Sourcing Opportunities (Demystifying Recruiters)

From the Wall Street Journal  May 4, 2009

Many
people (including most of my family) have no idea what my job as a
recruiter entails and when I try to explain it to them I can just see
them getting more and more confused. Those that do have an idea of
what recruiters do generally have many misconceptions of how we work,
how we make money, and the value that we bring to the table.

To help demystify what recruiters do we are going to look at the
different types of recruiters and how they work, look at some important
things to remember when working with recruiters, and hear how to best
work with recruiters from several corporate and third-party
professionals.

To start off with, it is important to realize that there is more
than one type of recruiter out there. In fact, there are three main
categories into which a recruiter can be classified - contingent,
retained, and corporate - with sub-categories inside of each.

• Corporate recruiters are an internal
  member of an organization and typically (although not always) work
  in HR. They can be specialized (involved in recruiting day in and day
  out) or may be multi-functional, serving in an HR generalist role
  (recruiting, employee relations, benefits, training, etc).   Their
  main responsibility is to filter out candidate as per the
  requirement of the job description and hiring manager.


• Contingent recruiters act as an
  independent contact between their client companies and the candidates
  they recruit and although some specialize in direct hire positions or
  contract positions, many do both. Generally speaking, contingent
  recruiting firms are used when filling mid-level positions and seldom
  work on an exclusive basis with their client companies. In most cases
  contingent firms compete against each other firms to fill the positions
  they work on and they get paid only upon the completion of a search.


• Retained recruiters also act as an
  independent contact between their client companies and candidates but
  they work as an exclusive vendor on the positions they recruit for.
  They receive a retainer (up-front fee) to perform a specific search for
  a company, normally at the senior level (often for positions that pay
  $100,000 and up). Fee payments are made in thirds, 1/3 of fee paid on
  initiation of the search, 1/3 paid thirty days later, and the final 1/3
  paid thirty days later or upon placement of the candidate.

No matter whether the recruiter you are working with is corporate,
contingent, or retained there are some important things to remember:

• The job-seeker is NOT the recruiters customer, the organization is (they pay the bills).


• A recruiter does not ‘get' you a job. Their role is to work with
  the client, understand their need and find the best match to fit that
  spot.


• Just like with any profession there are good recruiters and bad
  recruiters. Sometimes you have to go through a couple of bad apples to
  get to good ones.


• If approached correctly, a recruiter can be a great resource of
  information on the job-market, your industry, and best practices on how
  to find employment.


• To maximize your time in working with recruiters, find those that
  specialize in your job-function as they will be more likely to have
  opportunities that are of interest to you.


• Make sure that you have a firm understanding  with any third-party
  recruiters that your résumé is NOT to be sent to any opportunity
  without your consent.


• Not tracking where you have applied and been submitted can easily
  lead to a double submission to an organization which can result in you
  being eliminated from consideration completely.


• If a recruiter recognizes your number on caller id you might be calling just a little too much

Now that we have looked at the categories of recruiters and some
best practices lets look at four different perspectives on how best to
work with a recruiter while you are looking for new opportunities from
two corporate and two contingent recruiting professionals.

Matt Lowney is a Recruiting Manager with DaVita, Inc. In his role,
Matt manages a clinical recruiting team in the southeast. You can reach
Matt by email at matt.lowney@davita.com or www.linkedin.com/in/mattlowney.

My
perspective is that of a corporate recruiter handling clinical (RN,
LPN, social worker, dietitian, and administrator) openings for
outpatient dialysis units.  I find that a lot of job seekers don't
realize the work load corporate recruiters are supporting, especially
given the economy (corporate recruiting staffs have been cut anywhere
from 30 to 70%).  As a result, job seekers get aggravated at the
turnaround time they get in correspondence from recruiters...if they get
any feedback at all. 

While
I understand the frustration of applying for a position and not hearing
anything back, a recruiter is tasked with finding the best candidate
(i.e. one that most closely fits the job description) as quickly as
possible.  The recruiter's job is not to be a career counselor. Most
candidates don't honestly appraise their skills in terms of the talent
pool available in the market. 

