Recruiters have one job: Find the right person for the position.
Their performance is evaluated on how efficiently and effectively they match top talent to job requirements.
Ironically, in the current economy, recruiters are finding their jobs harder than ever.
I’m serious.
There’s too much talent for them to weed through. What used to be “finding a needle in a haystack” has now become “finding a needle in ten haystacks.”
As a result, recruiters have to determine a candidate’s marketability much quicker.
Translation: Candidates must pay even more attention to the power of the first impression factor.
People skills, attire, etc. all become more important when competition amongst talent is this fierce.
Reality check: Those who are failing to make a good first impression get put in the “no” pile and are never contacted again.
So, if you aren’t getting called back by a recruiter after either an in-person meeting or talking by phone, there’s a good chance that, in addition to the fact you didn’t have the right skills, you also might have displayed one or more traits on the “I can’t market them” list.
Now, most recruiters won’t tell you what you did wrong.
Why?
For one reason, they aren’t paid to give you the bad news. Second, they don’t want to burn a bridge. And third, as I mentioned, they just don’t have the time.
And yet, how are you going to fix the problem if you don’t know it exists?
I’ve put together the most common reasons why a recruiter writes a candidate off. You may not like what you read, but the good news is with a little attention and practice, all of them can be improved upon. So, ask yourself, “Am I guilty of the following?”
Top 10 Things a Recruiter Won’t Tell You
- Your interview attire is outdated/messy/too tight/too revealing/too flashy.
- Your physical appearance is disheveled/outdated/sloppy/smelly/overpowering (i.e. too much perfume).
- Your eye contact is weak/shifty/intense.
- Your handshake is limp/too forceful/clammy.
- You say ah/um/like too much.
- You talk too much/use poor grammar/say inappropriate things (i.e. swearing) when you answer interview questions.
- You appear overconfident/pushy/self-centered/insecure/aloof/ditzy/scatter-brained/desperate.
- You talk too fast/too slow/too loud/too soft.
- You giggle/fidget/act awkward/have facial tics/lack expression.
- You lack sincerity/self-confidence/clarity/conviction.
So, how do you fix these?
Well, given 93% of communication is non-verbal, I can tell you that many of the negatives above can be improved by focusing on one thing: attitude.
If you are angry, fearful, or confused, it’s going to show. You must find a way to feel good about yourself and your ability to contribute. This comes from knowing your strengths and embracing them. It also comes from doing your homework on a company so you can articulate clearly and with enthusiasm why you would be a great fit for the job. I realize this is easier said than done, but it can be done.
Here are a few things I suggest:
- Improve your self-knowledge with these FREE online tools.
- Get answers to your job search and career questions from approved experts.
I hope I’ve convinced you to take a hard look at the 10 reasons above and to commit to finding a way to improve your first impression factor.
It’s your career.
Own your actions and take control of your professional development.
I promise, recruiters will take notice.
Your Turn
Feel free to share any reasons I missed below. Better still, if you’ve got a resource you’ve used that has helped you get over one or more of these first impression-busters, please share it below so fellow readers can use it as well.
Photo credit: Shutterstock
About J.T. O'Donnell
Many moons ago – I “temped” at a recruitment agency – to put their “paper” information into the computer system. I was horrified!!! The people who scored the highest points were those who presented themselves best. Skills took a back seat to “attractiveness” – not entirely, but I came across my own file – and I acheived 100% in Office, typing skills were 80WPM, audio typing skills – but I didn’t score highly, as I didn’t turn up in a suit and closed in shoes. Girls who were “very good looking” were given a higher score than me – but had failed their Office test and typed 30WPM and didn’t have my qualifications, skills or experience.
Very interesting piece, J.T. – excellent read!
Not being called back by recruiters is frustrating…
Thank you for this wonderful article, J.T.!
What a shallow article. How about the 10 things that a recruiter does wrong. Technical recruiters are ruining the field. How can one tech recruiter after another be a tech recruiter without any real hands on tech experience? And don’t even get me started on tech managers who have no tech experience. Perhaps this article applies to lawyers or doctors where all those shallow traits still matter.
According to your “10 things,” 98% of the population would be immediately placed in the “no pile.” This is nonsense. I’ve been working with recruiters for years (freelance mostly) and sometimes I will land the gig after an initial interview and sometimes I won’t. I still end up being placed by many of the same recruiters for other opportunities.
This is a fairly lame article. In real life, sad to say, many if not most recruiters are incompetent and hardly know anything about the actual position(s) they are trying to fill. They’re monkies in the middle, and the best thing to do is take hold of your career, give a recruiter the info they need to relay to the client (a.k.a. hiring manager). Getting over that hump (ahem, recruiter) is easier the more you talk to them.
Clearly you have had a bad experience in the past and feel it necessary to lump all “Recruiters” into the incompentent category. In all reality, we do know the position and do know that there are very few candidates perfect for what the Hiring Manager is looking for. That’s why they hire us. Please remember the candidate doesn’t pay the Recruiter – the Company does. Lets hope you don’t find yourself unemployed one day and have to get through a Recruiter for your next position.
And may I hope, Nycolle, that YOU don’t find yourself on the other side of the fence as well. Recruiters such as yourself need to have a great big mouthful of your own incompetence to fully understand JUST how inept you surely are. I wonder how most of them manage to keep thier positions while displaying such incompetence while interviewing. I once “interviewed” with a recruiter who was absolutely unable to conduct an interview. Period. I had to take control and wound up interviewing that moron. Get a grip girl.
