They witness :
- Patrick Favre, executive director of the recruitment firm Michael Page
- Élise Moron, recruiter trainer and founder of Wealo
- Marion Picart, PeopleSpheres Recruitment Manager
- Aurélie Tsin, HR officer at the SME Eurécia
- Limvirak Chea, CEO of the start-up Fixter
* Previous survey of 2018: Why recruiters prefer current candidates?
A candidate in office, that’s reassuring!
Aurelie Tsin
For several years, the candidates in office have been a source of envy. ” When I recruit a manager, I pay attention to this selection criterion. It gives me the idea that the candidate is operational and that he is already part of a work rhythm”, says Aurélie Tsin, HR officer at the SME Eurécia.
We will understand: the candidate in office reassures. And that is where its strength lies. For Élise Moron, who offers workshops for recruiters via her company Wealo, recruiters who orient themselves – consciously or not – towards candidates who have already been courted are mostly victims of scarcity bias. ” According to them, what is rare is expensive “, she explains. It could end there. Except that confirmation bias then takes over. ” Our brain constantly tries to reassure itself. Recruiters therefore seek to repeat what has worked before: in this case, hiring a candidate who is already in the job. This is all the more true if he has already gone off the beaten track and it ended badly. “, indicates the trainer of recruiters.
Since Covid, being “available” is less stigmatizing
Now that the job market is more in favor of candidates, can recruiters continue to be picky? ” It’s a luxury they can afford less and less, largely because of the extreme tension in the executive market. Recruiting only current candidates would amount to doing without a large fringe of candidates », Estimates Patrick Favre, executive director of the recruitment firm Michael Page. And for good reason: since the Covid-19 crisis, which questioned the “value of work”, many executives have experienced professional setbacks.
A lot has happened in two years, which may explain the immediate availability of executives: a drop in activity from their previous employer, the sudden end of a trial period, geographical mobility, a rapprochement of spouse… The professional careers of executives have been strongly impacted by Covid-19.
Patrick Favre, executive director of the recruitment firm Michael Page
Result: iMore and more of them are in transition or have “gaps” in their CVs. And fortunately, recruiters understand this better than before “, he says.
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In IT, being available remains suspect
Despite everything, there are jobs where the immediate availability of candidates casts doubt. generates sometimes contradictory emotions! This is the case in jobs in tension, starting with IT and digital. It must be said that a candidate who is not in office puts a flea in his ear because unemployment is science fiction in IT.
A developer available, it’s suspicious!
Limvirak Chea, CEO of Fixter
Nevertheless, profiles are so scarce in the IT sector that recruiters cannot afford to circumvent them under the pretext that they are available. ” Applications from developers are so rare that when I receive one, I call the candidate and try to find out why he is not active », Illustrates Aurélie Tsin.
Logically, the longer this candidate has been available, the more doubts arise among recruiters. “When faced with developers who have stopped for a long time, recruiters fear that their hard skills, including learning new programming languages, are out of date,” explains Patrick Favre.
Availability is an asset for busy employers
Marion Picard
Fortunately, some recruiters do not make availability a criterion of competence. ” With us, it is business expertise that takes precedence! We do not stop at this criterion of availability, nor even at a hole in a CV which is, in 99% of cases, well explained. “, reassures Marion Picart, PeopleSpheres recruitment manager. Same story at Fixter. ” Above all, we recruit profiles that are good, whether they are in the job or not. “says Limvirak Chea.
In some cases, this availability is even a plus.
For our customers who need resources quickly, this has become good news. Sometimes even immediate availability tips the scales.
Patrick Favre, executive director of the recruitment firm Michael Page
De facto, several profiles hitherto shunned by recruiters now have a card to play. This is particularly the case of converted executives. ” There is also a better consideration than before of senior profiles “, he illustrates.
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Anyway, in this post-Covid period, we must keep in mind that ” recruiters are under pressure and looking to cover their backs remarks Élise Moron. There is no doubt that candidates who are not in office will have to continue to redouble their efforts compared to their peers, with the aim of convincing the greatest number of recruiters.
Should the “Open to hire” badge be displayed on professional social networks?
Elise Moron
Mentioned on the social profiles of the candidates who are available, the “Open to Hire” badge can prove to be counterproductive, believes Élise Moron. ” In the majority of cases, this mention will send a negative message to recruiters. And if they ever dare to contact the candidate – for example because they evolve in a tense sector – the interview will take place through the prism of what is wrong “, she warns. When in doubt, it is better to abstain in order to remain attractive in the eyes of companies, recruitment being above all a game of seduction.