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We’re one week into 2024 and this is the best time for you to shine and take the year by its horns.

Now or never, it’s never later.

Today, I’m going to talk about how to turn a mediocre candidate into an amazing one with high probability of getting the offer.

Working With Mediocre Candidates

If the headline sounds condescending, please read on.

As Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who require a doctor, but the sick”. I strive to be the doctor for candidates that feel stumped.

I try to serve those who need help and these include candidates who are GREAT at what they do but clueless when it comes to their career planning and interview strategy.

When it comes to hiring, the dreaded interview is the gateway.

Some people flourish while others flounder and not even know it until they get the rejection email.

If you have a great candidate that is weak at interviews, are both of you doomed for failure?

Thankfully, I have worked with many “sub-par” candidates, turning their near misses into successes (job offers).

Without beating about the bush (which I don’t like), here’s the simple thing every recruiter can do.

Guide your candidate to write a thank you email after the interview. If they don’t know how to write it or showing signs of hesitation saying things like “Yes, I will do it later if they don’t come back to me”, you got to write this for them.

Nowadays, it’s really easy to do this with the help of ChatGPT, but mind you, it’s not copy and paste.

You need to prompt it correctly to drive the desired results. This is the secret sauce. DM me and I will share with you how I write it.

Once the thank you message is drafted, send it on the same day of the interview.

The SAME day. Not the following day.

Then, stay low and wait. After a week, and if your candidate hasn’t received that confirmed rejection from your client, the likely possibility is the company is still interviewing and they’re unsure they can find someone better.

Hence the radio silence…

This is where and when you get your candidate to send the second follow up email.

Again, what do you write? Obviously, not a repeat of the first copy.

This requires research of the company’s recent developments and how your experience tie in to support that. It is not hard and fast but the gist is the same - how your VALUE aligns with their goals.

Be specific yet not overly long winded. We don’t need a 500 word essay.

The impact of this second email is not only in the details but the impression that the candidate has maintained an unwavering motivation in the job after a week of radio silence from the client!

The client may not feel moved at your first thank you message because that's like a given.

(But it isn't, I know most candidates don't even send thank you notes!)

The second follow up email will prick their attention.

Who's this candidate? He's hungry and a hungry (motivated) candidate deserves respect.

What do you think? Is there a chance they would want to speak to your candidate again and consider him/her favorably for the job? (aka the second chance)

In this aspect, my winnings have been more than 50% over the past decade and in recent years, it is almost hitting 100% as my skills got better.

That's the value you bring to them and yourself.

You have just created success for every stakeholder in this hiring project. All that time invested in interviewing is simply NOT wasted.

p.s. Follow me on LinkedIn and DM “The Solo Recruiter” if you want to learn how to use ChatGPT or your own brain to write thank you messages that change the trajectory of the hiring outcome, in your favor of course.

Joo Kwang
​Author of Solopreneur’s Guide to Recruitment Business

​About this newsletter: You are receiving this email because you subscribed to my weekly TSR (The Solo Recruiter) newsletter. Every week, you learn the strategies that successful recruiters use to grow their businesses. So you can also do the same and launch your business.