Bull sh*t.
All those 10 things are absolutely bullycrap because if the person is capable doind the jon then all above 10 things are bull poop. Some recruiters so anal that they get screwed big time by looking at those 10 things and miss out very good candidates. When will American change? Even after we got screwed this much?
As a HR specialist myself I can only totally agree with this article. When I have an interview with a person and he or she is too upbeat or on the contrary to that too sad and blue I would probably reject this particular person, because according to my experience such people don’t really fit to all sorts of working companies and so on. Thank you for sharing this, this might be very helpful to those people who are looking for abetter working position at the moment.
In other words, you are looking for a boring lame mediocre person that you can try to fit into 20 different positions, that won’t create a conflict. Great. And no wonder I don’t use recruiters.
Ummmm… you consider yourself a “specialist”? Holy Cow! You made my day honey!!! Go back to sleep. Let me know when you’re job hunting for yourself. I’m an HR manager… and I EXPECT you to be upbeat as your present yourself to my clients. I wouldn’t bounce you for having that great quality and confidence in yourself; however, I would bounce you out the door for being as arrogant as you just presented yourself to be. Are you just starting your career in recruiting, or are you simply stupid?
Question, what if you were contacted by a recruiter on the phone after they found your resume online? I spoke with him and he said I would be a good fit and would get me set up with an interview. After not hearing back in a week I tried contacting him again but could not get through until 2 weeks after the initial “i’ll set up an interview”. He apologized and said he would set the interview up and let me know of the next steps. It has now been another week. Should I try contacting him again? Am I being a pest or should I be aggressive in obtaining this interview? Do recruiters take a while to set up the interview or will they forget about you if you do not contact them because they are busy with other things?
If the recruiter was hired by a client to search for candidates then it would take 1-3 days to setup the interview. In reality, clients who hire recruiters need to fill the position within 2-4 weeks that includes the on-boarding (paperworks, drug test, background check).
Other recruiters don’t have a solid deal with a client yet. So they collect resumes and submit them to several clients. If a client ‘bites’ your resume then the recruiter will call you again.
In either case, it would help to ask an email copy of the job description from the recruiter then send your updated resume (that fits the job desc) with a note to the recruiter that you are highly interested. Good luck!
The recruiter said you would be a good fit. He’s just trying to get your permission to send your resume to the client (and probably does think you’re a good fit). That doesn’t necessarily mean the client will agree. So it is entirely possible the recruiter sent your resume to the client and the latter turned thumbs down. Happens all the time.
Absolutely get back a hold of your recruiter. Stay in touch as much as it takes. Your recruiter deals with many candidates a day, and sometimes it takes you calling them, and making that connection to stop all else and find out about you and the position(s) you have applied for, qualified for, and interested in. Never just sit back and wait. That’s what I tell my candidates anyways. “Please do, put me on the spot.” I want to know you’re serious about finding a position and will show up for interview and the first day on the job with no issues. If I get the feeling that you would rather stay at home and collect your unemployment benefits because you still would like time off work, then of course, I’m not going to assist you as hard as I would my other qualified candidates that are serious about finding a position. Sometimes the energy you put off, is what it takes. As long as you are serious, then your recruiter will see that, and work hard for you too. I will take the time with them when they call, and check out other positions even if I haven’t heard whether there’s an offer yet to discuss or not. I’m sure there’s no good news for you on that position, but don’t allow your recruiter time to forget about you. They deal with a lot during a days time with all the contract positions that are out there. Stay in touch:) We are here to find the “perfect” candidate for the client, with the skills they are seeking, and we strive to do so. But if we fail to do so, then we not only failed our client, but our potential candidates too. There are many qualified out there now, in this economy, but there’s that one who will prepare their resume and skill set exactly what the client is looking for, land the interview, and impress the client (hiring manager) with the outstanding, up-beat personality. That’s all that it takes. Difficult? Yes and no, but just some effort, and believe me, there’s a lot of people out there, from my experience, that don’t really want to work.
I do agree with Leia – as she stated, you want to get the full job description from your recruiter. I always try to e-mail that out to my candidates that are even close with experience that my client is seeking, or at least talk with them via phone and pull out more experience in the field that they’ve had, but have failed to list it on their resume. Another thing that I always tell my candidates, is that I want everything listed on your resume, and I mean everything, and I will take it from there. I will fit the resume to the position, but I have to have it all in front of me first. Enhance, and beautify the resume for the client. Put what’s important where it needs to be. Professional Summarys should always highlight the required skills that you have experience in that’s required for the position, and then the preferred. In my book, there’s not a such thing as a too long of resume. Not to me. Let’s get the important stuff and move forward on creating what the client wants to see.
Stick with it. Contact the recruiter every few days via phone and email call whatever you have to do to let them know you are still around and very much interested. If not they will forget to send that email or make that call to the hiring manager in reference to the job.
Aw, this was a really nice post. In idea I would like to put in writing like this additionally – taking time and actual effort to make a very good article… but what can I say… I procrastinate alot and by no means seem to get something done.
Hello! I just would like to give a huge thumbs up for the great info you have here on this post. I will be coming back to your blog for more soon.
I want to make a list of “Top 10 Ways Recruiters Ruin Lives” … or maybe “Top 10 Ways Recruiters Should Commit Suicide” … no, no, wait. How about “Top 10 Ways Recruiters are Completely Useless People Who Want to Feel Like They Have a Purpose in Life”?
