9 Things You Need To Know About The Recruiting Process

9 Things You Need To Know About The Recruiting Process The recruiting process is an enigma for job seekers! Wouldnt you love to know what human resource professionals are really thinking as they review candidates? Now you can. Get the inside scoop on the 9 things that really matter to HR. Human resource professionals have a set of rules, written and unwritten, and the more you know about these rules, the better you can compete and land your next role. There’s a gap between a job seeker’s perception of the recruiting process and what human resource professionals look for. These gaps are clearly highlighted in the “Active Job Seeker Dilemma” survey, which polled 4,347 job seekers as well as 129 HR professionals. The survey was conducted by Future Workplace, a research firm and Beyond, The Career Network, a job portal for job seekers and employers. (This survey is now behind a membership wall) 9 Things You Need To Know About The Recruiting  Process Stop obsessing over your resume and focus on  these things you need to know about how employers think and what they are looking for during the hiring and recruiting process. Learn Showcase Technical Skills Job seekers self-reported that their top weakness was technical, computer or specialized skills. If this is your weak spot too, do something about it, because a quarter of employers rank these as top skills they are looking for. Take an online course to develop the skills you lack or need. More than 40% of job seekers have never invested in online training, but it is one way to improve your confidence and candidacy. New Grads: Show Internships, Not GPA If you are a recent graduate, you may agree with the job seekers in the survey who feel grades are the greatest indicator of your potential. But to employers, experience wins attention. So instead of focusing on your academic achievements, be sure to highlight your internships. Expect to Take A Test At some point during the interview process, you’ll likely be asked to complete an exercise, assessment or test of some sort. It is just another way to evaluate you. The study found that 57% of employers administer some exercise or challenge to job candidates, so don’t let this surprise you. Master the Phone Interview Your first interview will be a phone interview. It was the top method listed for conducting first interviews. But sadly, job seekers don’t feel as comfortable with phone interviews as they do with in-person interviews. Expect To Meet People During the Interview It is unlikely you’ll be hired based on one interview. Almost 60% of HR professionals said the interview process involves meeting two to three people, and some employers will have you meet with as many as five people during the interview process. Practice Patience During the Interview Process One to three weeks: That’s how long it is going to take you to go through the interview process and get an offer, according to more than half the surveyed HR professionals. And, in some companies, it could take five to nine weeks. Highlight These 3  Skills Communication, adaptability and results-driven are the top skills HR is looking for in candidates. Unfortunately, job seekers miss the mark. While job seekers did list communication skills as a top skillset, they missed the mark in the other top skills they reported, which were leadership and teamwork. Stand Out By Showing Your Work You’ve learned as much as you can about the company, but what else can you do to win over the employer? HR professionals say to bring a portfolio of your work. Yet only 19% of job seekers used this approach to stand out in their search. Find Someone to Refer You You are missing out on job opportunities by not identifying someone inside the company to refer you for a job. While job boards are the primary focus of your job search, 71% of HR professionals surveyed rated employee referrals as the best source for finding candidates. Yet only 7% of job seekers surveyed said  referrals were  their top source for finding a job. This post originally appeared on US News World Report