It will happen.

Sometimes, your candidate interview with your client won’t go well.

That is disappointing and possibly damaging to your relationship with the client. However, it is an opportunity to recalibrate and get things back on track.

The interview goes badly for one of four reasons.

• Possibly, the candidate was off form, had lost interest, or just performed poorly.
• More likely, you misjudged the candidate’s skills, experience and personality fit for the role.
• You did not take a fully qualified brief
• Or, equally possible, the client has changed their mind or defined the job incorrectly in the first place.

If the client expresses negativity about the interview, don’t leap into ‘justification mode’ or try to sweep things under the carpet.

This is your opportunity to identify exactly what went wrong.

Filling a job is usually a journey, not an event

There are two aspects to this, of course

1)          Client requirement recalibration
2)          Candidate coaching and re-assessment

Usually, this situation is an excellent opportunity to recalibrate the role’s requirements.

The candidate interviewing process often prompts clients to clarify what they are really looking for. They may have provided you a misleading brief in the first place. Or things have evolved in the business, and they realise they need a different skills mix. This will irritate the recruiter, as it feels like a moving target, but stay calm and see it as a chance to refine and re-set.

Actually, there is excellent news in the scenario!

It’s precisely this dynamic fluid scenario where a great recruiter can use their consulting, influencing and advising skills to help shape a better outcome. It’s another example in the agency recruitment process where AI tools will flounder as skilled humans recalibrate the client’s needs through questioning, listening, storytelling, and advice.

Free webinar available here

This is where you shine!

But also, the candidate feedback, coaching and re-assessment.

If a candidate was weak in certain areas you thought were strong, that’s important news for you to consider moving forward.

It’s also a bonus opportunity to coach the candidate on interview skills – or maybe recalibrate your understanding of their goals and aspirations. A candidate who misses out on one job will likely get the next one – especially after helpful feedback.

If necessary, reconstruct the job description and the person specification based on the client’s new feedback.

Once you’ve done that, move fast to sell the client a new recruitment plan based on the reconstructed job description and set up a process for a new sourcing strategy or a fresh shortlist.

Recruitment is not an exact science. People behave in interviews in ways you cannot predict. That is why AI can enhance our work – but cannot do it!

Both clients and candidates can change their minds midstream, and the recruiters who win are agile and nimble enough to recalibrate, provide new advice, and then move forward fast.

It is frustrating. But in the end, it’s yet another reason why your fees provide real value, and you should charge them with pride and conviction.

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