I’m starting it now. I’ll update you soon.
Great idea!
What do they mean by “outdated” physical appearance. It sounds like recruiters don’t like you if you’re too old. I find this offensive.
There is one more thing that influences lots on decision making while in an interview. It is unintentional behavior which is strong. Many inexperienced recruiters tend to use intuition and personal preference methods which is non-professional as well. Just need to know this before coming to an interview and bet ready for that.
The problem my husband has realized is that the recruiter knows nothing about the actual vocation. He’s had 20 something yr old recruiters ask him questions that make no sense whatsoever about his line of work- my husband has actually told them the questions didn’t make sense. It’s crap that these people hold the ultimate upper hand in whether you’re put through nor not when they don’t know their own hand from their ass!
Exactly, this is more like top ten ways for recruiters to be even more lazy and useless roadblocks to getting a job then they already are. Exactly what is left for the recruiter to do if all those things are taken care of? So now they not only know nothing, but do nothing also. This just further cements me never using a recruiter… thanks for that.
I will celebrate the day when recruiters and HR people no longer exist.
Not is all cases, you should be looking for qualified recruiters. Our recruiters for accountants hold CPA’s. We have a young hedge fund recruiter who did accounting and operations for hedge funds for over 5 years. Today’s market is tough, you can’t blame the recruiter, you are in competition with allot of people. It’s not easy finding a candidate that the employer wants, especially if they are picky.
Great article and it makes perfect sense. I for one have not had much luck with agencies. I have many job interviewers through employment agencies but have never gotten a decent job using them. All the ‘good’ jobs that I have been hired for were all on my own.
The reality is, if an employer is looking for a candidate through an external agency and posting the position on their site, the agencies candidates are at a disadvantage. Why would the employer want to pay a fee when they can hire on their own?
I prefer to sell direct as the middleman (the ageny) just adds an unecessary layer. If the middleman made things easier, which they don’t, I’d be inclined to agree with the agency approach to job searching. I am not a lazy job seeker so they are pretty useless in my opinion. There’s a reason job sites normally have the option to unlist agency ‘spam’ positings. I agree with Ema on this one.
Awesome post! I will keep an on eye on this blog.
OK, here’s my question:
When you’ve been rejected for a job, why won’t a recruiter/hiring manager come out and tell you so? I’ve interviewed recently for two jobs, and in both cases when I followed up 10 days later asking “where do you stand in the hiring process?,” the responses were always vague, such as “We are still in the process of interviewing candidates and will be in touch soon.” Why don’t they just come out and say “Unfortunately, you were not selected among the final group of candidates.” As a job-seeker, I would MUCH rather know the truth so I can get closure and move on.
Could not agree more… so, so frustrating.
Couple of reasons for this seemingly rude behavior. One is time. No one has enough of it and once you’ve decided not to hire someone they’re yesterday’s news so it’s time to move on. Remember, the HR folks have jobs already and really can’t relate.
More importantly everyone in HR is afraid of getting sued, and companies can be sued for anything these days. So no one is going to say anything about why you didn’t get the job that could result in some kind of discrimination suit. At one company I worked at (now defunct) we had a $30K tolerance level for nuisance laws suits. If we could buy you off for less than $30K it wasn’t worth it to us to go to court.
When it comes to the actual hiring managers they’ve been coached by HR not to say anything, and who really wants to give people bad news anyway? That’s what HR people are for, so it will be very hard to get any feedback out of the actually hiring managers themselves.
> Couple of reasons for this seemingly rude behavior.
Umm, it’s not only “seemingly” rude. It is, in fact, rude. There might be legitimate reasons for this behavior, but that just means that there legitimate reasons for this rude behavior. It doesn’t become less rude just because it is motivated by necessity rather than by capriciousness. Nor does it become less rude because it is your job to do it. It just means that it is your job to be rude on occasion.
> One is time.
That is actually not a factor in this case. Since the HR was responding to someone who already contacted them, it would take just as much time to inform them of rejection as it would to stonewall them.
> No one has enough of it and once you’ve decided not to hire someone
> they’re yesterday’s news so it’s time to move on. Remember, the HR folks have jobs
> already and really can’t relate.
There is something else to remember though. You interview at least 10 people for each person your hire. Which means there is 10 times as many people who will be rejected as there are people working for the company. That’s a lot of folks to form an opinion of your company and to spread that opinion around.
This goes doubly so for recruiters. A bad experience with 1 recruiter will most likely be communicated to 5-10 different friends and family members. It will reflect on the agency as well as the individual recruiter. And given that most agencies specialize in some field, that means that in a short period’s time most people in the field will share that opinion.
Because most hiring managers don’t want to admit they base their decisions on personal opinions of how they like you and they don’t want to seem unprofessional.
I’ve heard a lot of comments about interview attire playing a big role in how the interview gets judged. After all, a first impression is made in seconds, and a large part of that is your attire.
However, one thing they never touched upon in College was an, “outdated attire” causing an issue. Is this relevant in all industry interviews, or just the fashion industry?
I was interviewed for a long term temp position – met with three people was at the company for over two hours and told the next day that I had “poor communication skills” — recruiters feedback was only “applicant did not ‘communicate’ their background sufficiently.” I cannot think of what I did wrong. They didn’t ask me anything I couldn’t answer and I did give examples of my past experience and how it would relate well to this project
I’ll tell you what poor communication is. Long term temp. What does that even mean? I have never found a recruiter I could work with.
