Imagine the following situation: A job seeker reads a job advert, is excited and convinced that it is exactly the job he has always wanted. So, he applies. The job interviews are successful, he receives an offer and signs the employment contract. A few days after starting the job, he grabs his head – how on earth did he end up in this impossible job! What happened?
Customers sometimes describe similar experiences to me. When discussing their application process, it always turns out that they decided in favour of the job too early – namely when reading the job advertisement. Afterwards, they blocked out information that could have jeopardised their decision; this requires mental hygiene. As a result, they were uncritical in the job interviews and missed out on important information.
Remain critical to the end
This is a particular danger for sought-after specialists and managers who are not challenged enough by the company during the recruitment process. As I explained in the article «Double the work for recruiters and applicants», some companies, under the pressure of the skills shortage, do not scrutinise good applicants enough. As a result, their expectations are also not called into question.
That’s why many job seekers don’t realise enough that when they read a job advertisement, it’s not the actual job that appeals to them, but what they imagine it to be – a projection of their needs. They are therefore applying for a fantasy.
A disciplined approach
How can you avoid this trap? Use professional recruitment as a guide when applying. Recruiters know the errors of perception and judgement they can make in the recruitment process. One of these is the ‘first impression’ that early decision-makers fall prey to.
To avoid these dangers, the recruitment process comprises several stages. Experienced recruiters prepare all interviews in writing and analyse them in writing. In the job interview, they take in much more information than they can pro-cess during the interview. The written evaluation reveals many impressions that would otherwise be lost. And the evaluation provides the questions for the next round of interviews. The decision in favour of a candidate is only made after all interviews have been completed and all questions have been answered.
With a similarly structured approach, you too can avoid errors of perception and judgement in the application process. What can you decide with this process-orientated approach when you read a job advertisement? Only whether the job is in your mind so attractive that you would like to find out more about it in a clarifying telephone conversation or in a job interview.