Works with recruiters

By Jeff Altman, Big Game Hunter

Recruiters. Have you found it difficult to work with recruiters during your job search? (From Archi Ves)

When are you saying enough is enough?

So first and foremost in terms of what to do when the recruiter rings and I will use myself as an example. Most of the time, when I call a candidate, I may have a resume, but let’s work on the assumption that I am, too, I also make cold calls, as I do too. I am investigating to find people.

I work with my own database. I’m on the web trying to identify people. I use a variety of tools and services to find people who can have special skills.

Sometimes the information I have are outlined. Sometimes it’s very detailed. I can’t tell you which one is right now.

It just depends on the search that I am involved in, but you know that I will reach someone and what I want to do is call someone up and say, hello, my name is Jeff Altman. I am a professional recruiter. I want a chance to talk to you about a situation with a client of me.

Is this a good time or would it be better if we talked another occasion? Now I give some two choices there. I ask if they are free to talk now, or would it be better if we talked later? Instead, some people make the mistake of trying to put me on the defense and ask the lovely question with an attitude. I have to point out who gave you my name? As if you know honestly, people try to help me and when I research when I reach people and point out in their direction, and for the most part, almost all the time, the person does not want their name to be mentioned.

Why? Sometimes they try to get a competitor out of the way. Sometimes they are an employer who wants to get a problem employee out of the way. You know most of the time they are just trying to help someone and they just don’t want their name to be involved in case the person may not want to be helped.

They don’t want to get into trouble, but they try to help me and they try to help my client. So don’t ask who gave you my name is the first question. Instead, be quiet and just listen when I try to talk to you about the role involved.

Increase your chances of getting a response to your application

And once I’ve done it, ask some follow -up questions that relate to the job because what I’m doing gives you an opportunity to improve your circumstances. Now, if it’s not an improvement in relation to what you have, just very polite, you know, I’m doing better than that right now, or this role is not the case to interest me. Could I talk to you about what I’m doing now and what my compensation level is and if anything else comes up in the future, you might get back in touch.

Instead, some people just have an attitude. I have done nothing but reach out to someone and give them an opportunity that may be better than what they have. So yes, I simply want to say that it is not the way to respond.

I record notes about people and my dealings with them, and all you want to do is be respectful and polite in about the same way as if you should call a supplier and ask them some questions, do you expect them to be polite? I’m the same way. So once we’ve got the job out of the way, let me ask questions. Sometimes people will start going far ahead in the process.

Let me just ask my qualifying questions to evaluate and evaluate you for the role involved. You might want to find out how long I’ve had the search. Is this something completely new in what case, do you know they are relatively early in the process, or is it something that has been going on for three months and I circling back to try to fill this role? You know there’s a difference in, you know your circumstances at the beginning of two months or three months in.

You know it might be a good idea to find out, but frankly, most of the time it’s not that important. What I think is more important is to find out if I have submitted any people to this search and what happened to them. If someone is on a third interview, you know that getting involved in the search at this point may be a waste of your time, but from my point of view I just try to make sure you know there is no further competition that other recruiters will give my client.

So you might just want to find out what status is in the search as well as my track record with the client. Have I worked with them before, or am I a new individual who provides service to them? You might want to find out what the process is with this client. You know I remember a company a few years ago I worked briefly with and I stopped because the process became ridiculous.

The exit pack

You know this one company would put someone through 15 to 20 interviews and I’m not doing anything. He was really 15 to 20 interviews and they would call up one day and say we will take a passport and never really give any information about why. So just find out what the process will be to see if you have time to get involved with something in the direction of these lines.

You might be asking for my experience. Now I want to say that, you know, and I just want to make a simple excuse for my profession, junior recruiters are often lying about their experience. Now I am a guy with 40 years of professional recruitment background.

I’m not lying on my background. I am very proud of it. But junior recruiters will often say they have more experience than they do.

Why? They just want to push up so they don’t look like beginners. Now I just want to say listen carefully to how they carry themselves. Do they sound like someone with as much experience as they claim to have? I remember someone in my office that I verbally let around after they did this said they had 10 years of experience as they might have had 10 weeks in the field and they were basically embarrassing over the phone.

I just said, don’t lie. You know you heard us all when you claim 10 years and you only have 10 weeks. So just don’t lie about it.

You feel better just to be honest and say that I am relatively new to the recruitment subject and Yada Yada Yada and asks for help. But the big question you are asked before the end of the conversation, I think, is useful to you, what are the next steps here? What happens next? You know I can say, yes, I will talk to my client and suppose they are interested and I will review the process with you what would happen then. If I have questions I say, that’s what my concern is and it’s an invitation to tackle these concerns with me.

But in terms of the benefit of working with a recruiter, at least, and it is with a rookie -recruiter, a rookie is basically recruiting a secretary for you. They work with a more veteran person who actually coordinates the search and will basically plan appointments for you. They will put you in touch with the senior at the right time to make sure things flow smoothly.

Are you the target of a job dismissal?

Rookie may not necessarily be knowledgeable, but you know this is the worst case. The best case is to work with someone like me who has long track records with most of my clients and is trust in them. So a referral from me carries a certain weight with the client.

You know you get good information from me about what’s going on because the client is very upcoming with me. You know I’m better negotiating on anyone’s behalf. I know when to push it and when I shouldn’t.

Courage with you is something you do once every few years. It’s something I do very regularly as part of my work and therefore I can be more effective. So my advice to you in working with recruiters is not lying to us.

You know, tell us the truth. You know be honest about what will interest you and what your concerns are. If this is a problem, we will make sure that you know, if we do not know the answer, I must say we make sure it is treated by your client during your meetings with them.

If it is an invincible problem is that it is something that my client cannot satisfy, there is no reason for you to interview if it is at the end of the day you will never accept the job. So be honest with us. If we leave a message to you, let me make it a nice statement.

If I leave a message to you I will hear back from you because there is a reason I called. I have to clarify something. I have to plan an appointment.

Should I apply for one job at a time and review the process or more jobs?

You know I have to hear back in a timely way. If you can’t get back a quick e -mail or a text left is very useful. So let’s just know where you can get back with what you say.

You know, understanding from our point of view, if we try to plan an interview, a client has given us a few opportunities to plan the deal and you will not be in a circumstance where you will come back to us and say, okay, I am available on such and such, but we had the times available 24 hours before or even 12 hours before. Often, these slots disappear during that time and we cannot plan, so we go back and forth instead of you know, working to help you and others, and if other people get on the calendar, they can win the search because they want to create a good enough impression that a client wants to hire you. Then answer our phone calls or e emails in a timely way.

I’m not saying instant but don’t let 24 hours go by. If you try to change jobs, check your E -mail or check your voicemail on your mobile or office messages, you know, before lunch or at the end of the day and when you go in in the morning. Just in case we have left a message to you the day before, we will not leave Let’s Say 17:00 your time zone until 10 pm. 9 the next day without hearing back from you.

So you know, get back to us in a reasonable way. Okay, so that’s my advice on working with recruiters.

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