As a Professional Recruiter with over 10 years experience, I’d like to add an important one that wasn’t mentioned. Do NOT arrive way too early to an interview. I know you think it is well intentioned and shows your eagerness to find a job, but 1) You look desperate, and 2) You are basically saying you don’t respect the Recruiter’s schedule, since they have to interrupt whatever they were doing to see you early. It is actually a big turnoff and shows that you also do not follow directions. ARRIVE ON TIME, or not more than 10 minutes to your scheduled interview.
I have an honest question. I don’t want to let employers know (including temporary agencies) that I just earned my MBA in 2011. It makes me look overqualified and I know that I am not. So, I don’t tell them this. I graduated with a undergrad in 2009, but I haven’t worked (for pay) since 2007. I’ve been volunteering and I was told from two temp agenices already that I need to have “recent work experience”. What is “recent” mean? 1 year ago? 2 years ago? I’ve been told that 1. working on a degree counts as work, since it is WORK. and 2. doing volunteer work is still WORK even though it is not paid, it is a great way to get experience. So, is what I heard WRONG? So, how do I find a job when it has been 4.5 years since I worked for pay? I was told to go back to the temp agencies so I can find paid work, but two of them have already turned me away. Why do they say that my education is not “Work” when we all know you have to be able to work on a team and you have to have time management skills to get your reports done and to earn a busienss degree. Please help
I usually do not separate pro bono from paid work. As long as the volunteer jobs have applicable skills to what you are pursuing in your career, it should not matter. But I have definitely seen a bias against people who are not currently employed. You can also create a skills resume (usually used when switching careers) that highlights projects completed and professional accomplishments. Good luck.
My solution to the “we don’t like unemployed people” is I just work for myself. It’s easier than putting up with incompetent managers who don’t deserve to be in tech. I have never meet a recruiter I could trust in NYC.
Recruiters are nothing more than corporate HOBO’s that play “match maker” with employers wish lists; The challenge with them from the employer perspective is they spend too little time actually talking to a candidate, and are in love with everybody they send.
Our company used them in the past, and will never use one again. The fees they want are laughable, and believe me, when you negotiate with them, they will fold like a cheap shirt. From a candidate perspective, they for the most part are monumentally clueless in working with anyone who does not exactly meet the criteria, which is a “wish list”… What they refuse to understand is there is a difference in what companies desire and what they will actually hire.A recruiter who knows this, (and believe me, “very few” if any do) will actually “recruit” to fit the actual performance needed for the position. 10,000 recruiters in a lake is a great start……
Depends, companies need to link up with the right recruiters. Ones that will send you good candidates and they may not be folding. They negotiate to keep good relationships, if the candidate is not willing to bend then they will not be able to negotiate. Some agencies have 3 recruiters trying to fill the same position, they have gone through 100 people for you to find that one person. I used to work for a company that did everything in house, I spent weeks trying to find a good candidate to fill a spot on the team, the quality of people were horrible. On paper they looked great but some were unable to communicate at all.
Hey, thanks for providing the webinar and information.
My personal strategy that seems to work during job interviews:
Get a fresh haircut
Wear a new dress shirt
Give myself ‘the talk’ before (“Okay, you’re going to be yourself, yet also be on your best behavior”.. etc)
Plan to arrive 1 hour early, then just sit and relax somewhere close by the interview spot (coffee shop)
Remember peoples names – especially the name of the person interviewing you. Thank them by name for
their time when the interview is over.
Remember that if they can’t see that I’m the best candidate for the job, then it’s their loss.
Pat myself on the back for giving it my best attempt.
Thank you, J.T. O’Donnell. I have a good insight of what role is played by a recruiter. I would like to add the top 10 reasons for rejection may become an addition for some companies. I see people who dress like they are going to a middle school to study and have name tags that identify them as part of the company.
I think the gist of this post is that people in general don’t like to be brutally honest and tell people what they really think and what really happened. We like to let people down easy. In a career context, people often find it hard to learn about what they’re doing wrong because no one ever tells them.
Carl
I am brutally honest with any hiring manager I talk to about a position. I tell them, if you do this, this and that, I will quit. Because from experience, I know what things a manager needs to succeed. And if the manager breaks their promises, I know it wasn’t my fault. Otherwise, I just work for myself if I am not taking a chance on another manager/team. My latest new rule. Don’t work for a manager without tech experience. The same can applied to any profession. That’s like working for a manager of a hospital who was never a doctor.
Most job seekers have a huge misconception about recruiters. They don’t understand that they in fact are not the client. Often job seekers are under the impression that a recruiter is here to help them find a job. That’s simply not the case. A recruiters primary role is to help employers recruit for a specific position. If you as a job seeker fit those requirements, great, a recruiter just helped you get a job in the process. Otherwise, your placed on a shelf until the next time a suitable position becomes available.
Now understanding the reality of the situation a job seeker can do many things to make themselves more attractive. I would advise following the suggestions J.T. O’Donnel made in the post. Also read the lively discussion between Emma Hammer and RecruitingANIMAL in the comments above to gain some more insight into the Recruiter/Job Seeker relationship.
David Inzlicht
@ProforceJobClub
Just the kind of stuff I was looking for. Thanks for this!
