My latest column on PRNewser is up. Here's an excerpt... or see the full article here.
Lately, I've been receiving a ton of calls from candidates who call to "enlist a recruiter" to help find them a new position. It makes me wonder if some of these people think that by speaking to an industry recruiter, their job search woes will be answered.
Recruiters work for their clients - the hiring company, not the other way around. I'm not saying job seekers shouldn't connect to a recruiter. Recruiters can and will bring opportunities to your attention you might never find otherwise, but it's important to keep the expectations realistic.
The job market in its worst condition in years. If you are actively job searching or unemployed, don't rely ONLY on job ads or a recruiter. These days it takes much more work to seek the opportunities out. Become your own headhunter and use some of our strategies to propel your search.
Have a plan
A good recruiter tends to be very organized and an obsessive planner. Recruiters don't only rely on job postings they see on the internet to create new business. We target the top companies we want to represent in our industry and develop relationships with the decision makers, even when they are not hiring.. Make a list of the top 50 companies you want to work for and assume there are opportunities for you in each, even if there isn't an open position posted.
Read the rest at the PRNewser blog.
Q:
Is it common for a company to have more than one recruitment agency working on a position for them?
A:
Yes, it′s very common for company to use more than one recruitment agency. Recruiting firms come in two flavors - generalists and specialists. My agency is a specialist firm - we only fill positions in PR, marketing, and sales. Obviously, companies may have recruitment needs in other areas, so it makes sense to partner with several agencies with different specialties to cover the needs of the entire organization.
The issues arise when companies work with multiple recruiters though for the same position. This strategy tends to backfire.
Contingency recruiters firms only get paid for their efforts if they successfully fill a position. Many companies think there isn't a financial risk in using several agencies since they are only going to have to pay for the one candidate. After all, the more recruiters out there working for them, the quicker the position gets filled, right? Not necessarily. This is when the mess begins and it usually goes one of two ways.
Scenario 1: Multiple recruiters start calling the same people. The candidates are left with the impression the company is desperate and there must be something wrong.
If a candidate is interested in the opportunity and is contacted by a few recruiters, he may or may not know how to handle the situation resulting in duplicate resume submissions by different agencies. Here′s when it gets really ugly. The recruiter may blame the candidate for not being honest about working with another firm on the same position or the company may think the candidate is desperate and won′t want to move forward at the risk of a lawsuit by the fighting recruiter companies. Nobody wins.
Scenario two: The candidates tell the recruiters they have been receiving calls from others about the same position. Since the staffing agency is only getting paid for a successful hire, it must evaluate and prioritize its searches based on the realistic chances of filling it. Recruiters lose interest in searches that don′t seem like viable placements and the company ends up with an unfilled position and nobody working on the search. Most recruiters won′t bother telling the company they aren′t working hard on the search because someone might pop up they can submit with little effort and they can still look like heroes. The company thinks they have an army of recruiters working on their search when in reality nobody cares anymore and the company believes recruiters are useless.
It's a safe bet if you are receiving calls from lots of recruiters, this is what is going on. If you decide it is an opportunity you are interested in, it is common courtesy to let the other recruiters know you are already in the process with the company through another recruiter. Make it clear you do not want your information sent to anyone without your approval.
The rule is simple as a candidate: Work with only one recruiter for a position with the company.
Job seekers often think recruiters can be the solution to finding new employment or making a career change. While it is very true a recruiter can be incredibly helpful in a job search, it is important to understand a few key points in order to avoid a disappointing outcome.
Understand how recruiters work
Recruiters are compensated by their client companies - not by candidates. Recruiters do not work for you, they work with you. A recruiter's time is spent where it will best serve the client since compensation is based on a successful candidate placement. Unfortunately, that means most recruiters can't interview everyone who sends a resume or expresses interest unless there is a good chance he or she fits a current job specification.
Recruiters don't work with career changers
Recruiters are expected by their clients to find people who are an exact match for the position and who are currently working in their field. If you are looking to make a career transition (i.e. sales to PR), then skip connecting with recruiters. Ditto if you are seeking an entry-level job.
If you are looking to make a slight shift into a parallel industry (i.e. tech PR to consumer PR) or a different type of position in the same industry, then a recruiter may be able to help you.
Recruiters are not resume writers or career consultants
It is not appropriate to ask a recruiter to help you write your resume, critique it, give you individual career coaching, or "put in a good word" with their contacts, especially if you are not currently working on an engagement with them.
