Metzler - The recruiting snitch : recruiting secrets to help land your dream job

Copyright 2013 Publisher Alysse Metzler

All rights reserved.

ISBN: 0615827608

ISBN 13: 9780615827605

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

A s I write this acknowledgment Im overwhelmed with pure joy. My friends, family, colleagues, business acquaintances, and some complete strangers helped me through the book writing process and its impossible to recognize every individual who provided assistance. I would like to thank Elizabeth Toler and Goran Marich for seeing potential in me as a young lost college student needing career guidance and for providing me with challenges and opportunities I never thought imaginable. I would like to acknowledge Emily Sullivan for providing her unbiased opinion throughout the book writing process and being a constant enthusiast of my recruiting career. I would like to give special thanks to the cast and Executive Producer of Top Recruiter, The Competition. You have all become a huge support system in my life and a second family. Im forever grateful for the constant motivation from Chris Lavoie, Mory Lavoie, Rayanne Thorn, Alex King, Kim Pope, Jude Martinez, Daniel Messemer, and the entire production team at C&I Studios. Thank you to the love of my life and best friend, Andre McFarline, for never allowing me to doubt myself or give up and for being my number one advocate. Thank you to Tina Critchfield, Annalisa Longo, Alana Henry, Trisha Fader, Katherine Douville, Sarah Hartman, Tara Rahaman, Chris Delaney, and Ryan Mattis for being true friends and who have been here for me throughout my career. Finally, words cant express how thankful I am for my family who provided me with lessons in life that made me who I am today and contributed in more ways than one to this book. Thank you to Brent, Lesley, Mom, and Dad for being with me every step of the way. Thank you to everyone for being with me through this journey, I dedicate this book to you.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

OVERVIEW

T here are countless books about interviewing skills, rsum writing, and business etiquette. Reading these books, I sometimes wonder where the information came from. As I research, I realize it comes from educators, life coaches, human resources (HR) professionals, and other credible sources. Not one of these books was written by the people actually in the battlefield every day: the recruiters.

Wouldnt it be nice to know what recruiters ruminate on while they review your rsum?

Wouldnt it be cool to know what the recruiter is thinking while you sit in front of her on your interview?

How many times have you asked yourself, Should I put that on my rsum or not? Should I talk about personal topics in an interview? What questions do I ask? What is the appropriate timeline for following up?

Likewise, wouldnt it be nice to know what the other person is thinking while you are on your first date? Well, I cant help you with that, but getting a job is just like dating. So Im here to let you into the mind of a recruiter. My fellow recruiters may think Im a sellout, but I dont care. I want to help the unemployed get back to work. Once you understand how recruiters really think, you will understand the employment game.

In the world of unemployment its very easy to say, Ive done everything I can, but no one is hiring. Im going to tell you right now to stop making that excuse! Ive been recruiting for nine years now; do you know what that means? That means that for the past nine years, Ive worked for corporations that are hiring! Yes, I said it: Companies are hiring left and right; you just havent figured out how to get noticed. So today is the last day you should allow yourself to make that excuse. If you are unemployed, its easy to sit back and collect unemployment. Its easy to get lazy and not apply, or not seriously look for a job.

Well, news flashthe longer you are unemployed, the worse you look to recruiters!

You need to treat job searching like a full-time job. Wake up Monday through Friday at 9:00 a.m. and get online. Take an hour off for lunch, and then get back to the computer. Do this every day until 5:00 p.m.

In preparation for this book, I didnt want to throw a bunch of outdated research and data at my readers. I wasnt interested in reporting the viewpoints of bloggers and people within the industry who have already published their opinions. I wanted to give you information directly from current recruiters within the United States.

I surveyed 101 recruiters who work for some of the largest corporations in the nation. Of the 101 recruiters surveyed, 70.3 percent are recruiters who work directly for corporations and 29.7 percent work in staffing agencies or firms. They represent more than fifty different industries, and are the people responsible for helping you find your next career. Throughout this book, I uncover the results from the survey and present direct quotes from these recruiters. I want to make sure you know Im not just making this stuff up. I have 101 other recruiters agreeing with me and providing you with what they really think.

I give you specific real-life examples; including stories of mistakes applicants have made that destroyed their ability to get a job. Please do not think that you wont make these same mistakes, because I guarantee you that you will make them in your future, or that you have already made them in your past. Practice makes perfect, and knowledge is half the battle. So once you know what is really going on in the recruiters heads, you will be able to ace the rsum review, get through the application process, impress the recruiter on your phone interview, wow the hiring manager in the face-to-face interview, and have a smooth and successful offer process.

So sit back and enjoy the wonderful world of recruiting.

CHAPTER 1

THE SECRET LIFE OF A RECRUITER

M ost of the time, when I introduce myself to someone and tell them Im a recruiter, I receive a blank stare and a follow-up question of, Oh, interesting. So what are you recruiting for?

My friends think I wine and dine people all day. My mom thinks Im in executive meetings all day. Society thinks Im a smooth-talking salesperson. My candidates think Im sitting in my office counting the money Ive made off of them. And I feel like Im herding cats all day.

What do I really do?

I sit in my office in front of my computer, talk on the telephone, and make magic happen. A recruiter wears many hats, so the hat she was wearing when you met her likely will form your impression of all recruiters.

To help with this topic, I would like to explain the difference between a corporate recruiter and an agency recruiter or headhunter. Knowing the differences among the different types of recruiters will help you navigate the job-search process, so listen up.

Corporate recruiters are hired by companies that have constant turnover and growth. In this instance, turnover is not a bad thing. Some companies hire contractors. Contractors are hired for a specific project and amount of time; they are not considered employees of the company they are contracting for. Because contractors are hired for specific projects for limited lengths of time, they are constantly ending their contracts, requiring backfills. Companies that have a lot of part-time positions experience turnover; they need to fill shifts because employees are working only twenty or fewer hours, yet their business is open for more hours. So companies that are fairly stable usually have a Department of Recruiters to help with the constant growth and to maintain staffing needs.