Anna Gniadek, HR specialist, career mentor and owner of the Crispy HR brand, and Dominika Ciechalska, Head of People and Culture at Gentlemen Programmers, agree that one of the basic mistakes during a job interview is focusing only on your experience and competences, without reference to the employer's needs.
— Writing about completed tasks without mentioning their effects is a common mistake. There is no information about how it translated into business, what results the candidate achieved in carrying out individual tasks – explains Dominika Ciechalska.
It is worth emphasizing the impact our achievements have had on the company. Have we improved any process? Have we shortened the task completion time? Have we increased the team's effectiveness? Such information is crucial.
— I always tell candidates that even if they say they want to develop, they must translate it to the benefit of the organization. Example? “I will learn how to develop reskilling strategies in the company. When the company needs to introduce some structural changes, it will be able to effectively change the responsibilities of employees without financial losses,” adds Anna Gniadek.
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We treat recruitment as an exam
Many candidates treat a job interview like a school exam.
— They learn the answers by heart – advantages, disadvantages, motivation to work. You can hear it immediately because it sounds unnatural. Recruitment is a partnership conversation, says Anna Gniadek.
Instead of passively answering questions, it is worth actively engaging in the conversation. Asking questions is key, but not only at the end of the meeting. A candidate who asks about details about the company during the interview shows that he or she takes the process seriously and is genuinely interested in the position.
We don't ask strategic questions
Even if candidates are aware that it is worth asking questions, they most often focus on operational issues.
— People have learned that they have to ask. They ask what a working day is like, what the team looks like, and what the benefits are. But these are operational things, not strategic ones, related to the company's problems – explains Anna Gniadek. It is worth asking about the challenges facing the company, the goals of the person employed in a given position and the team's greatest difficulties. The answers may help in the next stages of recruitment.
As Dominika Ciechalska notes, many candidates do not check even basic information about the company.
— They lack any knowledge about the company to which they are applying, mainly in the context of adapting to the organizational culture. They expect, for example, high flexibility in an organization that, due to its industry, must operate at specific hours.
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We talk badly about former employers
It sometimes happens that candidates directly criticize their former bosses or the companies where they worked. This is one of the biggest mistakes when recruiting.
— People say during the first interview that they were fired because of mobbing or because the boss was a psychopath. I assume that we don't throw away the entire suitcase at once when we come to visit someone, emphasizes Gniadek. — Honesty is important, but certain rules of recruitment savoir vivre must be maintained. Let's not talk badly about former employers, let's not mention our mental health or say that we have physiotherapy five times a week and will need time off. These are issues for the next stages.
We don't know how to talk about our successes
Many candidates are unable to highlight their achievements. — We can talk about failures, but not necessarily about successes. For us, success has to be something totally great. Meanwhile, success may be the improvement of a small process. This is enough, you just need to be able to show it – explains Anna Gniadek.
We don't know how to talk about salary
According to Anna Gniadek, a huge problem during recruitment is the lack of preparation and knowledge about earnings for a given position. Some candidates, when talking about their financial expectations, greatly inflate their rates, explaining it with the high cost of living. Others are ready to accept any offer just to get a job. Before the interview, it is worth checking salary reports in the industry and providing realistic ranges.
— There are situations in which candidates suddenly change their financial expectations at the end of the recruitment process, even though they previously knew the range. It is then difficult to negotiate, because these amounts can often significantly exceed the budget – adds Dominika Ciechalska.
Sometimes candidates write their financial expectations directly in their CV, which is perceived positively in some companies, but in others it may be perceived as too direct an approach.
We give evasive answers
Recruiters emphasize that some candidates have problems with providing specific information about their experience.
— The most common challenge during a conversation is imprecise answers to a question or an answer that does not answer the question and is about something else, notes Dominika Ciechalska. — Usually, there is a series of in-depth questions from the recruiter or hiring manager, and it often ends in the fact that it is difficult to get specific information. We are left without information about the level of a given competence.
The recruiter adds that very often what is written in the application turns out to be a stretch of the truth. — For example, someone writes in his CV that he carried out a project implementing the agile methodology in an organization, and during the interview it turns out that he simply observed how an external company whose work he coordinated did it.
We think sending your CV is enough
Many people still believe that simply sending an application via a recruitment portal is a sufficient step. Meanwhile, in the multitude of CVs it is difficult to stand out.
— Very often I have to explain to the people I work with that they should contact recruiters, e.g. on LinkedIn. People are embarrassed, they think it's inappropriate, says Gniadek. — I had a client who only sent her CV via a job portal. I explained to her that at this level of advancement, the strategy would not bring much.
The expert recalls that when the client finally decided to write to the manager, she received a reply the next day. — She wrote to me: “But you were right. This man found my CV in the flood of documents and invited me for an interview.”
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We do not ask for feedback after recruitment
People who leave the conversation without any feedback lose the opportunity to draw conclusions and improve in the future.
— It is worth asking the recruiter for honest feedback. Initiate the conversation in a way that allows us to identify what we should work on, advises Dominika Ciechalska. — Don't wait for the recruiter to come back to you, but think that this knowledge will help you be better in subsequent interviews.
Moreover, as the expert adds, it may turn out that the candidate was rejected due to a small nuance that can be easily corrected. Additionally, by asking for feedback, the candidate builds a positive relationship with the recruiter, who may remember him and come back in the future with a different proposition.
You won't pass any recruitment with such a CV
One of the most common mistakes in a CV is the lack of appropriate consent to the processing of personal data.
— For me, this is space. This is the basis, and still every second CV lacks the GDPR clause, and when it does, it is often in the version from 1997 – Anna Gniadek does not hide her surprise. He also adds that generic job summaries that do not fit the Polish labor market are also a problem.
Dominika Ciechalska emphasizes that the form of the application itself can be difficult to understand. — A very long CV, with a lot of text and no editing, does not support the recruiter's ability to capture key information. The point is not to fit it on one page (I deny this myth!), but to make it specific and understandable, he explains.
A CV should clearly show what skills and experience the candidate has, as well as what he wants to do in the future. Lack of specifics, outdated information or vague descriptions of responsibilities may result in the document being rejected.
How to stand out in a competitive job market?
Competition in the labor market is high, so it is crucial to find your differentiator. Experts advise: build a portfolio professional.
— People associate a portfolio with something creative, and it may simply be a page with information about the candidate. Expansion of the sent CV – Translated by Gniadek.
It is equally important acquiring specific skills before applying. If you want to enter a given industry, it is worth checking the advertisements what tools you need to know and start learning them. We also cannot forget about building a network of contacts. Attending industry events and building your personal brand are effective ways to find a job.
— Recently I attended a conference about neurodiversity at work. At the end of the panel, a representative of one of the technology companies said that she would be building a team related to well-being and would be happy to talk to people interested in cooperation. Several psychologists approached her and, as far as I know, one of them already works there, recalls Anna Gniadek. It's worth showing up where your work appears.
