Since the beginning of COVID-19, a lot has changed within the staffing industry and the processes recruiters use. Many people are open to hearing about new opportunities and are actively looking for positions due to the uncertainty related to job security, while others are holding on to their current positions and the security they perceive comes with them. Because of this, our recruiters have had to come up with creative and efficient ways to onboard placed candidates while remaining remote. To help better your chances in this new recruiting environment, WadiTek’s Recruiting team lead, Eakta Dutt, is providing us with insight into the recruiter’s mind.

What is the number one thing recruiters look for when interviewing a candidate? 

“When interviewing a candidate, we look for professionalism. We ask ourselves questions such as, ‘How seriously is the candidate taking the interview process and, have they dressed appropriately?’ Then we look at soft skills such as if the candidate can hold a conversation and how comfortable they are with their skillsets and experience, to determine if they will be a good fit with the company culture. Lastly, we look for candidate engagement. ‘Are they asking questions and maintaining eye contact? What is their body language saying about their feelings toward the interview?’”

What should candidates avoid in interviews?  

“In the staffing world, there is no shortage of red flags. Some of the red flags we look out for are harsh tonality, lack of engagement, carelessness during the interview, a muffled voice over the phone, and people who arrive late for their interview time slot. We check the interviewer’s resume and verify that the interviewer is the candidate applying for the position. We have seen cases where candidates have multiple resumes uploaded on various platforms with many being different than the one given to you. We have also seen trained interviewers (people whose sole job is to take interviews for others) interview instead of the candidate. These actions will not be looked well upon by the recruiter interviewing you.”

Now that you know what recruiters are looking for, you can put this information to use in your next job interview. If you enjoyed this piece reach out to us on LinkedIn to let us know how it helped you!