So glad I found this post. Thanks!
Thanks for the tips…
Interesting post, I like the first point about attire :)
In my tech profession, we wear shorts to work. And I’ve worked with some better people. These tips apply to the old world.
any candidate that exhibits these behaviors is not an “A”layer and beyond the help of a recruiter. They ought to try a life coach!!!
any candidate that exhibits these behaviors is not an “A”layer and beyond the help of a recruiter. They ought to try a life coach!!!
These are great and very useful remarks. Still we might do'nt know why we may not get hired in the future.
How ironic. An HR manager grumbled, complained, and whined about an interviewee who grumbled, complained, and whined, so therefore “doesn't fit the company culture”.
I think I popped a fuse.
Great share! Saying “like” too much certainly grates me… lol! :D
One things recruiters will tell you: if they have a job that you fit. They will be over you like a rash!
Recruiters only put you forward for positions they have advertised if:
1. they have a job that you fit
2. You will represent their agency in front of their client well enough to ensure their future business.
Here it is: An interview is merely proving that you are the piece for their puzzle that fits. That your personality is an extension of their beliefs!
That’s deep and insightful, Charles, and amazingly apparent, now that you mention it. I’m really going to let that soak in and guide me in my course to find meaningful work in a thoughtful manner, that is simpatico with both my future employer’s beliefs, talents and values and my sincere own. I feel ya Brother. Thanks!
Outsourced recruiters working for multiple clients in a third-party broker relationship, and are variously called headhunters, search firms, agency recruiters, recruitment consultants or agents.
With a great attitude about your skills, how do you avoid falling in the trap of #7, feeling overconfident, arrogant, self-centered?
You could post this article every single day. It's that useful. Job seekers should take those 10 things and re-play recent interviews in their mind and try and see if any of them apply.
Thanks, Elias!
It is hard to hear, but if people are honest and think through past situations, as you so smartly suggest, I do think they will see what went wrong.
Glad you stopped by to comment – thanks for sharing!
The secrets things of recruiters listing is very nice. Thanks for sharing it.
This was really helpful. I'll be saving this one.
I would add one thing that I think sends a bold message..Being prepared about the company, it's principal's and the vision and mission. These are all usually on their website, or googled somewhere. A little preparation goes a long way, for making the case on why they should get another interview. If you really want the job, your ten are essential, plus the preparation. Thanks for your post.
Phil,
How can it be against the law to say you're boring. Or uptight. Or too lively for a staid bunch of people like those we have here.
You would have to say they think I'm boring (or lively) because of my religion, race, age, ethnicity. Mind you some people might try that.
Great post! So many clients I have worked with have stumbled repeatedly because of these seemingly innocuous types of things. One thing I would add to this advice is that people need to realize that a recruiter’s first impression literally starts with the first awareness of a person’s existence! If that first awareness comes from a referral by a trusted professional who is a mutual acquaintance then it immediately colors the lens through which the recruiter views the candidate. Likewise, if the first awareness the recruiter has of the applicant is a sloppy, unfocused resume that was uploaded to a database, it immediately directs the recruiter toward a thought process that will probably not be beneficial. Professional recruiters will always attempt to keep objectivity intact but it is human nature to judge the content by the source through which it was received. This is more often than not what separates two otherwise equal candidates! It is also the reason why people need to start by examining their message before they send it. J.T. posted above that “if you are angry, fearful, or confused, it’s going to show. You must find a way to feel good about yourself and your ability to contribute.” If your friends and acquaintances know you as “giving, reliable, trustworthy, etc.” then how willing do you think they may be to make a recommendation to someone else about you, and when they do, what is it that you think they will say? Your attitude (and who you are) when you are alone is quite literally the beginning of what other people are going to understand about you. Recruiters are really quite adept at reading people very quickly and weeding out those who are sincere from those who are not. True, sometimes you have to fake it until you make it. However, any good actor knows that to convince the audience, he must first convince himself that he is the character he is playing. When he is successful, he brings enough of his own characteristics into the role that, when meshed with the character’s, becomes a new creation that is real, organic, and believably alive. Therefore, every time he finishes a production, he has learned, grown, and been changed by the experience and a little bit of that character will stay with him forever.
Having been a technical recruiter; you hit it right on the dot. Now as a student Employment Advisor, I do try and develop my students to be aware of their social skills and how they might show an employer that they not only understand the business, but are enthusiastic about the company in particular.
After all, there are hundreds of people out there who might have the technical skills necessary to complete the job. Either way though, each company does things differently and you'll still have to train and adapt to their particular methodology. As an employer, I can always teach someone how to do the job. But how do I teach them to get along with everyone else and really meld with the rest of the team? At a certain point, the interview is about personality match and culture fit.
Thank you for putting such ideas into a succinct and clear presentation.
Great article JT! This is the key piece for me: As a result, recruiters have to determine a candidate’s marketability much quicker. Translation: candidates must pay even more attention to the power of the first impression factor. People skills, attire, etc. all become more important when competition amongst talent is this fierce.
The truth is, I pick a candidate as a recruiter who will wholly represent my brand, and not let me down. If you fail me, I might not get another brief = reduced fee income. If I think you might not fully represent my brand, then am I going to put you in front of my client: no, never in a month of Sundays! Clients don't pay my fee's because I bring them average – I have to deliver consistent high quality
One of the key issues I always tell job seekers to ask recruiters, is how are they renumerated? If it as a percentage of salary/total package, and its a one-office recruiter business, then if you get rejected once you are very unlikely to be immediately put forward for another job: reasons of my brand. If its a multi-branch recruiter, then its possible to get multiple opportunities; but beware, part of their remuneration may be based just on the volume of applicants they find, and that's just a numbers business.
