Recruiters - talk to me (1 Viewer)

[captain_amazing]

I'm working with a recruiter to find a new opportunity within IT.  It's the first time I've worked with a recruiter and so far it seems pretty awesome.  Let them find the position that works perfect for me and the highest salary (since they get a better cut when the salary is higher, apparently).  

What can a recruitee do to make a recruiters job easier?  If the recruiter sets me up with an amazing job, what is the best way to thank the recruiter?  Would a simple "Thanks" email suffice or should I get the guy tickets to a local sports team game or something?

Others that have gone through a recruiter - interested to know your thoughts and experiences.

 

[moleculo]

Not a recruiter but I have been placed by one and am using one to fill a current position.

IMO, recruiters job is to know who is hiring, find someone who would be a good match, and make the introduction.  They work more for the company than they do for you - that's who is going to pay them, and they only get paid if they find a candidate that gets placed.

If you want to make life easier for them and help them place you in the best job, have the best resume and skill set.  Be as employable as you can.  Help them sell you to the employer.  Be honest with them - you don't want to have a recruiter sell you as X, walk into the interview and have the hiring company find out you are Y.  That doesn't help anyone.

My $0.02 anyways.

 

[Baloney Sandwich]

I've been in the industry for over 20 years and focused on the sales side but here is the best thing you could do:

a heartfelt thank you note will mean a ton

a recommendation on LinkedIn would be great

long term, providing him referrals of other IT folks looking is the best thank you

finally, let the company that hires you know what a good job the recruiter did for you 

 

[Judge Smails]

I've been in the industry for over 20 years and focused on the sales side but here is the best thing you could do:

a heartfelt thank you note will mean a ton

a recommendation on LinkedIn would be great

long term, providing him referrals of other IT folks looking is the best thank you

finally, let the company that hires you know what a good job the recruiter did for you 

Agree with Baloney. I work with many, many recruiters. Your job is to kill the interview if they present you. Even if the company doesn't hire you the recruiter is ultimately measured by the quality of the candidates they present. No gifts are necessary. Referrals are a recruiters lifeblood. Be willing to provide them 

 

[RokNRole]

I was a recruiter for 3 years in a different field.

If they sound wushy washy on the phone it doesn't mean the job isn't a great oppurtunity. It probably just means they are a regular person that found themselves in that lifestyle and have been beaten down by the industry. Ask them follow up and light personal questions. If they are any good it will loosen them up.

If they sound too perfect they either don't have a soul or they called you after getting a rush. Call back several hours later or at least early the next day and see how they react.

If you do this let me know and I will give you my interpretation at that time.

 

[RokNRole]

BTW you don't need to thank them. If you come through for them they will be happy andgo above and beyond for you. It's a brutal profession. It only brings out the best in people or the worst in people if they succeed in it.

You gotta play if fast and loose.

Best thing to do is not annoy them or make their job harder. Even if they are cool peeps they are exhausted 24/7 and additional stress may just make them not care on certain days because they are human.

Keep in mind you aren't the only person they are helping. Depending on the company you could be one of 3-4 dozen, for multiple jobs, that they deal with Daily. The industry only exists because the average employer is cheap and apathetic and subs out this work. Better to pay a premium on occasion rather than keep a full time HR staff on the payroll that may have little to do for significant stretches of the year.

 

[Judge Smails]

BTW you don't need to thank them. If you come through for them they will be happy andgo above and beyond for you. It's a brutal profession. It only brings out the best in people or the worst in people if they succeed in it.

You gotta play if fast and loose.

Best thing to do is not annoy them or make their job harder. Even if they are cool peeps they are exhausted 24/7 and additional stress may just make them not care on certain days because they are human.

Keep in mind you aren't the only person they are helping. Depending on the company you could be one of 3-4 dozen, for multiple jobs, that they deal with Daily. The industry only exists because the average employer is cheap and apathetic and subs out this work. Better to pay a premium on occasion rather than keep a full time HR staff on the payroll that may have little to do for significant stretches of the year.

