One of the most common complaints we hear from recruiters, recruiting coordinators, and hiring managers is:

Candidates don’t adequately read online job postings before applying for jobs.

This comes to light when a percentage of candidates (usually about 10% in most markets) report they’ve progressed through the entire application process for a real estate agent position, and then claim (once you have them live on the phone) they have applied for a completely different position—a position that doesn’t exist.

Has there been some mix-up on the internet causing this confusion?  I don’t think so.

For our company, this application process involves going to two different webpages highlighting the real estate agent position.  It then requires the candidate to spend 10 to 15 minutes taking a short assessment and answering some basic screening questions about becoming a real estate agent.

In essence, the application is designed to encourage the candidate to exit the process if they’re not interested in becoming a real estate agent.  And yet, some persist and engage recruiters insisting they’re applying for a phantom position.

What’s going on?  Can they not read?  Are they stupid? Are they purposefully trying to manipulate the process?  If the last assumption is true, why would candidates do this?

Here’s the answer:  They’ve been taught this behavior.

According to new research, it’s no wonder candidates engage in this behavior.  There actions are closely correlated to the behaviors of those who are most successful in the job search.

That’s not a typo.

People who purposefully manipulate the job search process tend to be more successful at job-seeking and get jobs more quickly than those who “play by the rules.”

The Importance of Live Dialog in the Job Search

Research conducted at the University of Chicago was recently highlighted in an online article written by Max Nisen. It demonstrates the importance of having a live conversation with someone in the organization for whom you wish to work.

It’s a familiar online job search story. You find a dream position, agonize endlessly over a perfect cover letter, attach it to your resume, then hear nothing back.

Sheer volume and a preference for referrals are part of the story. But people also overestimate their writing, and underestimate how effective actually speaking to someone is when looking for a job.

[Hiring managers] think of job seekers as much more intelligent when they hear them pitch themselves as a candidate compared to when they read their writing, and they’re more likely to want to hire them.

Max’s article details the fascinating process the researchers used to uncover this information.  It was a very innovative research design and covers more angles on this topic than you might imagine.

For those of you who prefer the cliff notes version, here’s the conclusion:

[Electronic communication] has obvious appeal for networking, pitching, and job searching. It’s easy to do rapidly and at high volume.

Rejection (as a candidate) doesn’t seem so bad when it takes the form of silence or a form letter. But sticking to writing alone likely means more employers will pass.

How to Handle Manipulative Candidates

Based on this research, it only makes sense that candidates are taught (either self-taught, or taught by career counselors), to push past the constraints of the digital world and engage in live conversations with recruiters and hiring managers.

Oddly, this type of tenacity would probably come in handy as a real estate agent!

However, to get through the application process in this manner, candidates typically have to be dishonest along the way.   This may show they lack integrity.

Here’s my suggestion on how to handle this candidates:  Call them out on what they’re doing, and ask them directly if they want to be a real estate agent.

The conversation could go something like this:

Candidate:  I was applying for the marketing coordinator position on your website. Is that position no longer available?

Hiring Manager:  No, what you applied for was a real estate agent position.  Based on the application process you went thought, I’m guessing you probably know that to be the case. 

This may surprise you, but your willingness to push this far into our hiring process shows you have a lot of tenacity and willingness to risk rejection.  These are very unique and valuable traits.   In fact, they’re the traits I see in many of our high performing agents. Have you ever thought of being a real estate agent?

If they stick to their original story and won’t admit the manipulation, remove them the hiring process.

If they come clean and admit that they were manipulating the process to uncover opportunities and get into a live conversation with someone in your company, move them forward in the hiring process.

These are viable candidates, and may turn into great hires.

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