That
being said, if you understand the recruiter's day you will be much
better prepared to work with them.  Too often I speak with candidates
that see my role as one they need to "work around".  Big mistake.  My
number one suggestion is to treat your recruiter with respect as he can
be a big ally in the interview process internally.  Your recruiter can
be a strong advocate especially if the decision comes down to two
candidates so make sure to follow up and stay in touch with your recruiter. 

You
do need to remember they work with a lot of candidates, managers, and
positions.  Even if you feel you connected with your recruiter, always
be sure to reference who you are and what position you are applying in
your correspondence.  However, don't follow up too much.  For those who
don't know daily follow up calls are too many.  Every recruiter I know
has a list of "stalkers"!  I think touching base weekly by phone and/
or email is sufficient.

Lastly,
I would suggest finding a current employee at the company you are
applying to, if at all possible.  Ask this person to give you an
introduction to the recruiter.  Recruiters are networkers by nature and
they like to work with candidates that they feel they can trust.  Who
better to trust than a current employee referral? 

Kyle Allen, CPA is the Managing Director, Executive Recruiting for
Creative Financial Staffing in Brentwood, TN. He can be found at www.linkedin.com/in/kyleallen.

This
tough economy brings about many frustrations for both recruiters and
individuals working with recruiters, but I wanted to quickly focus on
the frustration individuals have and ways to fix that. Most
professionals get frustrated with their recruiter(s) because they
haven't found them a job. Even though our success is based on solely
producing a job for you we could give you so much more if you look
beneath the surface. Unfortunately this is the perception and as a
recruiter I try to educate individuals on how to effectively utilize a
recruiter.

The
fact is, as recruiters we are in a client driven business as they are
putting food on our table.  If our clients' don't have opportunities
that fit your background, we can't help.

The
best way to use a recruiter, in addition to getting a job, is to ask
questions of them on how to improve your résumé, appearance,
interviewing skills, and marketing yourself.  These are all important
aspects that recruiters won't always give you. Tell a recruiter you are
looking for the truth even if it is brutal.

Recruiters
avoid these discussion because they don't want to offend individuals or
make them upset.  I know this because I have avoided these
conversations in the past.

If
you keep hearing "you weren't a fit" or "they went with someone who had
the exact experience we were looking for" dig into those responses. 
Those are very surface answers and almost 100% of the time there are
deeper issues that kept you from the job.

The
quicker you are to be open-minded about yourself and take constructive
criticism, the better chance you have to land the next job you
interview for.

Bashty is a Recruiter with Texas Home Health and Guardian Home Care.
In her role, Bashty primarily recruits for Clinicians (LVN, RN, PT, OT,
PTA, COTA) in Texas, Tennessee and Georgia. You can reach Bashty at blteague@txhha.com or view her profile at www.linkedin.com/in/bashty

As
a Corporate Recruiter it is my job to find the best candidates to fill
our openings.  I know many feel that working with Corporate Recruiters
is more of a hassle than a help, but we can truly be an asset to job
seekers.  Instead of viewing Corporate Recruiter's as a road block in
between you and the hiring manager you should see them as a resource. 
They generally are experts on the company and have a wealth of
knowledge regarding the position that you are interested in, what the
hiring manager is looking for and the company culture. 

It
is my job as a recruiter to know the core job duties and
responsibilities for all of my openings.  Even if I have never worked
in the role that I am filling, I still know the core competencies and
key requirements that are required to be successful in this position
(that information may or may not be listed on the job description). 
Use the recruiter as a resource and ask about the core competencies and
what they are looking for in a candidate.  If you ask what they are
looking for you stand a better chance of selling yourself to them and
making it through to the next steps in their hiring process.  It is
also good to ask about the hiring process as each company's process
is different and the recruiter that you are working with will be the
expert.

