Once upon a time I was a Human Resources Director minding my own business when the phone rang. It was a recruiter. I’d give them my speech about how we have recruiters we use on a regular basis, but if anything changed I would let them know. Then another would call, and then another (with all of these calls eventually going straight to voice mail).  I had one that found me at one company, and then found me at another. He always called, he even showed up unannounced sometimes, but I never met him. I think it got to the point one day that he just thought I was some sort of mythical creature and wanted to make sure I did indeed exist. One day I did actually take his call to confirm that I was, in fact, real and not just a soothing voice in an in-box. As a HR Director I had a love/hate relationship with recruiters. I had some great go-to people. If I needed someone, I just gave them a quick call and they got to work. I’d always get crazy that they had amazing candidates available, and I had one good one for every three or four they sent. Placing someone through an agency felt like a personal failure. I’m the HR person – I should be able to find these people!!!!…oh excuse me – someone is complaining about their benefits, oh someone else doesn’t like where they sit, what?…the person next to you smells?  Uuggghhh. Oh why yes…sure we can rewrite our entire performance management process AGAIN.  New maternity leave policy? Sure – I’m on it.

OK, I’m back – where was I? Oh yes – why can’t I find these great candidates???

So – I’m thinking you see my point. Being a recruiter now, I see both sides. I know why HR people farm out jobs to me. They are loaded down with all kinds of “stuff” and can’t spend nearly the amount of time they would like to on going through resumes, and more importantly finding passive candidates. I call and email people all day that are seemingly happy where they are. I tell them about the opportunities they have – and well, some of them confess that they aren’t quite as happy as they seem. Maybe their commute is too long, or their company has lost a few clients and they are getting worried. Whatever the case  – viola – awesome candidate with just the right experience.

So now that I’m a recruiter – let me tell you some inside information. Most of us are good. Some of us are bad, and some of us are downright ugly.  First and most importantly – Recruiters find employees for companies. They do not find jobs for people. It’s just the way the game is played. I get a client – they tell me what they need, I produce perfect candidate, they get hired, I get paid. That’s the business model. Yes, someone gets a job in the process, but really, it’s an environmentally friendly by-product of the process. Now don’t get me wrong, just because a recruiter doesn’t have an opening that is currently the right match for you, doesn’t mean they won’t. And if they have areas of expertise – they likely will at some point. It just may not be now. And they are not going to hunt for the perfect job for you, just because you have a great resume. They have jobs to fill and clients to please – so that is numero uno on the priority list. But, a good recruiter will keep in contact, make sure your resume is current and WILL contact you when they do have a match. And when you are the right fit, you know that resume will get to the top of the candidate pile on the HR Director’s desk. And you will get called.

So – please be suspicious of those recruiters that charge you to send them your resume. They work for the client. There are VERY few agencies that have a model that enables them to hunt down clients based on getting a good resume. They may use it as bait for a new client, but really – it’s just not how the game is played. And if they do supposedly play this way – you want things in writing and you want success rates for 3, 6 and 12 month searches.

Your best bet – apply to jobs that fit your area of expertise. You would be amazed at the resumes I get. IF A JOB DESCRIPTION OR AD SAYS THAT YOU MUST HAVE SPECIFIC EXPERIENCE IN A CERTAIN SETTING FOR A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF YEARS – guess what? Your skill set that doesn’t match does not qualify. If they are looking for someone in pharmaceutical advertising, your furniture sales career will not compute. You may have had an outstanding and very lucrative career in furniture sales, however, in this economy, that means you should stick to home decor sales, or at least sales in general.  So please, don’t put the blindfold on when reading job ads. Don’t hit the apply button a million times. Chances are you are applying to the same bunch of recruiters over and over again, and ultimately weakening your personal brand. The good recruiters will see that. The bad one’s will try to capitalize on it. Don’t spend your hard earned money on people trying to rip you off. Find a good recruiter in your area of expertise and you are much more likely to find the right job for you.

Man..I’m starting to sound cranky. I’d better go find one of my clients an awesome employee to brighten my day. And remember – good recruiter = someone in your area of expertise. We are out there – go find us and be the by-product of our business model! The by-product truly makes us happy. It makes the whole process worth it knowing that we did actually find someone a job.

Advertisement