Recruiters save yourself time. Tell candidates what we want to know and what are the dealbreakers up front.
I often talk to recruiters who try to hide if a position is remote or not, what the salary is, and if it is full-time or not. I am looking for three key things and if they don’t meet this requirement, we are just wasting each other’s time.
When recruiters reach out to me I state this is what I am looking for. In addition in my LinkedIn profile, it says that I am only looking for remote, my salary, and full-time. This isn’t rocket science. Why is this so hard?
I understand that some recruiters may feel that if they invest some time in getting to know me, and the fit is good otherwise, I might change my remote requirement. This will not change. Recruiters have tried a variety of ways to present remote to me which is deceptive and a waste of time. Don’t say a job is remote if, in the fine print of the job requirement, occasional travel to an office is required. Don’t say a job is remote if you have to go somewhere to be trained. Don’t say a job is remote if you are going to say the job was changed to hybrid and the listing wasn’t updated.
There are people who choose remote jobs for health reasons because they can’t afford to commute, or because they have successfully worked remotely before and can do the task online. Interviewing someone for a position isn’t about trying to convince them to go into the office, it is rather seeing where they work best at and supporting them in their preferred work environment.
Additionally, not everyone is an extrovert and enjoys being in an office. To state that people must be in an office is to deny the unique differences in people and the things that might make them superior workers. Studies show that the average work that is done in an office is only 3 hours or less. When you are at home and focused you can work a solid 8 hours easily. People aren’t home because they are lazy, but because they have valid reasons that work better for them.
Respect people’s desires and you will achieve more in your career.