For the past decade, career coach Matthieu Degenève has noticed that hiring processes have become very (too?) sanitized. Recruiters no longer dare ask tough questions to candidates, for fear of hurting them or making them uncomfortable. According to him, the burden of authenticity now falls on the candidate, by addressing their successes and failures with honesty themselves.
Initially, the shift was well-intentioned. Recruiters wanted to avoid selecting only extroverted candidates, the “smooth talkers.” They wanted to make room for introverts, who struggle to sell themselves in interviews. Also, they wanted to avoid asking a question that could lead a candidate to speak poorly of their former employer.
Over the past 10 years, the recruitment process has become more beige. Nobody wants to take a risk, nobody wants to speak out of turn, analyzes the career coach. There is more competition among candidates, but paradoxically, it has become easier to stand out.”
Matthieu Degenève sees well-calibrated authenticity as a way to stand out in a difficult job market.
In a sense, it has become the candidate’s responsibility to talk about their imperfect decisions. If they chose an employer poorly because they misjudged the fit and there was an incompatibility, but they didn’t listen to the signals or their intuition, they can say so. Speaking transparently about these mistakes is counterintuitive, but ironically, it’s something that will allow you to score points, because it’s refreshing to hear for a recruiter.”
This principle applies equally well to the more glorious aspects of a professional journey.
There is a lot of misplaced humility. Candidates struggle to be proud of what they have accomplished. They don’t want to appear too presumptuous and too narcissistic. They are apprehensive about standing out, when for a job search, that’s the goal!”
Dropping the “Script”
Like good students, many candidates arrive at interviews with pre-fabricated answers, prepared by relying on the most frequently asked questions by recruiters. In a sense, they miss the point.
Beyond technical skills, recruiters are generally interested in two things: they want to know if the person is motivated by the position and understand their journey—know if they know themselves well and if they have reached a good level of maturity.”
Has the person already stepped out of their comfort zone? Did they have the courage or audacity to put themselves in danger? Have they started reflecting on what makes them unique in their field of activity? These are the kinds of questions recruiters silently ask themselves.
A candidate doesn’t need to have a linear career path, clarifies the career coach. However, they must explain why they made a certain decision at a given time. They can explain how they reacted in adversity. They can say what lessons they learned from it.”
Beyond self-knowledge, the other crucial element to communicate is your interest and motivation for the position.
By asking clarifying questions throughout the interview, the impression that emerges is that of a motivated and curious candidate. It’s an excellent signal for a recruiter to see someone who wants to dig deeper into a question, who is passionate about what their interlocutor is saying.”
At our time, it is no longer sufficient for a candidate to read the company’s website to convey the impression of being interested in the opportunity. Matthieu Degenève suggests that candidates put on their consultant hat by sharing their expertise on a point of interest to the company.
A candidate can use their atypical journey to provide a new perspective or make a recommendation, like a consultant. In doing so, they can demonstrate their analytical mindset.”
All of these tips are welcome in a job market that has tightened over the past few months.
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