Early Rejection, Who Cares

I have noticed some recent posts on the international education recruiting scene that have piqued my interests. It seems with all the online recruitment fairs happening, early rejections are higher than usual.

This is not a big deal.

Until this recruitment season, every recruitment agency in the world would have told a candidate that going to a recruitment event would have been their best option. Agents would have down played online or direct recruitment.

Now, with the current global situation, the tables have turned. Everyone is really excited for online recruitment and online recruitment fairs are the best way to recruit.

Here is why you should not worry about early rejection:

Schools probably think they can have a longer time to recruit because they feel like there are infinite online meeting options; this will idea will fade around February
Schools probably will be less likely to fill slots, believing they can wait longer than normal for the best fit for one or more positions; this will not work out as planned for many schools
Schools maybe looking for people who are already local and more regional to avoid issues with the pandemic
Schools are still going to prioritize married couples that can cover more than one job as a couple (if you are single waiting for a later fair is normal)
Due to financial issues around the world, schools are likely to be conservative with the number of dependents they sponsor and allow to attend the school for free

Some of this logic is sound, however, some of it is flawed. I have seen the drawn out recruitment issue first hand. I watched a school cycle through 40 candidates, until there was no one left. It simply doesn’t work. This creates a quasi buyers market for jobs, and candidates start sharing data and comparing schools etc. Extended time in a recruitment process can actually create doubt and allow misinformation to circulate. Everyone needs to remember, it really is a small world.

It is a huge mistake to not take a good fit for a position because the internet will some how create more qualified people. The number of people looking to make a finite amount of choices is finite. The number of people aware of recruitment and timelines, is finite. In a world of uncertainty, people want to plan ahead and feel secure. Organizations would be wise to adopt that same logic in the short run.

Choosing people for jobs who are already in a country or region is smart, and this should have been a standard practice in the past. I have actually been asked to travel to a job fair to interview for a job that I could have driven to. Literally asked to fly to the USA, because the school’s policy was not to interview people inside the country. I am hoping this changes for good. That being said, many people who are ready to move on are ready because they want a new adventure, not just a new job.

If you are a candidate and you are feeling rejected, have some perspective. Schools need time to go through a series of steps to adjust to the new environment they are in, and they need to explore all the options. Every rejection is a chance for a candidate to ask for feedback and start to sharpen the saw.

I am seeing most of the complaints online from single people. If it is any comfort, the job that changed my life for the better was contracted in the month of July! One month before the start date. Opportunity is rarely something we can predict, but we need to always be ready to seize it.

But, you have to be at the top of your game. Many people are moving this year. More than I would have expected. This means your CV/Resume need to be perfect, your online calls with employers need to look good and sound clear, and you need to have all your materials in order.

This is time consuming work to do well. Employers are not going to scroll through your social media to get a sense of who you are, they are going to expect a candidate to be able to communicate succinctly, and speak about themselves in a clear and articulate manner.

Candidates, you must practice! Sending materials to your recruitment agent is a waste of time, until you have allowed some honest people to give you tough feedback. Recruitment agents have never found an error on my materials, even when my materials were riddled with errors.

I have two videos that can help get you going.

Expat Recruitment First Steps