Posts tagged with “Recruiters”

Many of you have had unique experiences working with recruiters during a job hunt. Some good and some not so good. Like every profession, there are "good people" and then there are others. You need to do your own homework to ensure you are working with a reputable recruiter. At the same time, you need to do what is expected of you to avoid harming your chances to land a job they are working on. After all, they hold the keys to the opportunity. It is essential for you to have a great working relationship.

With this in mind, I recently polled my recruiter community to find out their top "pet peeves" about working with candidates. I know you have you own list for them, but theirs is a good one to read to ensure you are a stand-out candidate. I have included their Twitter name so you can ask them follow-up questions if you like. This is a smart and reputable bunch. Heed their advice and you'll be glad you did!

In the world of "give and take," do you take more than you give? When it comes to working with recruiters, many job seekers assume they can only receive help and not provide any. Additionally, many wrongfully assume that the relationship with the recruiter is short-lived-that it only lasts as long as the job opportunity the two are working on. As you'll read below, it pays for candidates to build a strong, long-term bond with a few recruiters.

At this time of year, many people decide it is time to look for a new job. Is starting a job search one of your New Year's resolutions? If so, you'll probably brush up your resume, hit the job boards, apply for a few jobs and wait. When nothing happens, you'll think, "What should I do now? I know, I'll ask a recruiter to find me a job!"

As a recruiter, I can tell you that I continually get emails and calls from job seekers looking for help. Like many recruiters, I have more candidates contacting me than jobs to fill. I do my best to help them by providing resources and advice, but often this is not the result they're hoping for.

When I ask job seekers what roles they are ideal candidates for, I often hear "I am good at so many different things, I can do almost any job." Although this may sometimes be close to true, most of my clients are looking for specialists. Sure they appreciate the candidates who bring a lot to the table. However, that is a bonus on top of first being really strong in one particular area. When talking with recruiters and hiring managers about what you can offer, you must be careful not to appear to be a Jack of All Trades and a Master of None.

I recently came across this article on Yahoo.com describing the many reason why your resume gets tossed from the "might use" to the "never use" pile. There are some good tips in this article that touch on the following:

• If accomplishments can be quantified, do it -- but use discretion
• If you send a cover letter by email that starts with 'Hi,' it and your resume will probably end up in the trash.
• It's true that recruiters sometimes use scanners to sort through resumes looking for certain keywords.
• If you mention your age, we have to trash your resume.
• When recruiters see a resume that's designed differently, they think the person's trying to hide something.

• People who are too immature to realize they have faults and weaknesses.
• Having no idea what job they've applied for because they aren't really paying attention
• Mass producing resumes and applying for anything and everything without tailoring for specific opportunities
• "Lazy introductions" like unsolicited and informal emails that say something boring like "I'm looking for a job, please see attached resume."
• Generic cover-letters that fail to connect what's in the resume to what's in the job description or advertisement.

It's Tuesday, 3:00 p.m. and for some reason, after a month of job searching with no luck, you have been called by 5 different recruiters about a job you are "perfect for".

How do you determine which recruiter is legit? Who really knows the hiring managers? Which recruiter is the best fit?

If you've made the choice to work with a recruiter, here are some tips and suggestions for how to get the most out of the relationship.