Q & A with Mike Walton: A Recruiter Shares How to Be a Great Candidate

Mike Walton has over 15 years of recruiting and talent management experience with companies including Towers Perrin, Edward Jones, and Citi.  He currently works for Mercer Consulting and resides in St. Louis with his wife Julie and his two children Grace and Jack.  Here is his perspective on best practices in working with a recruiter.

You work for Mercer, a highly ranked consulting firm. How do you find potential applicants for jobs?

We find candidates in two ways: through active candidates who apply to openings and also by identifying passive candidates. We use a proprietary methodology to source candidates on and offline.

What makes it easy for you to work with a candidate? In other words, can you describe how a “good candidate” works with you?

It’s all about communication. I want to know past history—why you took jobs, why you left, the rationale for each position. I want to know successes. I want to see a high level of communication throughout the process. I don’t want to leave anybody guessing, and I don’t want surprises from candidates, either. I encourage candidates to be transparent with me about their search.

What makes a great candidate?

Someone who is able to build the bridge between their experience and the requirements for a job. If you are going for a sales job and you are a recruiter, you need to show me how your past experience ties into your future job. The candidate has to build the bridge for others to see the similarity of experience; don’t assume others can see it for you.

Someone who can quantify everything. I want to know that you can make the company money and that you save the company money. You want to be able to show your competence; you want to be able to back that up with facts. Quantifying information is huge. It all starts with the resume.

Do you have any “never do” tips for individuals in working with recruiters?

Don’t be transactional; think of your recruiter as a resource and a relationship to be developed.

Let the recruiter be your advocate. Don’t leave them guessing.  If you take advantage of my services and my company simply to get a better job offer that you can leverage in negotiating a better salary at your current job—don’t expect me to work with you again.

Do you have any success stories to share of job seekers you’ve worked with? Anyone who you couldn’t help “right now” but were able to help later?

I stayed in touch with a former colleague for ten years after we left a common employer; we kept each other informed about openings and our own career goals.  When a job came open at my current employer, he started working side-by-side with me again.

Lesson: Stay in touch with your former co-workers.

Are there any questions I haven’t asked that I should be asking? What’s the question, and what’s your answer?

What blind spot do you see in candidates?

A lack of understanding of the hiring process. If you’re looking for a new opportunity, become a student of the process. That means talking to recruiters, talking to hiring managers. Figure out what happens on the inside when you submit your resume. Seek to understand why you didn’t get the call back so you can position yourself to get the offer the next time you apply.

Use it now—actionable—advice for job seekers (in 140 characters or less): 

The competition for openings is fierce. Apply to jobs, but seek traction inside. Get an internal advocate.