5 Ways to Combat Hiring Manager Indecision in the Interview Process

Have you ever noticed that companies are bit slow to make hiring decisions these days?

It's not unusual for the interview process to take days, weeks, sometimes even months. Or for the process to involve meeting with upwards of 10 interviewers. And to involve reference checks or personality tests or other exams before making a decision.

You're not imagining things, and it's no accident, either. The interview process is taking longer because employers are more afraid of risk.

But first some context. Let's rewind about 7 or 8 years ago, to the height of the recession. There were a glut of job seekers, and fewer jobs to go around. At the time, companies had more of options of candidates from which to choose, so they took advantage of this buyer's market. They became more selective.

Now it's 2016 and as I check today the unemployment rate in the United States is 4.9%. If you as a job seeker have some talent, it's more of a seller's market, but you wouldn't know it by the interview process. Here are some reasons why:

• Companies became used to being able to cherry pick employees in the bad market. They haven't adjusted their mindset to the reality of the moment, which is that there's more jobs than qualified people to fill them. So they're more inclined to wait for that "perfect fit," even if they don't exist.

• Managers are terrified to make a bad hiring decision. They fear that if they hire somebody who doesn't work out, for whatever reason, it's a bad reflection on them. And maybe it is, maybe it isn't. But hiring decisions aren't forever (we're ALL replaceable).

• Blame is to be shared. If you're afraid to make a hiring decision, what's the best way to cover yourself? Why not make sure that the whole team has a part in the decision making process? Many managers are delegating their hiring authority to their teams, their peers, their internal and external customers, and other stakeholders so that if the person doesn't work out, everybody can throw up their hands and say, "Well, that candidate fooled all 34 of us who interviewed him!" No single person then takes the blame for making a bad decision. And how freaking hard is it to impress EVERYBODY that you interview with - without consensus, you likely won't get the nod.

So, what can you do to shake things loose when you seem to be stuck in the wheels of the interview process? There's no guaranteed remedy, but here are some ways to kick loose from hiring manager indecision!

1. Try your best to take control of the process. Be proactive in asking the recruiter and hiring manager what the next steps will be and when you can expect to hear from them. Ask if they need anything else from you to help move the process forward.

2. Demonstrate your interest in the role, right now. Convey excitement for the position. Verbalize this, telling anybody who will listen, "I'm very excited by this opportunity, and would love to joint the team!" You'd be surprised how many job seekers never clearly express their interest in the job. People notice.

3. Send thank you notes, to everybody. It's that little bit of extra effort that shows you care and that you listened to what the interviewers said. I've seen well-placed thank you notes put a job candidate over the top since it makes such a positive impression.

4. Keep the employer apprised. Check in from time to time. If you are expecting an offer from another company, and time is of the essence, pick up the phone and call the recruiter and let them know that their company is your first choice, but you are anticipating having to make a decision soon. It may push things forward.

5. Be proactive with references, backup data, or anything else that may help your case. If you show that you are open and have nothing to hide, you may be able to leverage these little extras in the name of progress.

Scott Singer is the President and Founder of Insider Career Strategies Resume Writing & Career Coaching, a firm dedicated to guiding job seekers and companies through the job search and hiring process. He is a Human Resources professional and staffing expert with almost two decades of in-house corporate HR and staffing firm experience, and is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) and Certified Professional Career Coach (CPCC).

Insider Career Strategies provides resume writing, LinkedIn profile development, and career coaching services, including a free resume review. You can email Scott Singer at scott.singer@insidercs.com, or via the website, www.insidercs.com.

How Corporate Recruiters’ Performance is Measured – and Why the Metrics Matter to Job Seekers

Come performance appraisal time, you get evaluated on your productivity. How many widgets did you process? Did you meet your goals?

Corporate recruiters are no different. They have goals, too. And if you know the standards they are held to, you may be able to better position yourself as a successful candidate. Here are some sample metrics toward which recruiters must work:

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Metric: Cycle time, as measured by the number of days it takes to fill a job.

What it means, and Why it matters:  While a company will usually wait to identify the best fit for a job, the faster a job is filled, the better. The longer a position stays open, the more pain it causes for a hiring manager and his or her team who are covering the work. As a candidate, if you can help bring the process to a prompt closure by not only demonstrating that you have the right skills but can also provide prompt closure (prompt start date, ready references, etc.), you may be able to tilt the process in your favor.

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Metric: Cost per hire, as measured by the actual dollars spent to fill a job.

What it means, and Why it matters: Recruiters may have several resources to fill jobs at their disposal, including job boards, job advertising, dollars to relocate a candidate, and the use of staffing firms. All of these cost money. A cost-effective hire is defined as one who brings the most value for the least cost. So, if you’re a candidate who lives near the office, and your recruiter didn’t need to advertise to get your resume, and you meet the criteria of the position, you may be able to position yourself as a cost-effective hire for the company.

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Metric: Quality of hire, or how good a fit the person is for the job in terms of performance.

