Talent Takeover Unfiltered

welcome to Talent takeover unfiltered when it comes to working hard and keeping it real we know our [ __ ] self-care happiness inner peace and time I'm Brianna Rooney and this is Taylor Bradley hey y'all and we have thrived in chaos and turn it into an art form so Taylor what are we doing here today we're here to give you a raw under the hood view of all things recruiting and finally give credit where credit is due to a long underrated industry that's full of quote unquote experts all right well then let's take this show to the road hello welcome to Talent takeover unfiltered did you happen to catch the last episode of talent takeover unfiltered if not you're going to want to check it out before listening to part two let me fill you in just in case Brianna and Taylor shared their thoughts on interview projects are they just ways for companies to get free work from people that are interviewing can you push back on them and still land that dream job well in today's episode they're going to up the Annie with their thoughts on interview assessments all right now that you're filled in let's dive in so like with recruiting assessments so something that was on here was like once you know you've sent over your candidates to show that these are the candidates that I sourced right that match the profile that you gave me um scheduling a call with the recruiter and doing an intake call and discuss the candidates that you found what do you think about that that added layer of like here's the assessment you not only need to find the candidates and so there's two parts of this question so what do you think about that in general and then what do you think about that whenever you are asking somebody who has like 10 plus years of recruiting experience to do this how long does it take um I would say at least two hours total oh that's too long um I I mean I don't think any assessment should be longer than 60 minutes but do you think that a recruiter should have to go through and show that they can source and do an intake if they've got over 10 years of experience like shouldn't you assume to a certain extent yeah but I've gotten assumptions uh uh I've gotten caught caught with those for sure okay let me just let me just I'm G to play Devil's Advocate on this one so there was this recruiter who on paper was a no-brainer hire for us okay okay the this person worked at our biggest client and worked there for a year and it was a referral internally so it's like look we got two things going for this person right and so I almost didn't I was almost kind of like do we even need to H like interview this person like this is a no [ __ ] Briner right like I got two things that are telling me [ __ ] yeah well thank God I interviewed this person like it was one of the worst interviews I have ever like even been through and and I was coming in like I just wanted to hire the person okay yeah and and I was like okay here you know what so then I started to be like oh wow Branda like like maybe this person's nervous okay so like you were just coming in hot so I said hey I know you're at this at this current client of ours what what roles do you fill there okay and the person told me I'm like great so you fill two of them show me three candidates per role that you feel would be a really good fit and just tell me why just take you know like and he the person was on site this is you know when we're very much you know having people come in okay okay so they're on site we gave him their own desk we had the he had the computer we closed it up like we totally let this person be by himself and just do we no anxiety right right I I come back and I go okay so please tell me who you found and this person gave me like like the cream of the crop Fang too expensive like all of those things right and so I was like okay okay let me clarify I don't need the cream of the crop I need people that you really truly believe based off of like our the salary range you have da like all these things I I need I need real candidates because there is something to say like the cream of the crops don't always go you know they're like too good right so I I redid it so came back it was the worst I was like are you really so then I was like okay um you've you've worked with this client for a year uh how many placements have have you made because then I was thinking to myself I gotta dig here because what the [ __ ] wrong right yeah yeah and they was like no placements like in a year I'm sorry so then such an [ __ ] but but then I was literally shocked I was like and they're happy with you like that was like my first my initial question I was like they're happy with you they're like yeah because they they pay more attention to my activity that I'm like what what and I was like just mind blown okay so if I did not do that assessment I would have had the worst recruiter on my team in the face of the universe it would have been awful so I don't know so I'm Pro assessments so I I do now intake no I think that's a very basic job but if I'm coming having someone come in and Source I think sourcing is a really really really big deal that not a lot of people do well yeah I agree with I agree with the sourcing it's the intake I was like yeah it's taking a little too far if they deliver on part one of the assessment you got to assume with that background they could do part two which is yeah I think the the um an additional assessment is only because one your Spidey senses are going off like there has to be something off right yeah um or like maybe you had like some back door reference and you're like oh wait shoot hold on let me let me dig a little bit more or maybe you found out the person was fired or maybe you know like there's there's I think a couple of other things that uh would have to play into that but for basic practice okay do an intake be a problem yeah I completely agree so going back to what you said like two hours too long 45 minutes too long so what do you think is the appropriate amount of time for an assessment in the interview process or do you think that varies dependent upon the role it varies depending on the role but I again I think it has to be um under 60 minutes but I think what would really be best practice for me would be like 15 to 30 minutes I think that's like very much like you should sign up and assume you're G to spend X I would say if if you're sending your resume and it's and it's you're truly spot on this is like all these things are lining up I would assume that you're spending four hours in that interview process okay and do you give them any whenever you're giving an assessment do you think there's a best practice on like the turnaround time