I can see why you only lasted 3 years in the profession.  Clueless.

 

[RokNRole]

I can see why you only lasted 3 years in the profession.  Clueless.

I was an ace recruiter.

And keep in mind I wasn't a corporate recruiter. I was dealing with the lowest level employees possible. I think you are clueless.

 

[Judge Smails]

The industry exists because niche recruiters have years (sometimes decades) of experience and relationships.  They know the top candidates for certain roles and can usually present them quickly.  Most internal recruiters in HR are generalists and don't have the expertise required to land a top executive, engineer, salesperson etc - especially when those people aren't looking.

Don't annoy them or make their job harder? Stress? "may not care"? WTF? Dude - recruiters are matchmaking salespeople.  They get paid a lot of money for doing it.  The great ones are rainmakers.  They care because landing you a job makes them money.  

You make no sense, Ace.  I'll cheer for you in the serving thread though.

 

[Rick James]

so how do I find a legit recruiter within a specific industry?

 

[RokNRole]

The industry exists because niche recruiters have years (sometimes decades) of experience and relationships.  They know the top candidates for certain roles and can usually present them quickly.  Most internal recruiters in HR are generalists and don't have the expertise required to land a top executive, engineer, salesperson etc - especially when those people aren't looking.

Don't annoy them or make their job harder? Stress? "may not care"? WTF? Dude - recruiters are matchmaking salespeople.  They get paid a lot of money for doing it.  The great ones are rainmakers.  They care because landing you a job makes them money.  

You make no sense, Ace.  I'll cheer for you in the serving thread though.

I was trying to helpful and you are being an #####.

Go recruiter for low level jobs for a bit and then tell me how you feel.

 

[SacramentoBob]

Recruiters make IT a wonderful place.  Jobs come to me, I don't have to go to them.  Probably one of the best things you can do for the recruiter is leave a nice recommendation on their Linkedin.

 

[Judge Smails]

I was trying to helpful and you are being an #####.

Go recruiter for low level jobs for a bit and then tell me how you feel.

Spreading ignorance doesn't help anyone.  McDonald's doesn't use recruiters.  It's usually called Executive Search for a reason.  What types of positions did you recruit for? 

 

[SacramentoBob]

so how do I find a legit recruiter within a specific industry?

Look at their Linkedin page.  IT recruiting is littered with hot chicks 6 months out of school with zero experience in IT trying to fill roles.  Like most women, they are worthless but great to look at.  Someone with an established history of being a recruiter for that industry is key.  On Linkedin, those recruiters generally make themselves known via the intro message.  It will be specifically tailored towards my history and skills and the job they're hiring for.  You can tell they actually looked at my page, understand what I do and are trying to match that to a job I might be interested in.

Just because I have the word "firewall" on my resume doesn't mean I'm a cyber security researcher.

 

[RokNRole]

Spreading ignorance doesn't help anyone.  McDonald's doesn't use recruiters.  It's usually called Executive Search for a reason.  What types of positions did you recruit for? 

I'm not continueing this conversation with you with your current attitude. I'll chalk it up to you having a bad day.

I hope your evening is better sir. Farewell

 

[Judge Smails]

I'm not continueing this conversation with you with your current attitude. I'll chalk it up to you having a bad day.

I hope your evening is better sir. Farewell

I'm having a great day.  Just approved an invoice for $40,250 to a great recruiter who found my last salesperson.  Hope to give her more business.  She's that good.  

 

[Conanthecontrarian]

I'm having a great day.  Just approved an invoice for $40,250 to a great recruiter who found my last salesperson.  Hope to give her more business.  She's that good.  

you can't argue with him Judge. he is an "ace recruiter", he shut down their Dallas recruiting office in no time. LOL Hes waiting tables now.

 

[MattFancy]

Figured this may be the right thread for this. Curious to hear thoughts from others.

