By Aily Foo – Senior Consultant, Temporary & Contract Recruitment, Links International Hong Kong
Whilst we encourage candidates to try new roles, experienced recruiters will only contact candidates that are capable and suitable for a particular role.
Usually, we won’t suggest candidates with a lack of experience to try roles that they are not familiar with or perhaps can’t handle. Unfortunately, society judges a person’s career based on their salary, job title and company name. Therefore, when candidates are looking for a job, many will put these requirements as the top consideration when making a career-related decision, without considering if the role would even be suitable for them.
I have been a recruitment consultant in Hong Kong for some time and I come across a lot of candidates who are afraid to try a new role. This is not because they think they are not qualified enough, but they are worried about failing in the interview stage. The reason for this is that, as the interviewer usually dominates the conversation, the candidate, who feels out of control, can develop further stress and anxiety. If candidates don’t prepare well, they can become fidgety or even blank out of the conversation. One of my candidates tried so hard to pursue her “dream job” for a similar role with a company that had a better reputation. She wanted the job so badly and prepared well, but she was very nervous during the interview and didn’t end up getting the job. She felt disappointed and remained in her existing role. The role she was going for was filled by someone else, but, after a few months, the whole team was dismissed. She was therefore thankful she didn’t get that job only to end up unemployed and was actually promoted in her current company!
What I’m saying is that you shouldn’t be afraid to try for fear of not getting the job you are applying for. We can all learn new things during the interview process. We meet new people, we get a better understanding of the company and of the role itself, and we also can have a better understanding of what we eventually want. The experience gained during the interview process can make you a better candidate in the long run.
Sometimes things might not go smoothly. When we really want to achieve something, we might get nervous and it just might be that we don’t perform as well as we would like to. However, if we fail, there will always be an alternative choice, and sometimes second best can eventually work out to be the better choice.
When life gives you lemons, make yourself a lemonade! Open yourself up to try new roles and you never know where this could lead you. We are here to help you reach the next step in your career. Please do not hesitate to contact us.