I think that depends on how many candidates you have and again expectations so let's just say uh you came in the interview process and I was like hey I'm just letting you know we're like we're really close to to filling this role like we need to turn around and we we're going to give an offer out within one to two weeks so I'm going to need this this within 24 hours or you know like whatever it is but again it just goes to expectations and I think timing is timing is everything yeah so if you're just letting them know like look we're trying to fill this and we have people B to fill it and I'm sorry if this is doesn't work for you but I think then the the candidate shouldn't be upset like for a fast turnaround if this is how but again it depends on how they they laid it out there yeah the communication aspect of it the communication yeah if they if like you're just like new to this and I didn't say [ __ ] right I don't I didn't tell you what's going on um as far as you know you're the only one because I feel like even with dating we like to think we're the only one right sure yeah yeah no one loves me like this I just killed it you know but uh yeah I I and I just said Hey Taylor you know what um I'm gonna need this 24 hours and it's going to take you like two hours you be like even if it takes you 30 minutes I think if you are employed that is not fair I agree but again companies have to do what companies have to do if they have other people on the pipeline that they need to you know get through yeah and I think as going back to like as a candidate you have to make sure that that works for you or it doesn't and understand that that could be an indication of what it's like to work there that not and I don't mean that an entirely negative way it's just like there could be times that you have projects that you need to work on after hours or that have a tight turnaround timeline but I don't think I think if you're communicating it the way that you did like that's where I'm saying is like that's a perfect and right way to do it is like here's the why and we need it within 24 hours here's the timeline but giving you the context as to why this is not normally how fast our interview process goes but we're very close to making an offer like I think if it's laid out is like an exception then I think it's more digestible of like okay this isn't this isn't because no respect for work life balance and they're just like hey do this in five minutes regardless of whatever the [ __ ] you have going on kids other job whatever they don't care I think that's completely different I think setting the scene of like hey if you're interested you know we have to get this back in 24 hours I know it's a tight timeline here's why but I think that just makes all the difference the communication aspect of it and then like also I think it's very if you're gonna have an assessment in the interview process I think you need to set that scene in the first call as a recruiter like you need to say here's what our process is going to be you're going to meet with so and so and then after that if that goes well we're going to have you do XYZ assessment like I think you should set that expectation at the very first call that you talk with them that there is an assessment and where it falls in the process you know what this is so I get giving you jazz hands right now so anyone that you can watch this on millionary recuit YouTube enjoy that uh so I love this because this is where strategic Talent advisers come into play what drives me bonkers is fake work yeah okay so like Recruiters on the end they're like oh I'm just going to do all of these intake calls I'm going to put all these people through the process and I'm hitting my numbers kpis who whoop when in reality if you're literally just putting up numbers to put up numbers and if you are not setting those expectations and making sure every [ __ ] candidate you were talking to is going to do XYZ then get them out of the interview process right you know it's like that's that's how you you have to start weeding people out and I really think that if you're the recruiter that does this AI Bots will never [ __ ] replace us because we can save so much time just by this small amount thing I've done completely agree have you ever taken an assessment well you have to understand so I'm gonna say no uh but I haven't I haven't gone through an interview process since I was 21 years old I am now 39 so well I didn't know if you took anything you implemented internally okay yes so I I've taken our own own assessments yes absolutely I've taken the the varc the high five um so basically how we learn um what else I've uh I've done emotional intelligence assessments I've done all those things but like I sought after and did it it wasn't something like hey someone's like you have to do this yeah yeah yeah so how would you feel if you were interviewing and somebody told you that they needed you to do a 30 60 90day plan I'm just curious how what would you do oh so uh the curiosity killed this cat um I would dig a little bit but I wouldn't [ __ ] do it you know um no I would dig but I wouldn't do it yeah no I mean I I would like want to learn and like hear about like all of these things I mean just to what you said right like I would I would ask so many goddamn questions yeah um and then and then I would say hey look um this is something that I would do when I start and I already have like ideas for that I'm happy to walk you through my ideas like with you and I because here's the thing if you're going to make me waste my time I'm GNA make godamn sure you're wasting just as much time yeah so I'm going to say um I will talk you through it so I I now know like I'm getting more FaceTime with you getting more likability but I am not putting it into this giant project and presenting it I'm going to talk you through it and then we can dig be and then I'm going to talk about it's really important that you know we we communicate it's really important we're on the same page it's important that we work it out this isn't just something I need to do this is something we have to do and you know stuff like that so would you do it if they were paying you to do it paying me to do it yeah well I mean if they're paying me to do it then I'm going to do it really well yeah are you G to set your hourly rate or if they're like hey this is what we pay for this oh if it's if it's way below my hourly rate then I'm going to tell them what my hourly rate is yeah but I also have to realize that it depends am I passively looking or am I actively looking so do I have a job or do I not have a job right so then you have to think that your hourly rate is no longer your accurate hourly rate if you don't have a job so I would take like let's just say you know like for example like my hour rate is 400 well if I don't have a job I'm going to I'm going to say my hourly rate is 200 I'm like I would probably cut that in half because technically I'm not making anything so hourly your hourly rate is technically zero well okay

