Amanda McLean

Good candidates always have options. Even in a down market. Case in point: I’m working on a Front End Developer role at a large bank with a colleague. Mid-Sr level. Onsite 3x/week. NYC metro area. We submit a strong candidate. She interviews once. Feedback is great. Then the client drags their feet on setting up final round interviews. A few days later, the candidate calls us and says she’s heading into a final round elsewhere. Still likes our role, but doesn’t want to pass up a real offer waiting on a maybe. We relay this to the client. They say they still want to interview more people. Fast forward, they finish their first rounds and guess what? The only person they want to move forward with is her. But now she has an offer in hand. We ask her: “What would it take to still consider this role?” She gives a reasonable but strong number. We go back to the client. They respond: “Isn’t this an employer’s market? How does she already have an offer?” Our answer was simple: Yes, it’s an employer’s market. But good candidates always have options. Especially the ones you’re excited about. If you’re impressed by her, odds are other companies are too. That’s how the game works. Now the ball’s in their court…let’s see what happens.

We had a few qualification calls with hiring managers today. Here’s what they don’t want to see: 1. Frequent job hopping with no clear reasoning 2. Big gaps in work history you can’t explain Take that for what it is.