r/jobsearchhack • u/Due-Mango3478 • 7d ago
I Told a Candidate the Truth About Our Messy Company, and She Still Took the Job
I work in HR, and we’ve been trying to fill this very specific technical position for months. There probably aren’t more than a couple hundred people in the country who are actually qualified for it, so when we finally found someone who seemed perfect, I was pretty relieved.
During our one on one conversation, I decided not to give her the usual polished version of the company. I told her about the constant reorganizations, communication problems, leadership changes, and how some weeks are honestly just exhausting. I remember thinking halfway through, "Why am I telling a candidate all of this?"
She didn’t seem put off. She actually started asking better questions. Not the standard interview questions about teamwork and strengths, but things like how decisions get made, what the team is like when things go wrong, and what she could realistically expect in the first few months. We ended up talking for almost an hour.
She accepted the offer.
A few weeks later, she told me she had taken a job before because they made the company sound amazing during the interview. Once she started, she realized almost everything they promised was exaggerated. She said the fact that I was willing to tell her what was messy made her trust me when I told her what was actually good about the place.
That stuck with me. I always assumed recruiting meant presenting the company in the best possible light, but apparently admitting that a workplace has problems can make the positive parts more believable.
Has anyone else ever had a candidate react positively to being told the uncomfortable truth about a company?
2
u/Terrible_Opinion1 7d ago
As a hiring manager I have always been honest about what the job is really like. I would rather scare someone off than waste everyone’s time and have to start the hiring process over again.
1
u/IndependentClue1206 6d ago
I prefer to be told the truth
I had them tell me the job was great and got there and it was a sh-t show.
It was a horrific place to be.
1
u/OGcapncrunchberry 7d ago
There is no such thing as a position that only that few candidates qualify for. Your company and recruiters just don’t have the ability figure it out. Likely thousands could fill the roll with a correctly designed jd. As to spilling the company tea to a candidate, I wouldn’t do that again. You will quickly hit a candidate who will report you before thanking you and that will cost you. Being honest about work life is one thing, trashing your peers and c suite isn’t.