I recently heard back about a position I submitted my resume for. I was told that my resume was "too short" because it's only a page. I was told to make my resume longer because I was the only one with a 1 page resume. I've been out of college for 9 years and have only worked at 2 different companies. I had a few other positions in my previous job, so I have all my relevant experience on there. I don't think anything prior to college graduation would really apply here. And adding to my resume seems pointless, outside of making it 2 pages. As someone who worked in HR previously and reviewed resumes, we always preferred 1 page resumes. And mainly, we looked for a few buzzwords and would set those aside for interviews. Am I missing something?

 

[SacramentoBob]

On my resume (IT oriented) I have a section for major projects/accomplishments.  It's 2 pages long.  A couple of bullet points listing day-to-day responsibilities only goes so far.  A short blurb for projects that would impress a future employer adds useful information.

 

[Fishboy]

Figured this may be the right thread for this. Curious to hear thoughts from others.

I recently heard back about a position I submitted my resume for. I was told that my resume was "too short" because it's only a page. I was told to make my resume longer because I was the only one with a 1 page resume. I've been out of college for 9 years and have only worked at 2 different companies. I had a few other positions in my previous job, so I have all my relevant experience on there. I don't think anything prior to college graduation would really apply here. And adding to my resume seems pointless, outside of making it 2 pages. As someone who worked in HR previously and reviewed resumes, we always preferred 1 page resumes. And mainly, we looked for a few buzzwords and would set those aside for interviews. Am I missing something?

Depends on the industry.  As SacramentoBob indicated in the IT field it's critical to list your projects, technology involved and specifically what your role/responsibilities were for that particular project. 

If you are in sales & only 2 jobs in 9 years, then a simple 1 page resume is sufficient. 

What field/industry are you in? 

 

[MattFancy]

Depends on the industry.  As SacramentoBob indicated in the IT field it's critical to list your projects, technology involved and specifically what your role/responsibilities were for that particular project. 

If you are in sales & only 2 jobs in 9 years, then a simple 1 page resume is sufficient. 

What field/industry are you in? 

Finance

 

[Baloney Sandwich]

Figured this may be the right thread for this. Curious to hear thoughts from others.

I recently heard back about a position I submitted my resume for. I was told that my resume was "too short" because it's only a page. I was told to make my resume longer because I was the only one with a 1 page resume. I've been out of college for 9 years and have only worked at 2 different companies. I had a few other positions in my previous job, so I have all my relevant experience on there. I don't think anything prior to college graduation would really apply here. And adding to my resume seems pointless, outside of making it 2 pages. As someone who worked in HR previously and reviewed resumes, we always preferred 1 page resumes. And mainly, we looked for a few buzzwords and would set those aside for interviews. Am I missing something?

I really don't care what the length of a resume is as long as it accurately describes someone's experience and accomplishments in a logical and well written manner. 

 

[IC FBGCav]

I am a deuce recruiter, I find turds.  

 

[[icon]]

Depends on the industry.  As SacramentoBob indicated in the IT field it's critical to list your projects, technology involved and specifically what your role/responsibilities were for that particular project. 

If you are in sales & only 2 jobs in 9 years, then a simple 1 page resume is sufficient. 

What field/industry are you in? 

Resume should NOT just be bullet points of day to day roles. Should be in depth discussion of capabilities and achievements. Flesh those out. Don't say "managed outside agency".. say "saved $x a year by outsourcing X work to outside agency". #### like that. 

I used to have a 1 page resume because I'm only on my 3rd post college job in ~20 years. I worked with @Anarchy99 and am MUCH happier with what he generated. It's now 2 pages and feels like there's no bloat in there. I learned a lot working with him as well. Shoot him a PM. 

 

[Judge Smails]

I really don't care what the length of a resume is as long as it accurately describes someone's experience and accomplishments in a logical and well written manner. 

This. The recruiter is probably saying your resume looks thin on accomplishments.