It's not to say though recruiters won't give you advice. I'm more than willing to give appropriate career advice to candidates who respect my time and expertise. Building a long-term relationship with a recruiter can be a definite career booster, just be careful not to abuse the relationship.
Treat recruiters the same as you would treat a potential employer This means timely follow-up and honesty throughout the process. It also means being respectful of their time. If you wouldn't ask an employer to interview you at 8:00 PM, don't ask it of a recruiter.
Be honest and open throughout the process. download Metoroporisu A good recruiter doesn't want to make a bad match. Nobody wins when an employer and employee break up too soon and there isn't a recruiter on the planet who wants to do a replacement search for free. Make your career goals, questions, and concerns heard throughout the process.
Build a long-term relationship with a recruiter in your industry. If you are not a fit or not in a position to make a move, recruiters will appreciate your referrals. An appreciative recruiter will remember your generosity and professionalism when you fit the bill for future opportunities. The first thing I do when I get a search is write down the top five people I know who would be a good fit for the search before checking my database, posting to my network, or reaching out for referrals. Being on the short list is a good place to be.
Q:
I am seeking my first full time job. I'm new to the whole headhunter/recruiter thing. Do you have any tips for how to go about this? I'm in Dallas, but I'm up for new places and adventures. Should I look for a national or regional recruiter?
My degree is in communications and I have two internships worth of PR experience at boutique and corporate agencies. Some of my work is on my blog.
A:
Since you are seeking employment in a specific industry sector, you should consider working with a recruiter who specializes in the communications industry. While there are several online directories, I find the best referrals come through experienced colleagues or professors who have some industry contacts.
It is important to understand though how a recruiter works. Search firms are contracted by the employer to find candidates who best fit an open requisition. This means a recruiter is not focusing solely on a candidate's job search. It's the other way around - the recruiter selects you as a candidate for the search. Contingency recruiters are only paid for their efforts when they successfully fill a position, so the first priority is their current work load and finding the best candidates for the job.
Keep your expectations reasonable when working with a recruiter. Recruiters will have positions you would never hear about through other channels and will be an extremely valuable resource and relationship for you to have throughout your career. But realistically, the most your can expect is to get into their database and be considered for a matching position. You can secure your relationships more by taking their calls promptly, sharing information to help them recognize your talents, being cooperative, and representing their decision to put you forward well in an interview process.
You will find a mix of regional and national recruiters. Again, I think the most important criteria in selecting a firm to work with is its specialty area. I would look at both local and national firms.
By no means, especially this early in your career, should you base your entire job search strategy on one or two recruiter's leads. Unless the recruiter asks to represent you solely and that recruiter has taken quite a bit of time to understand you and your needs should you even consider it.
Companies and agencies usually come to my firm to introduce candidates with at least a year or two of relevant work experience (not including internships) and they invest in the relationship with a search firm to find candidates who have the exact experience they are looking for (from a competitor). At this point, you are looking for an entry-level job so a recruiter relationship should only be a small portion of your strategy.
Other relevant posts:
Recruiter relations: Help us help you
- Lindsay Olson
Seven things you need to know about recruiters - Collegerecruiter.com
If you have been working in PR long enough, surely you have been on the receiving end of a recruiting call or two. But have you ever been scouted out by a headhunter at your company holiday party posing as waitstaff with a $500 check promised to your preferred charity in return for taking a meeting? Or maybe you've been stalked out during the weekend on a biking trail or the ski slopes by that recruiter whose calls you have managed to ignore for the past four weeks?
No? Well, it happens. The Wall Street Journal recently published an article, Snack Vendor -- or Undercover Recruiter, profiling some of these crazy tactics by executive recruiters.
Personally, I don't subscribe to this method of recruiting. I've found other methods that work best for my business and my style, but it did get me thinking about how easy companies sometimes think we recruiters have it.
My company recently placed a PR Manager with a technology company who I approached for business, knowing there was a position open and I knew the perfect candidate for the job. Within two weeks, the deal was signed and closed. When the client called to give me the final details on the offer, she added "I know this one must have been easy for you, so good for you!"
Easy? It wasn't as easy as it appeared. It was a relationship years in the making and if she only knew the entire history behind finding that candidate and what it took to get there! For the next post...
This blog is to share my recruiting experiences and discuss thoughts on the job market, PR industry and technology.
Alison Kenney is an independent PR practitioner with more than 15 years of PR consulting experience.
