The biggest challenge we all have regarding candidates is the candidate's misperception of the marketplace and how their skills, abilities, and experience stack up with what is available to our clients.  The biggest complaints we hear about ourselves is that a candidate states, " Well, I can do that job why won't you get me the interview?... I sent you my resume, I am the most qualified that you can find I can't understand why you can't get me an interview?.... Can't you see I am perfect, just get me in front of them, I'll get the job!... I'm the best you've got, I can't understand why you didn't respond to my phone call and resume!...." and so on.

Our best candidates come from referrals or networking or actually calling a presently employed, well-qualified person and presenting a possible better opportunity (recruiting). Some of us will respond to a resume for a specific opportunity that we might advertise (if we do that) or respond to your phone call. Some of us will find your resume on the Internet and call you.

Most candidates, even qualified candidates, have no idea how many excellent people there are available for most opportunities.  Candidates, as you know, if you have learned anything from this program, have a tendency to "see the world" through their own eyes and their perceived ability to do a job.  A good recruiter, even with a narrow search assignment, can usually begin with at least 100 to 200 "qualified" candidates or resumes. Even the top retained search firms, according to Kennedy Information, Inc., start out with 100 to 300 candidates in the database for each search they do.  They then qualify and phone screen those down to 20 to 50 candidates, in-depth interview 10 candidates and present a final panel of three to six candidates.

Candidates are often surprised and enlightened (or shocked) when they understand the number of quality candidates available for most positions and that their being successful in even getting an interview isn't based so much on their ability to do a job, as it is their ability to get the job. Most candidates do not see themselves in the light of how they compare with other viable candidates.  Most candidates evaluate themselves based on their own perception and unfortunately they don't have the perspective of comparing themselves to 100 or even 50 other people at their same level of professionalism.