Who
knows the hiring manager better than the recruiter that works with
them?  The recruiter has worked hard to forge relationships with their
manager's to determine the type of candidate that they are looking for
and the type of candidate that will work best with them.  Take
advantage of this knowledge and ask questions about the manager.  Be
sure to keep the questions professional in nature.  Here is an example
"What made the last person in this role successful and what made them
unsuccessful?"  Typically the Recruiter can answer this because the
hiring manager has expressed concerns or satisfaction regarding the
last individual in the role.

Company
culture plays a larger role in the hiring process that what you might
think and the recruiter is also an expert in this department.  If you
need a low-stress or flexible environment ask questions about the work
environment.  I know many people agonize over what to wear for an
interview, so ask the question what is acceptable attire for an
interview.  Some managers feel if you show up in a suit you are not a
good fit for their culture and others feel that if you do not show up
in a suit that you are not a good fit for their company.  The recruiter
will be able to give you inside information and will be more than
willing to answer your questions.

Rick Ross is the Director of Recruiting for NGP and is based in
Nashville, TN. In his role, Rick primarily recruits for senior level
information technology candidates nationwide. You can reach Rick at rcross@ngpusa.com.

I
believe one of the biggest misconceptions of a recruiter's role is that
we are not part of the interview process and that it's OK to not return
a call from a recruiter or to answer emails in a timely manner.

Candidates
need to understand that recruiters talk to multiple candidates and that
you can be ‘dismissed' by a recruiter from consideration - I have
withdrawn potential candidates based on their behavior with me. Maybe
they were consistently slow to call me; maybe they used inappropriate
language with me; but I decided that based on this behavior, they would
not be an employee with my client. My client companies never question
my decision and they would rather eliminate someone early in the
process rather than after the hiring decision.

So
what should you do to keep this from happening? Just treat the
recruiter like he or she works for the client (we do) and we (the
recruiter) is the decision maker. Return calls even if you are not
interested; keep them updated as you meet with the client; show them
your best business behavior.

What
if the job isn't for you? Most recruiters really do keep your resume in
their database and if they had a positive experience with you then you
will eventually (usually soon than later) get another call. Recruiters
needs change often so it doesn't hurt to check in occasionally so that
you stay on the top of the list.

And
if you know the job isn't for you, let the recruiter know - we always
err on the side of telling you about an opportunity and if it's not
right then no harm done!

It is important to keep in mind that when you are looking for a job
that a recruiter will not ‘find' you a job - that is still a you
project. Recruiters are a tool to use as part of the search process and
if used correctly can lead to a long lasting relationship that can
benefit both sides in many ways.

Until next time, good hunting and good luck!

Categories: Job Search · Recruiters · Sourcing Opportunities
Tagged: headhunters, Job Search, Recruiters

23 responses so far ↓

• 
  
  

  
  Paula Wood
  // May 4, 2009 at 6:55 am | Reply

  
  

  I
  love this blog post. With so many talented candidates looking for work
  this greatly clarifies what we as recruiters can do and for whom.

  
  

  My best advice to job seekers - revise your resume and make it relevant to each and every position you apply for.

  
  

  Paula Wood
  
  http://www.financerecruiter.com
  
  Twitter: financejobs
  
  Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/paulawood

  
  


• 
  
  

  
  Greg Flint
  // May 4, 2009 at 10:03 pm | Reply

  
  

  To
  date, my experiences with recruiters have not been positive. I have yet
  to feel welcome in the process. I realize placing younger candidates is
  a much simpler task, and that to some, grey hair equates to functional
  obsolescence rather than experience. The sense that I am not someone
  the recruiter deems an attractive candidate for their client is
  immediately apparent and made even more obvious by the lack of
  attention, multitasking, and complete absence of eye contact.

  
  

  Perhaps it has just been my misfortune to have only dealt with very young recruiters...

  
  

  I remember more than one occasion when I was on the other side of
  the job search table our in-house recruiter steering me away from older
  candidates, even if they were younger than me. Her rule of thumb was to
  screen out anyone older than herself. Luckily for potential applicants,
  she had a birthday NEARLY every year!

