Every year, April 1st is synonymous with trickery and surprises. However, as a recruiter, it can sometimes feel like April Fool’s any day. When you have the pleasure of working with humans during a pivotal life moment such as a job search, we recruiters experience highs and lows just like our candidates and clients themselves. Below are a few interactions when we thought we were being pranked, but, alas, weren’t:
- When asked about their biggest weakness, one executive candidate confided that his muscles are simply too big, and he has trouble finding shirts that fit.
- When a candidate was asked what she could improve on as a leader, she responded with “What do other people say for this question?”
- During a video interview, a candidate answered their phone and put the interviewer on hold while having a full phone conversation for several minutes… and it was definitely not an emergency.
- While interviewing for a role that was clearly with a certain brand, a candidate nonchalantly divulged that they didn’t like the brand we were interviewing them for and would actually only like to work for Apple, Nike or Netflix. Pretty sure you can guess how the conversation went from there!
- One candidate showed up for an interview armed with a 2-liter bottle of water, which he drank in under 15 minutes. I have SO many questions!
One of our colleagues was subjected to an actual April Fool’s prank and still is traumatized to this day! She was leading a tricky search and had set up a great candidate for an important client interview. Moments before the client interview, the candidate called her to say he decided to withdraw from the process. Very disappointed, the recruiter was regrettably preparing to let the client know the sad news when the candidate texted her and said, “April Fool’s LOL, I’m all prepped and ready to nail my meeting!”.
While those are some specific and spectacular examples, some things are a bit more common yet still shocking when in the moment. In these situations, we’re always wishing for someone to pop up and say we’re being punk’d!
- Applicants with unprofessional LinkedIn profile photos or embarrassing email addresses. Yep, you know the ones.
- Candidates who interview in pajamas or athleisure attire. You should be confident and comfortable, but probably not that comfortable.
- People who casually sprinkle F-bombs into their interview dialogue. Effing unacceptable.
- Prospective hires who are seemingly perfect for a role… and then ghost. Ouch.
- Candidates who accept an offer and then rescind. Brutal.
Here’s to hoping your April 1st is fool proof!