What it means, and Why it matters: This metric is a bit more difficult to gauge, because the results often lag behind the hire. It could be measured by ratings on the next performance cycle, or through a post-hire manager survey, or through the percentage of terminated employees hired during a period of time. Either way, these results show up long after the hire has been made. As a candidate, you can put a recruiter at ease by demonstrating a strong history of past performance – strong references and performance appraisals are a great place to start.

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Metric: Offer accept rate, or what percentage of job offers are accepted by candidates.

What it means, and Why it matters: A job offer declined by a job candidate is a wasted offer in many ways – the copious amounts of time spent interviewing, the potential mismatch in terms of salary and other expectations between the company and the candidate, and the opportunity cost of having spent time on a single candidate rather than on having hedged bets with other candidates. The more you and the company can agree on terms up front, the less time either of you will waste on a doomed interview process.

By no means are recruiters evaluated on just these metrics. There are countless other ways companies may opt to measure their recruiting function. But the more you know, the more you can streamline your own interview process.

Scott Singer is the President and Founder of Insider Career Strategies Resume Writing & Career Coaching, a firm dedicated to guiding job seekers and companies through the job search and hiring process. He is a Human Resources professional and staffing expert with almost two decades of in-house corporate HR and staffing firm experience, and is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) and Certified Professional Career Coach (CPCC).

Insider Career Strategies provides resume writing, LinkedIn profile development, and career coaching services, including a free resume review. You can email Scott Singer at scott.singer@insidercs.com, or via the website, www.insidercs.com.

8 Strategies to Beat the Job Interview Jitters

Hint: This isn't one of the strategies.

Job interviews aren't much fun. Quite frankly – they're stressful. You're under the microscope and there's a lot of pressure to make the best possible impression in a short period of time.

The good news? There are strategies in approaching the interview process that you can undertake to reduce the stress and improve your chances.

1. Dress nicely for the interview. Wear a suit. End of discussion.

2. Remember - It's just a conversation. Sure, the people you are meeting with are judging you, and they're likely going to throw some curve balls your way, but in the end, an interview is just as much about demonstrating you can work together as much as the technical skills you bring. So do your best to remember that you're just having a conversation with the person seated across from you. You're both trying to find common ground. And often, the interviewer is looking for reasons to hire you – being easy to get along with helps.

3. Do your research. The more you know, the more you'll be prepared to talk about. Learn about what's going on at the company and about the products they deliver by looking at the company's web page and by searching on Google News. Be prepared for the question you'll likely get, "What do you know about the company?" Likewise, if you have an agenda ahead of time telling you about your interviewers, check out your interrogators' LinkedIn profiles – you should be able to come up with some great discussion material (example: "I see you left General Motors to come work here. There must have been something interesting about this company, what drove your decision?").

4. It's okay to bring a few notes. Most interviewers won't mind if you have a page of notes and research to job your memory during the interview, so long as it's not a crutch. Detail short, easy-to-read, bulleted discussion points so that you can glance quickly at your notes without having to study them. Notes can often project the positive impression that you have prepared.

5. Prepare your war stories. Behavioral interviews are prevalent - interviewers will ask you questions about your past actions to determine how you'd behave in the future. The examples you present can be your opportunity to shine - choose examples that show your ability to identify and overcome adversity, to collaborate, and to come up with creative solutions to work problems. Have 5 or 6 go-to stories about your work successes that you can tell, and which will show you as a strong potential hire.

6. Have your questions ready. At the end of the conversation, your interviewer will either run out of questions for you, or ask if you have any of your own. Never, ever, ever be caught without insightful questions to ask. They don't have to be earth-shatteringly profound, but they should demonstrate that you're engaged and have been paying attention. Some good standbys: "What does success in this role look like?"; "What does the average day in this position consist of?"; and "Why is this position open?" Find some other effective questions here.

7. Put off the salary discussion, if at all possible. In fact, don't bring it up - at all. Let the interviewer bring it up, and if they do, handle it delicately. Focus on your interest in the job, and indicate that your concern regarding compensation is secondary.

8. Send your "Thank You" notes. If you met with somebody during your interview day, send them a brief note (email is fine) thanking them for their time and consideration. I've seen a well-placed "Thank You" note push a candidate over the top. And don't send notes to some people and not others - everybody has a say in whether you get hired, from the receptionist through the CEO; don't let anybody feel snubbed and then feel like finding a reason to sabotage your chances.

Scott Singer is the President and Founder of Insider Career Strategies Resume Writing & Career Coaching, a firm dedicated to guiding job seekers and companies through the job search and hiring process. He is a Human Resources professional and staffing expert with almost two decades of in-house corporate HR and staffing firm experience, and is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) and Certified Professional Career Coach (CPCC).

Insider Career Strategies provides resume writing, LinkedIn profile development, and career coaching services, including a free resume review. You can email Scott Singer at scott.singer@insidercs.com, or via the website, www.insidercs.com.