Job Seekers need to build up relationships with recruiters before they become job seekers – I'll work for you then, and guide you forward, helping you remove the large rejection lumps and improve in areas where I know you will gain me large fee's again and again. Come to me as a career switcher who needs a job tomorrow, in a polyester suit, and I'll eject you through the door quicker than Paris Hilton's bodyguard!
Quite a good and mostly practical article, thanks!
I think most of those things are too prevalent, but can be fixed pretty easily. Candidates need all the help they can get to stand out in this current economy. Beyond not just doing the wrong things, in your opinion what are some simple things that will help a candidate stand out positively on a first impression?
You won't be told that the recruiter himself isn't really liked by the employer.
Good stuff!
If you haven't been hired a while, I'd recommend Googling yourself. As an artist, I have run into a situation where the words used to tag me on a video project were not the most flattering. Great to promote my video, bad for my professional life. Since I didn't make the tags or try to promote the video, I didn't know they were there. So sign up for those Google Alerts and look at them so you know what's going on. No surprises.
thanks for the insight. I feel like as a recruiter they should tell you all those things so you can get prepared for the interview. But i guesss they are not obliged to do so.
Great points, JT. While I've only been following your blog for a short time, I appreciate the *unvarnished* quality of the truths you speak – and it validates my own approach. Here's a link to a post I wrote just yesterday (proving my “great minds think alike” theory) about why recruiters are not necessarily the job-seekers friend: Recruiters: Useful? Or Not? http://tinyurl.com/cv364l
I visited read Emma Hamer's site article but her site only takes comments from members. So here's my reply that posting.
Dear Emma,
You seem to be a Canadian. Well, I'm a recruiter in Canada.
It's possible, as you say, that if a recruiter sees that a company has been looking for a long time she might send over an unsolicited resume to see what happens.
It sounds like a good idea. And someone might get a job as a result. But I don't know anyone who does that.
We will market a candidate to companies that might need someone like her. It's not social work; we do it so we can make money but what a fantastic free service if you get it.
Here's something you're right about.
If you don't have any strong skills a recruiter can't do much for you.
So, if you want to make a career change, I can't help you.
I mean if you have five years experience in inventory management and you want to move into pharmaceutical sales, an area in which you have no experience, you're not really a good candidate.
But if you have good experience as a bookeeper, payroll clerk, Supply Chain Manager, Controller, Sales Rep, programmer, etc etc etc, and you want to continue in that career path, you might as well send your resume to a recruiter.
Why not have it in her database so that she can give you a call if a good opportunity for you comes her way.
However, most of the people I place do not come to me. I'm paid to find people who are hard to find and I go looking for them.
So, if a recruiter calls you on the job, you would be wise to be nice and establish a relationship. Because she might call you out of the blue with a good next step in your career – for no fee at all. The employer pays the shot.
All in all, Emma, when it comes to recruiters you've got a bad attitude. You only see the negatives. The people you work with might not be suitable candidates for recruiters — that's the impression I get — but that doesn't make us the enemy.
Regards
Recruiting Animal
http://www.recruitinganimal.com
Hello Recruiting Animal,
Unfortunately, you didn’t register with Disqus, either, or we could have had this discussion where everyone else can see it, and make up their own mind. Instead, I pasted your comment into my site’s comment box; I hope you don’t mind.
When I wrote about ‘recruiters’ in general, I meant all ‘providers of temporary, contract or permanent staff’. While you may not push candidates ‘on spec’, and I respect that, many recruiters do. My attitude is not negative; it is based on the experiences of my clients – most of whom are in fact career shifters or career changers. I stand by the gist of my post: that recruiters tend to place people that are easily pigeon-holed, and will not go out on a limb to promote an excellent candidate from a not-so-obvious background, and in that sense, recruiters are NOT the job-seekers best friend. The recruiter’s / headhunter’s / placement agent’s first and primary concern is accommodating their client: the company that has posted a vacancy. And, again from my experience, when there is a vacancy, companies generally are even more risk-averse than normal, and terrified of making a hiring mistake; hence the insistence that only candidates that have extensive experience in the exact same job and industry will be considered.
I agree, that if you’re a bookkeeper, and wish to remain in the bookkeeping field, it can’t hurt to send your resume in to a recruiter – but you can do just as well without one, if you are savvy about using your contacts, both professional and personal, to uncover opportunities.
And on another, but related note: recruiters that place you have to make money, as well – which comes out of the hiring company’s budget = less for you. Placement agencies, for instance, have an hourly mark-up of 15 – 20%; that’s their price for doing your marketing for you. If the candidate found the job themselves, they could negotiate 15 – 20% more per hour, and still stay within the hiring company’s budget.
Ditto for recruiters/headhunters; they commonly charge between 10 and 20% of the first year’s salary as their placement fee – also money that, if the candidate found the job themselves, could be added to their package.
What I tell my clients is that recruiters and placement agencies are for LAZY job-seekers, or for job-seekers who are still employed, therefore have no time to network, and just want to change companies.
For everyone else: developing and leveraging your network is the way to go. But thanks for your feedback!
Emma,
You sure sound negative to me.
