Carolyn is the owner of Talent Maven Inc., a San Francisco based recruiting company which John Solaegui used to hire his new assistant. We decided to pick her brain and find out exactly what it’s like to be a talent recruiter.
Q: Ms. Reinholdt, please describe your practice and how you approach each recruiting assignment.
A: We start with a needs assessment – The hiring manager and I speak at length about what they think they need, what kind of person they would like to work with, and what kind of environment they would be working in, including the projects they would be working on. In addition, we talk about the perks and benefits, career path, all the things that would make someone super excited about working there. I typically ask the question, “if you were trying to persuade your best friend to work here, what would you tell them?”
Q: How long have you been a recruiter?
A: A little over five years.
Q: What did you do before becoming a recruiter and how did you get into this line of work?
A: I practiced immigration law. I was introduced to recruiting in 2006/2007 by a legal recruiter after I had been practicing over ten years and was starting to get burned out.
Q: What do you enjoy most about your job?
A: Working with impassioned business owners to help grow their businesses and realize their goals and dreams. Finding great people – I love connecting people. One of my favorite things to do both in business and in life is to connect two people. In recruiting, I get to not only help someone find a great job with an exciting company led by someone who is passionate about what they do, but I get to help those business owners add another outstanding person to their team. It’s the best!
Q: Tell me about your interviewing style.
A: I really like to have a conversation with an applicant, because that’s when a person really demonstrates who they are and what they’re interested in. If I can get them to talk about something that’s really important to them, that really gets them going and lets them geek out a little about their abilities, that’s even better. I also like to ask situational questions, such as, “tell me about a time when you did X, Y, and Z. What were your biggest challenges?” But in addition to letting a candidate really shine, I also have a responsibility to poke and prod and push back regarding tough questions so that I can communicate concerns and red flags to the hiring manager.
Q: What intangibles do you look for when you hire?
A: Attention to detail, listening abilities (does a candidate keep cutting off my question?), thoroughness of response (does the candidate actually answer my question?), overall phone manner and writing skills (because every role is going to involve some aspect of communication).
Q: What are your favorite questions that you ask every candidates? And what do these questions reveal?
A: It really depends on the role that we’re hiring for. For admin support roles, I usually ask about staying on task while getting distracted and interrupted several times along the way. For all roles, I ask if there is a question that the candidate wishes I had asked but I hadn’t.
Q: Are there any absolute deal breakers when you’re interviewing a candidate? If so can you describe a few?
A: There definitely are! In most cases, we won’t even get to an interview if things don’t look good on a resume. Absolute deal breaker number one is hanging up on me during a call, and then dodging my callback. Seems extreme, but it’s happened on more than one occasion, even though the resume looked really really good. Other deal breakers are things like not taking the interview call seriously, which happens more than you’d think. Some people will take half a day off for a call, which reflects how they are treating the process. Other people will literally duck out into the hallway, pull over while they’re driving, or be in a noisy environment where they can’t hear. Not listening and answering the question they’d prefer me to be asking.
Q: Describe yourself in three words.
A: Thoughtful, personable, concerned.
Q: Are there any changes that are in the works for you?
A: We are in the process of growing our team – there are some great people in the wings just about ready to join the team.
Q: What career advice would you give to a class of graduating seniors?
A: Network as much as possible. Meet people, connect, let people know what you’re up to and what you’re looking for. More importantly, ask other people what you can do for them and really listen to their responses. Focus on one person a day or week to help and do what you can.
Q: You interview people every day. What’s the one question that I should have asked you?
A: What advice do you give hiring companies that have never worked with recruiters before? Why would a business turn to a recruiter to help them grow?
