Print PDF

This month Resume Writer expert J.M. Auron, CPRW shares with us 5 Tips for Working Effectively with Recruiters.

In addition to being a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW), J.M. is the President and Senior Technical Resume Writer at QuantumTechResumes.com.

J.M. brings a unique breath of experience to the resume writing process and we look forward to his monthly contributions.

There are a number of common misconceptions out there about the role headhunters play in the job search. As a full time technical resume writer and former recruiter, I wanted to take a few minutes to discuss some of what you can – and can’t – expect from working with a headhunter.

1) The first thing to remember when working with headhunters is that recruiters are in the business of finding people for jobs, not jobs for people.

This is directly analogous to the situation in real estate – before the introduction of buyer’s agents. A real estate agent represented the seller’s best interests, and was paid by the seller.

So it is in recruiting. Recruiters – whether contingent or retained – are working with client companies to fill difficult positions. Those positions are, by definition, hard to fill. No company is going to pay a recruiting fee – often 20%-25% of first year’s total compensation – if the job can easily be filled by an ad on Monster.

2) Recruiters are generally looking for a very specific career picture.

Given the fees involved, clients want recruiters to deliver candidates – job seekers – who, er, walk on water. That can mean different things to different clients, but usually includes a very stable career history with a clear, progressive career path.

So there are a wide range of job seekers who may have strong credentials, strong resumes, and a strong chance to win an interview – but who would not be a great fit for a position a recruiter is working to fill.

What does this mean to you? You may have a strong chance at any number of positions – but may not get a call back from a headhunter.

3) Recruiters talk to an incredibly large number of candidates in any given week…

And often don’t have the time to follow up with every candidate unless there’s a good chance there’s a match. Don’t take that personally – it’s not so meant.

Don’t assume that, if you don’t hear back immediately, you’ve been forgotten. I remember early in my career I talked to a great candidate – with a personality that would be a great fit – but for a very specific opportunity.

Four months later, I was working with a new client – and realized from the first call that my client was looking for the candidate I’d spoken with months earlier. It took me a little to dig through my database – but I found that candidate. And placed her – within 3 weeks.

4) Be Cooperative!
I know that, if you’re in demand, you may be getting too many calls from headhunters – and that can be challenging. But try to listen politely. Trust me. Headhunters remember cooperative candidates – and if this opportunity isn’t right for you, you may be significantly higher or the call list when the perfect opportunity comes around.

5) Follow up – but be reasonable!
Headhunters – good ones, that is – will remember who you are, and will follow up with you if they feel there’s an opportunity for which you’d be a fit. So call back to be certain they’ve received your resume – but don’t overdo it.

I won’t pretend that this exhausts the topic – and I’ll be more than happy to respond to questions in future posts. But I do hope that this give you some better background to navigate working with headhunters when looking for your next opportunity…

I hope these ideas and strategies are helpful in developing your PM resume. If you’d like more information, please don’t hesitate to contact me at http://quantumtechresumes.com

Links To Additional Resources