No Such Thing as “Wasting Someone’s Time”!

I work with great employers and contact a lot of candidates about roles. I often get this head-scratching response from them, “I don’t want to waste anyone’s time.” Here are 3 reasons why there is no such thing as wasting anyone’s time in that context:

1. If you have already been identified as someone with the right skills, and the company is willing to talk to you, how is talking a waste of time? The prospective employer has already deemed you as worthy of its time.
2. You can learn more about the employer, compensation range, titling, and hot job skills that you would not otherwise know. This information is helpful even if you end up not interested in the job — you can use it to gauge your worth, negotiate with your current or other employer, share with friends in similar situations, etc.
3. Employers often are flexible with candidates they love, but need to talk to you first. I see some candidates throw up high barriers (“I need to make $X!” “I want to manage a team!”) and say they won’t talk unless they get reassurance on these points first. A better strategy is to get to know each other, and employers can move in all sorts of ways if they are impressed.