Here Are 5 Signs That a Candidate is 'The One'
As a recruiter, every day is a little like Valentine’s Day. After all, your job is all about playing matchmaker, pairing great candidates with jobs that they’ll love. And when you find that special someone, you have to “woo” them — showing them why your company is the one they’ll want to spend the rest of their life with (or at least the foreseeable future). Cupid ain’t got nothing on you.
Of course, in both love and recruiting, sometimes you just know when you’ve found “the one.” So, in celebration of Valentine’s Day, we wanted to highlight some creative ways candidates have instantly won recruiters’ hearts. These are all real examples — and they’re the stuff Hallmark cards are made of.
You know a candidate is the one when…
1. They know the real way to your heart
To paraphrase a familiar proverb, the way to a recruiter’s heart is through their stomach. Some candidates have figured this out — grabbing recruiters’ attention by attaching their resume to food.
Just look at Renata Chunderbalsingh, whose resume went viral when she disguised it as the wrapping on a chocolate bar. Recruiters could snack on the delicious Lindt chocolate while reading about her skills and traits.
Another candidate, Lukas Yla, disguised himself as a Postmates delivery person to drop off boxes of donuts at local marketing agencies — each containing a copy of his resume. (A touch stalkerish, maybe, but we’ve all done desperate things in the name of love.)
Of course, the quality of the resume ultimately matters more than the taste of the treat — but you can’t fault these candidates for their ingenuity.
2. They don’t just apply — they serenade you
Elton John once sang that “My gift is my song, and this one’s for you.” Following in Elton’s footsteps, copywriter Chase Zreet wrote and recorded a rap song to serenade ad agency Wieden+Kennedy — specifically, the team responsible for a Sprite account. He even filmed a lovingly cheesy music video:
It’s the recruiting equivalent of John Cusack wielding a boombox playing “In Your Eyes.” And it worked: The lyrical love letter won Wieden+Kennedy over and Chase landed the job. Who doesn’t love a rom-com with a happy ending?
3. They’ve dreamed of working at your company for many moons
If you watch as many soppy movies as we do around Valentine’s Day, you’ll know that while love is often at first sight, some people have to know each other for a long time before finally getting together. Similarly, your company may have many encounters with a great candidate before you pair them with the perfect role — but they never stop dreaming about your company.
Take Chloe Bridgewater, the candidate who wrote a passionate letter to Google, highlighting her skills and explaining why she wanted to work at the company. Unfortunately, Google couldn’t hire her at the time: She was only seven years old.
Despite this slight setback, it seems likely that Chloe and Google will eventually be together. “Google boss” Sundar Pichai personally responded to the letter, writing: “I look forward to receiving your job application when you are finished with school.”
4. They just can’t wait to see you
Nothing says true love like counting down the minutes until you can see a person again. And some job candidates are just as eager to speak to recruiters, as Laura MacLean proved when she showed up a month early for a video interview with Microsoft.
In her excitement, Laura had completely forgotten what month it was: She was convinced it was February 18, the date of her interview, when in fact it was still January. (Classic rom-com mixup.)
While the movies may tell us that love means never having to say you’re sorry, Laura took the initiative to reach out to the recruiters and apologize. Luckily, Microsoft was forgiving of the small mistake and the interview went ahead as planned. And Laura’s passion clearly shone through — she got the job.
5. They return the love
Valentine’s Day isn’t all about flowers and chocolates, but they’re certainly nice. The same is true of recruiting. Talent professionals are often surprised by deliveries of flowers, chocolates, and other gifts from candidates after helping them find their dream jobs.
Some candidates even split the difference and send chocolate bouquets.
Many recruiters are also touched to receive handwritten or emailed thank-you notes, both after the interview and after the candidate gets the job. These tokens of appreciation are by no means compulsory — but they always remind you why you love your job.
Don’t let them be the one that got away
There are lots of little ways that candidates signal they’re the one — and as a masterful matchmaker, you never miss a cue.
When you do find the candidate you’ve been dreaming of, you can win them over by communicating clearly at every step and creating a seamless candidate experience. That way, this rom-com won’t turn into a drama, and when you pop the question — “Will you come work with us?” — the only words on their lips will be “of course.”
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* Photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash
Topics: Industry humor and fun
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