Guide to #Job Hunting – The power of “No”

I find it interesting how difficult it is for some people to say No.

Sometimes, saying No seems to equate with not being nice or courteous, it seems improper to just say “No thank you”. So people sometimes say yes when they shouldn’t because they try to be nice.

Not saying “No” can lead to problems and raise false expectations where honesty might have been the best policy. Being true to oneself, and standing by the decisions you make, is a skill and ability that is invaluable in business. Being decisive and firm about what you do or do not want will establish an impression of being trustworthy and consistent. This is absolutely imperative when you are looking for you next career move.

Example: I have a candidate’s CV on my database. My immediate assumption is that he is looking for another job – Otherwise how would his details get on my database? I am very selective with whose details I keep and I qualify candidates fully every time. After all, circumstances change all the time.

When I call to discuss the job with him, he expresses interest and I submit his details. I make it clear that this must be a two way process: I do this with all my candidates. They don’t have to accept every role I offer them, and I certainly don’t co-erce them into anything just for the sake of it. Experience has taught me that this style of recruitment is a recipe for disaster.

An interview is offered – He accepts but on the day of the interview asks to reschedule. That is no problem, my client is amenable so the date changes. He goes to the interview and does a really good job, so the client wants to see him again. The feedback is very positive and he appears thrilled.

On the day of the second interview, I get an email to say that he can’t get the time off work so he wants to withdraw so that he doesn’t cause any inconvenience. I hear alarm bells and call him talk through the situation. He says he will be happy to reschedule so my client, again, offers a new date, as the candidate will be on holiday. Again, I make sure that he is really up for this and give him a chance to say no. He doesn’t.

Guess what? On the day of the rearranged, second interview, I get another email to say he has been called away to India for 3 weeks so he isn’t going to the interview. My client is terribly disappointed, they wanted to offer him the job at the interview. The candidate does not answer his phone or return calls or emails. However his LinkedIn profile is active as he is shown to link up with other recruitment agents.

My final assumption is that he was just fishing, and was never serious about finding a new role.

So we are back to square 1. But this is what I don’t understand: If he said no, and he had opportunities at every stage of the process to do so, it would have saved my client a lot of money and time. It would have saved me time and aggravation. It would have saved his own reputation.

I think there is a moral in this story – Somewhere!