For most job seekers, conducting a comprehensive job search
includes—at least to some degree—interfacing
with recruiters (a.k.a., headhunters). But, for many
people, this is also one of the most misunderstood aspects
of a job search.
Here are some quick tips and "must-knows" to demystify the
process of contacting and working with recruiters, and to
help you build relationships that ensure you are
top-of-mind when the ideal position for you comes across a
recruiters desk.
1) There are two types of recruiting firms and the
distinctions are crucial to understand. Retained recruiting
firms work directly for client companies and are paid to
screen candidates based on very specific criteria. Retained
firms often handle recruitment searches for the most senior
and highest paying positions. Contingency firms sometimes
work in competition with each other and only get paid if
they find the winning candidate for an open position.
IMPORTANT: Note that in both these cases, the company pays
the fee to the recruiter, not the job seeker. It is not
customary for a job seeker to pay the recruiting fee, so if
you are being asked to do that, be very cautious.
2) Remember that recruiters work for the company, not for
you! This is the most common misperception. The company is
their "client" and you are the candidate—essentially
the "product" that the recruiter is offering to their
client. Because of the way the recruiting industry is
structured, most recruiters will be seeking to work with
the candidate most likely to get hired (the candidate who
fits a very specific profile provided by the client). 'Most
likely to get hired' does not necessarily translate to
'most likely to succeed,' so if you find you are not the
perfect fit for a position, don't take it personally. For
this reason, if you are trying to make a career change of
any sort, recruiters will not be your best source as you
will rarely fit the profile provided to them by the client.
This doesn't mean you shouldn't contact them. But, do keep
your expectations in check.
3) Recruiters will often tell you that you (the job seeker)
should cultivate an exclusive relationship with just one or
two recruiters. In an ideal world this would be great, but
I disagree with this advice. Recruiters don't necessarily
share information about searches that they are working on.
So, if you only contact a couple of firms and 20 others
have an assignment that matches your qualifications, you
would never know about those assignments. That is why I
recommend contacting as many recruiting firms that that
specialize in your industry or profession as is practical.
If you have provided your resume, most recruiters will
place it in their proprietary database, and if a future
search calls you up as a perfect candidate, they will
contact you, even if you haven't had the opportunity to
build a truly personal relationship.
4) Related to point #3, once you have contacted recruiters
and have begun to establish rapport with at least a few,
your goal is to begin to build personal relationships.
Treat recruiters no differently than you would treat any
other contact in your network. While the initial contact is
generally made via email, now is the time to pick up the
phone and start to build a dialogue. The best networkers
know that effective networking involves some degree of
reciprocity. Do you have a lead that would help he
recruiter fill a position assignment they are working on?
Make a quick phone call. Did you see something important in
the news related to an industry specialty of the recruiter?
Send a quick email. By being helpful, you ensure the
recruiter remembers you the next time they have a position
that is a match for your background and interests.
5) Again, related to point #3, do your research. There are
presently well over 15,000 recruiting offices in just the
United States alone. It is impractical and a waste of
everyone's time to contact all of them indiscriminately. Do
a little research and determine which firms specialize in
your industry of choice or positions like you are seeking.
This small, segmented list is the one you should focus your
time and attention on. This is called taking the "rifle"
approach versus the "shotgun" approach. There are a few
credible service providers that will assist you with the
research and with contacting recruiters using the rifle
approach, but most use the shotgun approach. If you decide
to hire help during this stage, make sure you understand
this distinction and which approach the provider is using.
6) Make it easy for recruiters to help you. Structure and
write your resume in a format that makes it easy for them
to quickly identify your key qualifications. This is not
the time for a functional resume! Most recruiters will
simply throw a functional resume away. You must also be
absolutely honest. Do not be tempted to embellish your
resume. If you are found to be lying about anything, you
will be black-listed. Your accompanying cover letter should
be fact-filled and written specifically to help the
recruiter match you to their open assignments. When writing
letters for clients, I often include three to five bullet
points that clearly identify the qualifications and
experiences that we anticipate the recruiter will be most
interested in and looking for. Also, make the focus of your
job search crystal clear. Be specific and tell the
recruiter what you are looking for, the type and level of
position, the size and type of company, your geographic
preferences, and the salary range you are targeting. Yes:
salary range. Most recruiters will ask you for this
information, and you should provide it.
7) Put some thought into your job search and the order in
which you will conduct it. If you have already contacted a
company, your resume is likely already in that company's
internal database. If a recruiter now presents you as a
candidate for a position at that same company, the company
will not want to pay the recruiter for finding you because
you are already known to the company. This creates a level
of complexity in the whole deal that is almost impossible
to overcome and most recruiters won't work with you if they
suspect you have blanketed HR departments with your resume.
Selectively targeting a limited number of specific
companies is more effective than broadcasting resumes to HR
departments anyhow, but understanding this truth about
recruiters just gives you another reason to do so. Just be
smart about it, be selective, and use discretion.
----------------------------------------------------
Nationally certified resume writer and career coach,
Michelle Dumas is the director of Distinctive Career
Services LLC. Through Distinctive Documents
http://www.distinctiveweb.com and her Executive VIP
Services http://www.100kcareermarketing.com
Michelle has
empowered thousands of professionals all across the U.S.
and worldwide. Michelle is also the author of Secrets of a
Successful Job Search http://www.job-search-secrets.com
No comments:
Post a Comment