  
  
  
  
  • 
    
    

    
    mattleblanc
    // May 5, 2009 at 5:20 am | Reply

    
    

    Hey Greg -

    
    

    I can tell you that that is definitly not the norm. There has never
    been a situation where age has prevented me from moving forward with a
    candidate.

    
    

    One thing I will say is most recruiters have a specialization and
    candidates that specialize in something have a better chance of finding
    success.

    
    

    Recruiters are paid to find a square peg to fit in a square hole and
    in most cases not only does the peg have to be square but it also has
    to fit perfectly.

    
    

    As I said in the post - just like with every other profession there
    are good eggs and bad eggs - sorry you have dealt with the bad ones.

    
    
  
  
  
  


• 
  
  

  
  Doug Jakubik
  // May 5, 2009 at 8:24 am | Reply

  
  

  This
  information is a real gold mine for job seekers. I will share this
  information with all my business contacts. You can be sure that folks
  networking and searching for jobs in the Dallas/ Ft Worth metro area
  will be directed to this site/blog.

  
  

  I would like to see more information for how job searchers can work with their recruiter(s).

  
  

  Thank you, I will be monitoring this site for new information to share with job seakers.

  
  

  OdysseyOneSource- OneSource Virtual HR.

  
  
  
  
  • 
    
    

    
    mattleblanc
    // May 5, 2009 at 11:28 am | Reply

    
    

    Hey Doug -

    
    

    Thanks for the comment!

    
    

    Here are a couple of thoughts on how your clients can improve their chances with recruiters -

    
    

    1) Realize that recruiters are not the end all and be all (coming
    from a recruiter) - they are a piece of the puzzle, not the whole
    puzzle.

    
    

    2) Find recruiters that work in your area. An accounting guy working with an IT recruiter will not have much success.

    
    

    3) Recruiters (in most cases, not all) will be able to help those
    that have some specialization in their career. If you have someone that
    has a very varied background (as an example did customer service in a
    call center, then sold office equipment, then managed a retail store,
    then did accounts payable work) they probably not going to get anywhere
    with a recruiter.

    
    

    4) Realize that recruiters sometimes struggle to get feedback from
    hiring managers just like candidates do. If a recruiter is not calling
    you back it might just mean that there is no feedback to give yet and
    they are working on getting it.

    
    

    5) To maximize your success you should interview the recruiter to
    find out a little about them (you would ask questions of a surgeon who
    is going to cut on you wouldn't you?). Here are some ideas on questions
    to ask -
    
    - How long they have been in the business
    
    - Their relationship with the client company and hiring manager
    
    - How many placements they have made in general and at that company in the last year
    
    - Why they were initially interested in speaking to you

    
    

    Obviously there is more to it than that but those are some things
    you can look at to improve your chances of being succesful at working
    with recruiters.

    
    
  
  
  • 
    
    

    
    Teauna Upshaw
    // May 11, 2009 at 8:29 pm | Reply

    
    

    I
    want to add to #1, we are a piece of a puzzle. Seeking employment is a
    full time job, a job seeker who displays no effort in their job search
    is not the ideal candidate that a recruiter wants to help.

    
    
  
  
  
  


• 
  
  

  
  Steven Coyne
  // May 7, 2009 at 8:25 am | Reply

  
  

  Exceptional
  article. This is one that I'll take back to my "The Job Hunter Group"
  forum and post it. I'm also going to send the link to every member of
  the group too. The more they know about where I fit in, in support of
  their job hunt, the better!

  
  

  We remind members that we are not a "Magic Bullet" as posted on the
  group home page. We also remind them that "Finding a job is a full-time
  JOB!

  
  

  I am also in the Dallas/Fort Worth area (20 miles east of Dallas, in
  Forney) and I act as a Contingent recruiter. I'm just starting out, so
  I'll be looking to this site for more valuable information.

