you cannot specify what you’re looking for, perhaps you haven’t done enough research yet to know what you want. Being focused and confident about what you want to obtain is more appealing than someone who “just wants a job”. As a starting point, when asked what you’re looking for, be prepared to talk about the type of industry, tasks, company size, location, and salary you want.

Another big no-no is giving your recruiter incorrect information. We strongly recommend telling the truth about your current salary. Your potential new employer won’t be happy if they find out you have lied. It will also make them question what else you’ve lied about on your resume.

Last but not least, don’t give us excuses; we can handle the truth. For example, one of our consultants recently received a text from a candidate saying he missed the appointment because his “dingo escaped”. Although the office had a good laugh from this awful excuse, we also agreed it’s better to be honest. If you’re no longer interested in a role and want to cancel an interview, let us know. Believe us; we would rather someone have a change of heart than be a no-show.

Truth wins respect every day of the week.