| Recently, I gave a talk at the Delaware Valley Technical Recruiters Network (DVTRN) about what recruiters should be doing to improve their service to important customers. Those important customers would be you… the techie job seekers.
I told those folks a lot of what you have been telling me. How frustrating it is to launch your resume into the black hole of online job advertisements and get nothing more than a two-line automated email response. Or nothing at all.
They heard how upsetting it is for candidates to have a screening interview and then never hear from anyone again, despite positive comments about next steps. They also got a short lecture about ducking calls and emails from candidates attempting to follow up. I told them there's no excuse for not being direct with people who are no longer in the running.
I urged them to look at their own companies' recruitment websites with critical eyes. Are postings current? Is there a direct means of contact for potential candidates? For that matter, if applications are being taken over the web, does the site actually work the way it's supposed to?
There was quite a bit more in my rant, but I'll spare you. I think I got the message across. However, I felt the need to be fair and asked them, and some other recruiters I trust, what they'd like job seekers to know. Here's what they had to say:
1. Remember That The Customer is King
The paying customer, that is. These days, employers are being incredibly specific - and emphatic - about what they want in their candidates. Chris Martin, Technical Recruiter at Aetea, says, "There's no wiggle room on qualifications these days. When employers list those ‘must haves' in a job description, they mean business. They're more than willing to wait for that perfect candidate," He adds, "They won't settle for nine out of ten skills, they insist on finding all ten."
And that's not the only area for control. Employers also dictate the way recruiters can respond to them. This isn't new. Lots of companies do business only with a small group of approved recruiting firms. What's different now? Employers are severely limiting the number of applicants they're willing to consider at any time - to maybe one or two candidates per recruiting firm.
This translates to selecting only the top contender(s) for presentation. Though you may be well qualified, someone else may have an edge. The recruiter has to go with the strongest candidate he/she's got and you need to accept that it may not be you this time. Being mature about this and handling it well goes a long way. It'll help you the next time you're in the running.
2. Understand That Things Take Time
Jerry Conquest, Technical Staffing Specialist at IntePros Consulting, sums it up concisely, "Only Fed Ex is overnight." Budget pressures, reprioritizing projects, waiting for the business cycle to pick up - all of these are reasons why employers are slower to pull the trigger on new hires. And it's true for permanent and contract positions alike.
Jerry explained, "Our goal is to put people to work - that's how we get paid. We've got no reason to delay, so people need to understand that it's not deliberate on our part." Delays usually come from within the employer. For example, when managers' schedules are just too full and hiring decisions are lower priority than other emergencies. "We get feedback to our candidates just as soon as we get it," says Jerry, "believe me, we're just as eager as you are."
Don't forget that the timing issue works on the front end of the search as well. It can literally be weeks before resumes are screened for advertised openings, especially in larger, bureaucratic organizations. (I won't name names, but there's a well-known Philadelphia-area firm known for the glacial pace of its hiring process. True story - I know of a case in point where it stretched out for eight months.)
When the job market was really hot, employers had to move quickly if they wanted to compete for talent. These days, there's not nearly so much of a rush. The hiring process can easily stretch out to ten weeks or more, so … chill.
3. Read Job Postings Thoroughly
There's a tendency (and I see it in myself when I'm looking) to skim through job descriptions when you're searching on line. We don't mean to, but it seems to be the rule when reading information coming through the Internet. We read the first paragraph or so, but then start to fly through the material, looking for key words, like Systems Analyst or Java.
The problem with focusing on skimming for specific terms is that there's a tendency to overlook other important data. We find what we're after and then push a button or two to shoot a resume out to the prospective employer. Done.
But for all that it's so easy, it may not be effective. Remember what was in #1? Employers are only going to interview candidates that have all of the required qualifications. If you've skipped over some of them in your hurry to focus on the ones you do have, you're kidding yourself about the effectiveness of your search.
It's no big deal for employers that use a candidate tracking system to do the first pass; they eliminate you electronically. But if resumes are being screened by an individual, you still won't make the cut and you've wasted someone's time. He/she may brand you as a loser with poor reading comprehension.
It's okay to skim the job description first. Then, if it seems like it might be a fit, go back over it and read it carefully to make sure. If you're totally a match, fire off that resume and cover letter.
If you're really, really, really close to being a total match (be honest now), you can try to sell yourself through an individually crafted cover letter and resume. BTW, don't call attention to the qualifications you lack by mentioning them in the cover letter. Just emphasize the important ones you do have.
4. Communication
Most people think that the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Well, that's true … up to a point. Many recruiters told me that there's a small group of hyper job seekers that will call ten times a day. Even if they're told not to keep calling.
You'd think that people would realize that failure to follow instructions would influence the way recruiters view them as candidates. Right? It has to be anxiety at work here and it looks like some folks need to work on controlling it. (See #2 above.) Read a book, take a walk, do something else ... anything but call.
Ask the recruiters with whom you're working for the best way to reach them. Find out whether they prefer calls or emails. It's best to establish a schedule - say, twice a week on specific days - for making contact. Then, make sure you do it. Remember, it's your schedule. Trust me, if anything should come up in the interim, they will call you.
More
I think I've heard every story there is about sneaky/dishonest/incompetent/etc. third-party recruiters. There are definitely some of them out there. But there are a lot more who are hard-working, reputable people who really do want to help job seekers find their next position. It's your responsibility as a customer to identify the ones you trust and want to work with.
Recruiters who work directly for employers also need to be responsive to their job seeker customers. It won't be long until the demand for technology workers ramps up again and the talent war resumes in earnest. Companies that haven't developed a candidate-friendly reputation will suffer.
Until then, all of us in job search mode have to keep at it and keep our spirits up. Write to me at jamie@jobcircle.com if your outlook could use a boost. Or if you have problems or questions. Next month, a column not specifically geared to job search: What to Do About Your Toxic Boss.
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Jamie Fabian spent more than 15 years as a human resources executive before changing careers to become a senior project manager for a growing IT consulting company. Now in management consulting for a large Pharma company, Jamie would like to be seen as a hybrid of Tom Peters, Tom Jackson, and Tom Wolfe, but spends too much time working, driving carpool and watching mindless TV to write more than this column. You can contact Jamie with questions and comments at jamie@jobcircle.com.
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