  
  


• 
  
  

  
  Steven Coyne
  // May 7, 2009 at 8:35 am | Reply

  
  

  I've confirmed my subscription and corrected my website link!

  
  


• 
  
  

  
  Marilyn Waitkus
  // May 7, 2009 at 9:30 am | Reply

  
  

  Thank
  you!!! As a healthcare recruiter (RN,LPN,CNA,PT,OT,SLP,and Pharmacy) I
  cant tell you the number of times I have had stalker applicants and
  applicants that have called clients directly, after hearing you not a
  good fit at this time, gee I wonder why? I think I will use this
  article as a handout to all applicants. Especially that we cannot give
  you a job, we can only present and profile, the rest is up to you. And
  yes we do go to bat for applicants that we feel strongly about, and
  take applicants out of the running based on the interaction with us.
  Our job is to build a relationship and make a match!

  
  


• 
  
  

  
  Beth Yarbrough
  // May 7, 2009 at 10:00 am | Reply

  
  

  Just
  wanted to say that this is an extremely appropriate article right now
  in the current economy. I'll be passing it along to several unemployed
  friends as they embark on their job search/transitions.

  
  

  Thanks again!

  
  


• 
  
  

  
  Scott
  // May 7, 2009 at 12:50 pm | Reply

  
  

  Great article as usual. This should be mandatory reading for job seekers. It would make recrutiers' lives easier.

  
  


• 
  
  

  
  mattleblanc
  // May 7, 2009 at 1:39 pm | Reply

  
  

  If you want another take on working with recruiters check out http://dryan659.wordpress.com/2009/04/07/how-to-be-found-by-recruiters/ - a very good post by friend Dan Ryan on how to be ‘found' by recruiters

  
  


• 
  
  

  
  Carla Anderson
  // May 7, 2009 at 2:25 pm | Reply

  
  

  Matt,

  
  

  Great article! I will definitely agree with your comment "Just like
  with any profession there are good recruiters and bad recruiters. " I
  have had the good fortune of working with many excellent recruiters. In
  fact, there was one recruiter at CAI Personnel in Brentwood who placed
  me in two consecutive jobs. I have also worked with some not-so-good
  recruiters. From a candidate perspective, there are a couple of things
  that recruiters do which are very un-encouraging to those of us seeking
  jobs, the worst offense is taking a completely impersonal approach to a
  candidate's job search. I can tell within five minutes whether a
  recruiter can help me or not, mainly whether he or she is intereseted
  in me as a human being or only as a commodity. Most people will pick up
  on this very quickly. Recruiters who will spend 20 minutes talking to
  the candidate, asking personal but not too personal questions - these
  are the recruiters who are talented enough to really understand what a
  good fit is for the candidate, as well as the hiring company.

  
  


• 
  
  

  
  hintonhumancapital
  // May 7, 2009 at 2:38 pm | Reply

  
  

  Matt,
  
  This is a very good article. Keep up the good work!
  
  S. Hinton
  
  Hinton Human Capital

  
  


• 
  
  

  
  That_DanRyan
  // May 7, 2009 at 8:12 pm | Reply

  
  

  Matt,

  
  

  Great post-keep up the good work!

  
  

  Dan

  
  


• 
  

  
  Twitted by KristieGibson
  // May 8, 2009 at 9:29 am | Reply

  
  

  [...] This post was Twitted by KristieGibson - Real-url.org [...]

  
  


• 
  
  

  
  beth
  // May 8, 2009 at 9:44 am | Reply

  
  

  thanks
  for breaking it all down, and helping clarify a misunderstood topic. Do
  you think the misinformation came from poorly performing recruiters
  just like a bad lawyer or sales person?
  
  beth
  
  Texas

  
  


• 
  
  

  
  Gail Staub
  // May 8, 2009 at 10:18 am | Reply

  
  

  Matt,

  
  

  Great article and I liked the pieces from the different recruiters.
  I hope this helps a lot of people understand the different types of
  recruiters and each recruiter's role.

