Great Occupations

Below are two of the four ways I mentioned yesterday that you might work with recruiters and staffing firms. I've also added my thoughts about the pros and cons of each. Contract employment is usually described as a long-term, project-based job during which you use professional-level skills. Projects can be short term or long term... Read the rest of this entry »

Third-party recruiters and staffing firms normally charge the hiring company, not job seekers, for their services. This means that it’s not their role to “find you a job” – their focus is to find candidates for their client companies. Are you that candidate? Read the rest of this entry »

A job seeker asks: Are "for fee" agencies legitimate, what are their fees, is a waste of time, and are they preying on seekers during a rough economy? Read the rest of this entry »

During our presentations to job seekers, Jay likes to point out these “following-up” statistics:

• When you DO NOT follow up during the job search process, your chances of getting hired are 1 in 256.
• When you DO follow up during the job search process, your chances of getting hired change to 1 in 16.

These numbers simply prove what I have often observed over the years.

Following up on resume submittal Imagine this scenario… You’re a recruiter, and you have just posted a position on one of the major job boards. Through the course of the day, you receive 200 plus resumes. You realize that you cannot possibly review every single one of these resumes, but you dig in anyway and start with the first ones that arrived earlier that day. You see a few possible qualified candidates, but there are some obvious mismatches too. You get through about 20 emails, and you just have to stop because this is feeling a bit overwhelming right now. Besides, you’ve got other emails to answer, and your voicemail light is blinking. You decide it’s time to take a break from resume purgatory. Just then you get a phone call. Welcoming the “interruption,” you answer – something that you don’t always do because you prefer to screen your calls so you can manage your time better.

“Hi, this is John Doe. I’m calling to make sure you received my resume this afternoon since you never know if an email will make past spam filters and such.”

“Hold on, John, let me check.”

You put this guy on hold, look through your emails, and, bingo, you see his email. You open the attached resume, and, wow, he looks strong. You get back on the line and phone screen (that’s recruiter-speak for conducting an initial phone interview) him on the spot. You end up inviting him in for a face-to-face interview next Tuesday morning.

Sounds too good to be true? Well, guess what folks, this recruiter was me on countless occasions during my 15-year career in the staffing industry.

Following up on networking I often talk to audiences and clients about the importance of following up with folks in your network during the job search process. Thanking them for leads, letting them know periodically how you’re doing, definitely telling them when you land, etc. In the video below, Mr. Ferrazzi says it so eloquently – enjoy!

Angela Loëb is an author, speaker and career coach. She and her partner, Jay Markunas, help people make successful career transitions through workshops, webclasses and 2×1 individualized coaching services. Listen to them on The Job Search Boot Camp Show on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays. Find out more at www.greatoccupations.com.

A subtle, but important, thing to consider if you’re working with external recruiters.

Jay & I advocate doing the Targeted Job Search Method in the AIM module of The Job Search Boot Camp program. If you take this method to the logical final step of “targeted outreach,” you will be doing something that has a high-value return rate for your job search. However, doing this assertive, high-value step might just get in the way of the relationships you have with external recruiters.

Why is that? Because when you directly contacting decision makers yourself, you could be narrowing the external recruiter’s ability to place you.

I’m not saying you shouldn’t contact the decision makers yourself. You’ll just have to make a determination about whether you want to take more control of your job search or if you would prefer to leave it to the recruiter to handle for you. If you’re considering working with a recruiter, heed this warning… successful external recruiters are busy working with multiple candidates. You’re not the only “horse in their stable.”

There are definite advantages to having a recruiter represent you to employers. They provide a buffer so that you appear to be above the fray of the job search, and they could very well have relationships with hiring authorities that you don’t have. But there are also definite advantages in making those personal connections with hiring authorities yourself.

Angela Loëb is an author, speaker and career coach. She and her partner, Jay Markunas, help people make successful career transitions through workshops, webclasses and 2×1 individualized coaching services. Listen to them on The Job Search Boot Camp Show. Find out more about their programs & services at www.greatoccupations.com. NOTE: For a limited time during Graduation Season, Angela & Jay are offering the perfect new grad gift: The Job Search Boot Camp for College Grads, a live, interactive & intensive program. For more details, click here.