Your problem is that recruiters can't place career changers.
Well, companies come to us because they need people with special skills. Your clients don't want to market the skills they have; they want to be juniors again. Common sense says that this is going to make them less marketable. It's not my fault.
And you think that if a recruiter was not involved in an employment transaction her fee would go to the candidate. Maybe but I doubt it.
In my experience, when people like your clients call people like me we often take the time to tell them how to job hunt on their own. But they don't want to.
Having a network is good. Seth Godin agrees with you that it's the way to go.
But good networking takes time and effort and, to some extent, a personality and skills that most people don't have.
And you have to build and maintain your network on a regular basis. Most people won't do that. They want to start networking when they lose their job.
Also, networking, like most marketing, is going to work best when you have a distinct professional identity. What JT calls a brand. Did someone say pidgeonhole?
Hey, RecruitingANIMAL (do you have a given name? I find it a mildly awkward to call you Animal…)
Anyway: enough already with the “You have a negative attitude” – I don't. I just have a different perspective. Let's try and discuss the issue, without getting personal, shall we? I'm happy for you that your recruiting business is flourishing. Well, so is my Career Strategies business – and I do work with my clients to a) help them redefine themselves and learn how to articulate their value (you might call that “branding), and b) coach them through the minefields of professional networking.
As with all generalizations, there are always exceptions to the rule, and you're obviously proof of that. But a less strident tone wouldn't hurt. Disagree with me, by all means, but don't disrespect me. Or anyone else whose opinion you don't share.
Thanks (and apologies to JT for taking up space on an discussion only tangentially related to your original post).
Emma, who said I don't respect you? I don't think you're right, that's all, and I read you as having a chip on your shoulder about recruiters.
I myself hardly qualify as the exception when it comes to decent recruiters. I know a lot of nice recruiters. And smart ones too. I'm sure there's low-lifes but I'll bet there's a
few career coaches who aren't the cat's meow either.
My problem with your remarks is that you think that we are generally unnecessary and you don't provide good reasons to back up your argument.
If the average person was so good at networking, neither of us would be in business. Networks would replace me and no one would need to learn about networking from you.
But they aren't. They might be with the advance of online technology. But probably not.
I will agree with you that recruiters are, often, not that useful to job hunters. But I have a business friend who wanted to move from one of the big four accounting firms into
industry. So he was a job hunter even though he had a good job. And who sent him out to about six interviews? Recruiters. And did he get hired by a good company? Yes.
In fact, he was hired twice. Didn't like the first firm so he left when a recruiter called me after a couple of months. (JT I'd like to talk with you about that last point).
Emma, here's a funny article you might enjoy – http://cli.gs/ANT1U7 – I thought it was pretty funny. (Familiar title, JT?)
Emma, speaking of JT, I'm sure she won't mind us livening up the comment section. What's worse than a blog without comments? And a lively conversation is not always couched in neutral terms. But I won't turn it into a flame war. You don't have to worry about that.
As for my name. hey, we live in a multi-cultural society. Have some respect for my diversity. Please.
Best Wishes from me.
Well, “me”, we're done here. I think we agree to disagree. I did enjoy the article you linked to – actually, it partly supports my position that recruiters are not necessarily in it to help job-seekers … Even if the article is a bit tongue-in-cheek, and probably exaggerated, it brought a smile to my lips. Thanks for that!
Thanks.
The role of recruiters in the lives of job hunters is an interesting topic to investigate.
The recruiters I know are primarily involved in finding hard to find people for companies. And the passive candidate who isn't looking for a job is the key.
So I think that most would agree that walk-in candidates are not that useful.
However, there are a lot of ads in the newspaper from recruiters so in some sectors this probably isn't the case at all.
Me / Recruiting Animal / http://www.recruitinganimal.com
Hi Emma & Recruiting Animal,
I've truly enjoyed the dialog between you two on this post. I've read every comment as you've posted them and felt like it was better to sit back and listen to your perspectives as opposed to jump in the mix. I feel this is the perfect place for this discussion and I'm grateful you were both willing to share your candid thoughts.
That being said, the posting of this article has reminded me of several things:
1) The term 'recruiter' is very broad in nature.
2) There's a disconnect between some types of recruiters and the people who seek their services.
3) The use of recruiters is evolving (or some may argue, swinging back in to vogue).
I am really looking forward to exploring this more and providing much-needed perspective to readers of our site. In fact, I'm also hoping (fingers crossed) to talk more about it when I'm a guest on Recruiting Animal's radio show this Wednesday, April 29th.
http://www.recruitingshow.com/
Thanks again for sharing. More importantly, thank you for helping our readers get better educated on the subject. Honestly, what transpired here is what I love most about blogging.
Yes you did point out that the recruiter won't tell you why SHE is rejecting you if it is for more than purely technical reasons like lack of specific experience or professional designation.
I meant on the other end. If she likes you and puts you forward but the the hiring managers don't like you, she will probably not say.
Many recruiters long to think of themselves as being transparent. So they claim that that they are fully transparent when they say something like “It's just not a fit”. Of course, that's quite opaque, not specific at all — but there's no reason for them to be embarrassed. Only a child (or a believer in radical honesty) thinks that you have to be completely honest all the time.
I, personally, have a terrible time telling someone I'm not putting him forward when the reason is one of personality. You never know how the person would take it. And I'm not always sure that I'm right in rejecting the person. Not everyone has the same taste in personalities as I do. (Tho I'm usually right).