  
  

  Gail

  
  


• 
  
  

  
  Toni
  // May 8, 2009 at 11:20 am | Reply

  
  

  Great
  article for (us) job seekers especially in the world we live today when
  competition for the same position is unbelievable. Key take-aways for
  me: 1) find a recruiter in the right industry and stay in touch, 2)
  know that they are not your "friend" but an opportunity for an invite
  into the game, 3) stay clear of the ‘bad apples', and 4) except the
  fact you may not get a response (but don't take it personally). I'm not
  sure about the stance from another recruiter of changing resume's to
  fit (more relevant) to the posting. I'm not a recruiter but I have
  hired many managers over the years. My POV is to have the best
  professionally-written resume with the right "fresh" key skills
  identified and create the best "relevant" cover letter to match the
  posting. Most importantly, post ONLY for jobs with 100% match of job
  requirements. This keeps the recruiters looking at the right applicants
  and able to respond more quickly.

  
  
  
  
  • 
    
    

    
    mattleblanc
    // May 9, 2009 at 1:05 pm | Reply

    
    

    Toni -

    
    

    Thanks so much for reading! Great thought/comments and I agree with
    you that the best résumé is one that includes all of the keywords that
    you need so you don't have to redo it for every position that you apply
    for.

    
    

    Also - appreciate you pointing out applying for jobs that are a 100%
    match for your skills. Many folks wonder why they never get call-backs
    from sending their info in and that is the reason why.

    
    
  
  
  
  


• 
  
  

  
  Susan San Martin
  // May 9, 2009 at 11:43 am | Reply

  
  

  Matt:

  
  

  Thank you for an excellent overview. As a niche recruiter
  (Communications and Marketing) with my own practice, it can be
  difficult . . . sometimes heartbreaking, in this climate . . . to have
  a candidate understand that we can't fit square pegs into round holes
  and that our first requirement is to fit our clients' needs - from both
  experience and cultural perspectives.

  
  

  That said, developing relationships with candidates will keep them
  top of mind when an appropriate search does come along. It is difficult
  to explain to candidates, however, that "I'm a fast learner," is not
  going to work in most situations. I once had a candidate pursue me
  relentlessly about an opportunity I was working on, for which he was
  not qualified - and I told him that. He barraged me with e-mails and
  phone calls telling me to "get on it." I finally had to tell him to cut
  it out and I forewarned the client that an overly aggressive candidate
  was not pleased with my decision to exclude him from the search. He did
  reach out to them directly and was told that all inquiries had to go
  through me. As you would expect, I didn't hear from him again and my
  experience with him means I'll never reach out to him.

  
  

  As pointed out in these responses, developing a relationship with a
  recruiter (whether internal or external) is a valuable log-term tool.
  Your post will certainly help candidates understand the boundaries, or
  perhaps more appropriately, the expectations of developing those
  relationships.

  
  

  Thanks,

  
  

  ssm

  
  
  
  
  • 
    
    

    
    mattleblanc
    // May 9, 2009 at 1:04 pm | Reply

    
    

    Susan -

    
    

    I agree it is heartbreaking to tell folks that there is nothing that
    you can do for them and I agree that candidates that are overly
    aggressive and don't act in an appropriate way can definitly exclude
    themselves from great opportunities both now and in the future.

    
    
  
  
  
  


• 
  
  

  
  Claire Holman Thompson
  // May 20, 2009 at 8:42 pm | Reply

  
  

  As
  a seasoned development professional, I have met and worked with a
  number of recruiters, some good, some bad. It really is a matter of
  finding the right fit for the job, and if I am not the right person, I
  would rather know it today than after I move across the country! I
  would advise job hunters to listen very carefully when speaking with
  recruiters, and, having done your homework on the hiring organization,
  ask whatever questions you need to with regard to the organizational
  culture, financials (those of the hiring organization), the team with
  which you'll be working, etc. If, having heard the answers, you feel
  you are not a fit, say so, and tell the recruiter why. In the best
  working relationships it is a dialogue. A good recruiter wants you to
  succeed!