Being Prepared For that recruiting call!
Showing up unprepared
You might find more recruiters cold-messaging you on LinkedIn these days hoping to catch you even if you’re not actively looking for a new job. While that could get the ball rolling on conversations, recruiters say they can tell when someone comes into an informational interview without having done any basic research to prepare. At minimum, do a quick check on the company and prepare some questions about the job to show your interest.
Paul McDonald, senior executive director for Robert Half, says his biggest pet peeve is when a candidate shows up to a virtual interview seemingly caught off guard. After two years of remote work, people are more comfortable with video calls, so he notices when people don’t have great tech etiquette or present themselves too casually for a professional call. But life happens, and sometimes you have to take a call from your car during your lunch break, or as you’re stuck in traffic on your way home. Explain it at the top, he suggests, and thank the interviewer for their understanding. Then dive into the conversation.
You should be also prepared to broach the salary conversation in first interviews, says Angela Copeland, senior vice president of marketing at Recruiter.com. She recommends waiting for the recruiter to bring up pay first so you can counter by asking the range they’re working with. If HR won’t give a number, show you’ve done your research by naming a competitive range based on your area and qualifications.