But people have a hard time taking grooming advice — and that's about something they can change. So how will they take advice about something that is unchangeable or difficult to modify. (eg an introvert is not going to become talkative in time for a meeting with a client).
I'm almost always recruiting people who already have jobs but when dealing with someone who is out of work and having a hard time finding employment, honest feedback might be the last thing the person needs because it will be taken out of perspective as the voice of doom.
This is great advice.. I recently had the experience of working with a head hunter who was hired to fill a sales leadership role at a company in the greater Boston area. Since she understands the challenging job climate- She put me through a rigorous interview preparation process which was both annoying and helpful. When you’re 40+ you like to think you know everything and don’t need any help.. But, it didn’t kill me to take the time to write down my answers to common interview questions and practice my “tell me about yourself” answer. Ultimately her diligence helped me on the interview for her assignment- and several others since then.
I think you guys should distinguish between internal recruiters and agencies. An agency recruiter, such as myself, only gets paid if I place someone at one of clients. So it’s in my best interest to share as much information with my candidates as possible. I know damn well that if they were passed on by one of my clients because of a wardrobe malfunction or they had a negative attitude I am going to certainly tell them, so at the next interview I get them they perform well. Any recruiter would be wasting their time not sharing information with candidates, since our motivation is to get that candidate the job. On the other hand, if it’s an internal recruiter with a salary and no motivation to push for a candidate, than of course he has no duty to share feedback with candidates.
Twitter me @gamingrecruiter
You are so right when you say “they [Recruiters] aren’t paid to give you the bad news”, unfortunately this is the attitude of NON Professional Recruiters, who are only interested in the mighty $ [or what ever currency they get paid in]. People are the product for Recruiters, and it is the People who make them their money…There is potential in every person a Recruiter talks too, the better prepared and presentable the person is makes them into a candidate for clients…
I don't believe this applies only to recruiters. I am aware of many 'Hiring Managers / HR Managers' who after meeting the interviewee, grumble, complain and generally 'whing' about the non verbal failings of each interviewee…it is the nature of the beast.
For a Recruitment Professional to do their role and selves favours, they must groom, prepare and help develop the non-verbal skills and performance of their candidates as well as the candidates verbal presence…I know that in these politically corrected times people do not want to be seen as offending people, guess what folks, that is part of the nature of our business…identifying the shot-comings and turning them into positives…by taking the view 'from people to candidates' recruiters will make money. And not 'make money – from people' – this is how to make the profession in the same category as pimps – don'y care about the product just give me all the money…
Recruiters WILL tell you you did not get the job becuase of your personality if they understand what thy are looking for…Example, we place VERY High Level Sales Executives you w2 more than 200k per year. We know our clients and know the type of agressive, outgoing, hunter mentality our cleints are looking for……
If our candidates don't do well on the interivew with a particular client, but they are qualified for our network of cleints, then we express to them their personlaity flaws anc coch them to preform better.
SORRY YOUR EXECUTIVE RECRUITER WAS NOT STRAIGHT WITH YOU, BUT WE ARE!!!!!!
#1 is a problem for me because currently I cannot pay for my own food or other living expenses; therefore, I have no money for dress clothes or any clothes, including second hand, which usually is outdated anyway.
#10 is a problem because I find it hard to be excited about a job interview with a company I have little or no interest in. I'm there for a survival check. People have told me to pretend I'm interested, to tell them what they want to hear. I'd feel like a hypocrite, like I'm misrepresenting myself and being dishonest. I'm just not good at acting and it does show. The chance of finding an opening in a company that matches my interests are very small. I feel like I'm between a rock and a hard place.
Attitiude my freind is number one in LIFE…Job sarch, love search, self search…..Attitude..
So based on this letter you will not find your dream job…But when you start belieiving you will find a great job..And tell yourself everyday, 10 times a day, that you are great and a great job you will find…
Then and only then wil you find you dream “job”
CS, depending on where you live, there are not for profit organizations like “Dress for Success” that have Career Closets. These are typically relatively current and gently worn clothing donated to the organization. I am not certain what your current situation is, but something like this relative to your location could be tracked down through google.
I find this very strange. On the one hand, you say you're struggling to survive, and on the other you don't care. I would have thought if you were that desperate and that much in need of a job, you would be able to muster up the enthusiasm to actually desire whatever job it is you're going for. And let's see… fake smile or eat at night… your choice. Misrepresent yourself or pay your bills… tough decision. Put aside your moral indignation and allow your survival instincts to kick in. Hands up everybody who works for a company they actually respect and have enthusiasm for, and mushy happy feelings about. They're in the minority – life doesn't work like that, and a job, particularly at the entry level, is not for personal fulfilment – you work to live, you don't live to work – you get money to pay the bills, you walk out of the building at the end of the workday and you get your personal fulfilment from your friends and family and other shit like that.
Cos what I'm reading here is “I'm too poor and I can't be bothered”.
This is quite useful. Thanks for distributing the information.
Mike Willett
Willett Corporate Communications
Nor will a recruiter tell you straight out that you didn't get a job because of your personality.
Agreed! Was hoping the post pointed that out.
Thanks for stopping by Recruiting Animal. I'm a fan of your show!
JT
I concur, but wonder, If the recruiter presents you as a candidate to a client, then he/she [recruiter] must know if you have the right 'personality' – Yes?