Posts tagged with “Recruiters”

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.

Question:

"What is the source of the research that 70% of jobs are hidden, not advertised? I read it all of the time but there is never any source of this research."

Answer:

This information comes from the Us Department of Labor. However, it is a bit misleading because it actually refers to the fact that major companies not advertising their jobs themselves. The statistic reads 75% to 85% of jobs are not advertised in the newspaper or posted on Web job boards.

The reason this is misleading is because the majority of large and mid-size companies use staffing agencies to recruit for them rather than incorporating a huge HR cost into their budgets. These staffing agencies will place the jobs on the job boards and advertise and in the end the client company is actually paying for these costs. They pay for them by way of a permanent placement fee or a mark up on a consultants hourly pay. In the end they are not directly advertising, so it does not count towards this statistic.

Staffing companies will utilize this statistic to get you to work with them, and I do suggest working with them because we have a direct connection to the client companies usually. However, do not let this statistic dominate your view or approach to your job search.

Also, According to a department of labor statistics; 48% of jobs are found through friends, business contacts and relatives: 24% by direct company contact; 13% by combination of both; 5% job ads; 4% by search firms; 6% through unions, college and private placement firms.

What they are really stressing here is that your job search should not entirely be based on job boards and should be focused on building your network. For clarification I have linked to some sites below that back up what I have mentioned. The main point they are trying to let you know here is that networking is key to your employment search... The last link below really focuses on how you should spend your time on your job search as it relates to advertised and non-advertised position.

http://www.dol.gov/odep/archives/media/speeches/vital.htm
http://www.dol.gov/vets/programs/tap/tap3_4.pdf
http://www.doleta.gov/Seniors/other_docs/jobSearch.pdf

If you're in the market for a job the last thing you want to do is go around aggravating or annoying some of the most valuable people in any job seeker's network: recruiters. So what bothers them the most? This article sums up some of the most common pet peeves of recruiters when it comes to dealing with job candidates:

• 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.

So how aggravating have you been?

Negotiating salary always seems like the most stressful part of the job interview process. You want to make sure you are happy with what you are being paid while simultaneously not pricing yourself out of a great opportunity. Nevertheless, paying your bills and living a comfortable lifestyle are important factors when you think about the hard work and hours you will be putting in to earn all that. Today's economy and tough times have made this process even more difficult.

Here are some tips to help you negotiate your salary in a recession.

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.

The economy has tanked, unemployment is steadily rising, and your job search seems to be a continual cycle of submitting your resume and hoping to hear back from that job.

Any kind of feedback would be beneficial. Then your phone rings but it's not who you hope. Instead, it's an employment recruiter.