yes we have to [ __ ] with each other or we'll lose it we just got to laugh so by that same logic you're at a zero uh no I told told you I'm [Laughter] half totally get it makes sense it totally makes sense know your self worth yeah thank you um but we do have some tips for people that if you get an assessment and you do decide to do it um and again we're not saying we're not discouraging or encouraging it just it's definitely situational depends on what it is um but understand the requirements as you mentioned like poke holes in it before you start it ask all the questions ensure you thoroughly understand the requirements and the expectations and it's okay to seek clarification I know a lot of people like feel like okay well they're going to think I'm an idiot if I ask a bunch of questions absolutely not you should definitely ask questions um another thing that you need to make sure you do is show your process so if the assessment involves problem solving like think back to what they make you do at school like old school days like Elementary School show your work no I Diego's going through that right now he is pissed yeah show your work no um um don't just provide the solution walk through your thought process explain your approach and how you've arrive at that conclusion so that that math that you were doing in elementary school this is where it's applicable where you got to show yeah I know I'm saying boo too but this is where you got to show your thought process and walk through it um demonstrate your best work so it says treade assessments as you would any other job assignment strive for Quality attention to detail yeah do you have that in there don't cheat we have I this is crazy I've had even director of engineerings get caught for cheating it's Bonkers to me don't cheat they will find out they will find out and eventually they'll find out even if it's not an engineering role and you cheat like they're going to find out meet deadlines so if there's a time constraint make sure that you do the assessment within that deadline um I think you should that's another one that you should really know like what is the deadline and there I've had some sometimes like I've heard of people saying well we'd like for you to get it done in XYZ but you have till XYZ you know till Friday but we'd like you have it done by Wednesday I hate that it's such a passive way to communicate like so on the flip side like ask again ask more questions and going back really quickly Taylor to what you said if I give someone something and they didn't ask questions I'm actually upset yeah like I'm like how did you like how did you not ask any questions like there's no way in hell I explain this like that well really I feel like it depends on what it is if it's like a hey Source me 20 people for this and here's the role I don't know I may not have a lot of questions other than like when do you need it by so I think it depends on what the ass's some question right there's at least one question there has to be there has I mean you'd hope so but then if there's a million of them I'd also be like did you read it at all fair totally fair oh yeah yeah if I if I'm getting asked a question where it's actually documented I'm pissed you're right yeah exactly so it has to be truly a question that you have not been provided an answer to even if it was something that you were some in-depth 30 page thing you had to read if the answer's in there don't ask a question about it because you are are going to like that's going to come back to bite you negatively yeah um control of it yeah communicate challenges big one if you encounter challenges during the assessment you need to communicate them um and I really liked this one because it says it shows transparency and your ability to handle unexpected obstacles yeah so I like that one like communicate if you're having any issues while coming up with whatever challenge or information you're supposed to um so I thought those were all really good tips and then we'll get right into like our best best and final tip D the lost it um so by understanding the purpose behind assessments and approaching them with professionalism and enthusiasm you can use this part of the interview process to Showcase your skill your skills and stand out in the hiring process so I think the biggest part takeaway I had for that one is enthusiasm I'm like that I was just about to say I'm like enthusiasm thank you yes that's what I got from that yeah that's what I got from that too is like you need to understand the purpose of why you're doing the assessment I think that's really important like understand what what are they going to do with it why what purpose does it serve in this process what skills are you gauging I think that's really important so understanding the purpose is going to help you have enthusiasm towards doing it if you're like why the [ __ ] am I doing this just like if any in any job that you have like at your your current employer like current job if you don't understand why you're doing something I mean obviously you're not going to do it with as much enthusiasm if it feels like it's a box you need to check or just like a task you have to do but this one I think is really good to like understand what the purpose is how they're going to gauge you by the results I think that's totally fair is to ask a ton of questions about like how the how are the results gauged yeah and you know what something we didn't talk about I just thought of right now is save your project save your your work because and add it to your portfolio because what I actually had some people do as long as like it's not um there's like not an NDA or something in process but keep it for your next interview you know because now you have a project to show yeah and I think that's really power ful but I think on the other end like obviously well I was going to say depending on what you're you're applying for but for the most part there are some projects you can really keep in Your Arsenal during this moment and just kind maybe you even send it like with your resume or in the first call or something like that hey I just want to show you this you know it shows yeah it shows you're proactive it shows that you're passionate if you have projects for your job it means like it's not just a job for you yeah I like that a lot and do it all with enthusiasm always all right thanks guys for listening we appreciate it subscribe like review text us at 10 pm oh wait that was oh God no never good luck with your hunt too we know it's hard so you know any questions uh what we're having fun with to is just answering you know ad hog questions right you know you want us to just hop on here and do it then sorry that oops getting inappropriate oh I the rabbit I'm the only one that got yeah hop on here and do it on and do it thanks y'all see you next week