As I reflect on the whirlwind that has been Talent Drive’s first few weeks, I have begun to think about all the different types of people I have met over the years. I’ve tried to remember all their varied requirements, and if I could find any consistent pattern in what they were asking me to look for. While of course a Procurement Director at a major bank will want different technical skills to an Ops Director at a large manufacturing plant; the desire for me to find someone that has a good level of emotional intelligence has always been a common theme.
Of course, emotional intelligence isn’t tangible on a CV – you can’t look at someone’s profile and see this demonstrated clearly, but the behaviors around your candidate interaction can. This is where you set yourself apart within a highly competitive market, whether you are in Procurement or Supply Chain or even other professions!
Something I always get asked as a recruiter, is to source candidates ‘with the right soft skills’, and emotional intelligence is probably one of the most important. Below are my top tips to ensure your CV stands out from the crowd:
Tip 1: Less is more.
Don’t send your CV with a 12 page covering letter! If your CV is right, it’s right for the role. I promise you, you can only capture the attention of a busy recruiter with a short, concise cover letter – no longer than one page.
Tip 2: Keep it simple.
When the recruiter calls to discuss your CV, keep your answers succinct and top line, there’s no need to go into huge detail about timelines – don’t forget, the recruiter will have your CV open in front of them! Only provide them with extra information that will add real value. Talk about the latest impressive project you managed, what motivated you to look for a new role and your expectations going forward – all of this information is key!
Tip 3: Be open and honest.
Tell the recruiter what your salary expectations are. Explain what has motivated you to look for a new role… If it’s money – that’s ok, if you reeeeally hate your boss – that’s ok, but just be transparent with the recruiter up front. Your honesty will only benefit you in the long run.
Tip 4: Don’t air your dirty laundry!
That boss you mentioned you reeeally hate? Don’t go into too much detail about them, or the company if that’s where the problem lies. Is your manager constantly disregarding your opinions and obviously making bad decisions in front of you? A professional way to spin this is, “I don’t believe in my manager’s vision, and it’s because of that I find it hard to work for them”. Self-awareness is key, and the most important objective of your call is to demonstrate to the recruiter how professional you are, and what a worthy candidate you are to be put forward. Don’t forget – you are a reflection on the recruiter themselves when it comes to facing the client.
Tip 5: Talk about team successes, not just individual successes.
Recruiters can see your personal successes on your CV (if you’ve written it well!). You can of course refer to some of the key examples on your CV, but what differentiates you from others is reveling in team success. A common misconception here is that you should only talk about this if you are applying for a leadership role, and this is simply not true! A team player is a team player; whether you are managing a team or are just a part of it.
Tip 6: Be responsive.
Have the emotional intelligence to recognise that any reasonable recruiter will want to work at pace and will expect a prompt response. If you are slow at getting back to their emails, your tardiness can be mistaken for disinterested and as a result you may lose your place in the shortlist. If you genuinely aren’t interested – that’s absolutely fine, just let the recruiter know so that they can move on to more engaged candidates, and can invest their time in finding the right role for you.
Tip 7: Be graceful in defeat.
You would be amazed how many times candidates say to me ‘well, I didn’t want the role anyway’ or ‘I didn’t really like the hiring manager!’ when they aren’t selected for interview or didn’t get through to the second stage. Being graceful in defeat is also part of having emotional intelligence. Listen carefully to the reasons, take the feedback on board, and move on. The recruiter is a lot more likely to continue working with you if you do. Everyone fails every now and again, and accepting that is the sign of a good, emotionally aware candidate.
My biggest take home here, is just having the awareness when you are next engaging with a recruiter. Think seriously about what you want to achieve from your next role and how that recruiter is going to help you get there. Demonstrate your emotional intelligence, and you will receive far more engagement with recruiters in response, and thus have a high probability of them landing you the perfect next role.
If you want to have a confidential chat about your next move or discuss how I can support you with your own recruitment, please get in touch with me today: martin@talentdrive.co.uk or call me on 07523 778781.
