How Recruiters Find People

In my 29 years of recruiting, I have talked with and trained over 200 recruiters around the country in advanced recruiting techniques. Given this, I’ve learned two things 1) the recruiting industry is not homogeneous and 2) we all may be different, but there is one constant; how we find people. There really isn’t anything all that unique about how recruiters go about locating potential candidates. We all use our networks and other people’s networks. This includes both on-line networks such as Linkedin (Click here to join our Linkedin Job Search Group) and off-line such as networking groups in our community.

So why is this important to candidates? Because the most often asked question of recruiters is, “How do I get in touch with retained recruiters?” The answer is a simple one; “You don’t need to.” You don’t really want to get in touch with every recruiter, that is impossible. You only want to get in touch with those recruiters that have a search that meets your background. All the other recruiters don’t matter! So the real question should be; “ How do I get recruiters looking for me, to find me?” Now that is an easy thing to do, but like most things it isn’t simple.

The answer is one word; NETWORKING. Since recruiters maximize the use of their networks and others, all you have to do is be so well networked that a recruiter can’t help but find you. If you really are well networked, as recruiters tap into their networks, your name will always come up as a referral. The more often recruiters hear, “You should call ____, they sound exactly like what you are looking for” the higher the probability you will get a call.

So, if you want to have recruiters calling you, make sure they can find you.

GET YOURSELF NETWORKED in multiple industries and with multiple functions. Don’t forget that Linkedin is used extensively by most recruiters, so it is critical to have your profile up to date and complete. You can download for free our 8 Point Success Matrix For A Linkedin Profile, just click here.

Is Fishing like Job Search Networking?

Anna Farmery of the Buzz Networker put up a blog post the other day titled “Why Networking is like Fishing” that should serve as an important reminder to those conducting a job search.

Networking for Candidates

The funny thing about this title is that it is the opposing strategy for job seekers of the technique we teach in our “You’re NOT the Person I Hired” workshop for hiring executives and managers. We teach that you must be able to “fish in deep waters” to attract the best talent. Posting onto the various job boards a job description that is masquerading as an ad is rarely an effective strategy for finding great talent.

If the best technique to be found by recruiters and hiring managers is networking and the best technique to find great talent is through networking – the intersection of these two overlapping strategies by candidates and recruiters/hiring managers should result in great matches.

Seems obvious – right?

Why doesn’t it work most of the time?

Job Search Networking – Fact or Fiction

It doesn’t work because most candidates do a terrible job of networking, personal branding, and positioning themselves to be found. Most recruiters/hiring managers do a terrible job networking by fishing in the deepest ends of the pool for great talent.

So what really happens in most hiring situations? The recruiters/hiring managers revert back to pre-historic approaches to finding candidates by running ads and candidates devote the vast majority of their job search to responding to job ads. Is there any wonder why top talent fails to find great opportunities and companies fail over and over to bring top talent to their doorstep?

Brad and I will be releasing over the next week or two a self-assessment for you to determine if you’re networking plan needs a major check-up. Stay tuned for this release. Our surveys and research within our job search network on LinkedIn (which you can join by clicking here) indicate that less than 20% of executive and managerial candidates have an effective networking plan.

Here are a few questions to be thinking about while you await the release of our networking plan self-assessment tool:

1. Do you have a written networking plan?
2. What do you believe are the top 5 best practices in a networking plan of action?
3. Have you ever seen a formal networking plan with action steps, metrics, objectives, and tasks?
4. If you develop plans for projects at work – why wouldn’t you do it for your job search?
5. Can you list the top 20 articles/blog postings/content/books and other audio/video related content on job search networking that you’ve read within the last week and have taken 1-2 ideas from to incorporate into your job search.

Are these tough questions? Most candidates we’ve surveyed wouldn’t be able to answer them. If you can’t, your probably are facing a major need for a networking check-up OR the alternative is a prolonged period of unemployment that could have easily been cut in half.

Resources for Developing a Networking Plan

1. In our Book, “This is NOT the Position I Accepted”, we dedicate an entire chapter to the concept of Job Search Networking.
2. In our Job Search Home Study Kit, we have exercises, templates, and guidelines for developing a powerful networking plan that could help reduce the time it takes for you to find a job by at least 50%.
3. Brad and I have talked about networking numerous times – both about job search networking on-line and off-line – in our weekly Internet Radio Talk Show on LATalkRadio. We’ve taken all our Radio Show Broadcasts and put them in an audio archive for you to listen to and download.
4. If you’re in need of a “Networking Check-Up” for your job search, be sure to check out our Networking Strategic Plan Coaching to get an immediate boost over your competition.

Barry

Having A Job Search Plan

Having a written and comprehensive job search plan is one of the most critical components of a job search. In today’s market you will rarely get a position without one. Your plan must include both off-line and on-networks. This show discusses in great detail exactly why you need a plan, what a plan should be and how to leverage the plan. If you are new to the job search, understanding the importance leveraging the internet is the most important issue  to grasp. Is your Linkedin profile up to date, is your resume searchable on Google and how are you active in groups.
You need a job search plan and this show is the place to start.

Have You Assessed Your LinkedIn Profile Yet?

About a month ago, we published a self-assessment matrix by which you can assess the effectiveness of your LinkedIn Profile. In a recent research project/survey, we discovered that less than less than 10% of the LinkedIn Profiles we reviewed of active job seekers meet a minimum standard for effectiveness.

Are you missing an opportunity for personal branding, making recruiters and hiring managers aware of your capability, and falling short of being able to network effectively –  all because your LinkedIn Profile is at a minimum, average and mediocre level compared to best practices in leveraging LinkedIn for your Job Search.

Take the self-assessment today and then start rebuilding your LinkedIn Profile so that you can begin to have better success in your job search.

Bonus Tip: The effectiveness of your LinkedIn Profile extends far beyond just job hunting. An effective LinkedIn Profile can aid in sales, business development, career advancement, and marketing.

Download the Self-Assessment NOW to determine if you LinkedIn Profile is effective for conducting an efficient job search.

Brad and I also discussed using your LinkedIn Profile as an effective tool in a previous Internet Radio Talk Show. You can listen to and download all of our recorded Internet Radio Talk Shows on Job Search by navigating to our FREE Audio Library.

Barry

The Most Important Three Words In A Search?

Everyone knows the three most important words in real estate are location, location, location.

So then, “What are the three most important words in a job search?” (Answer below)

Not knowing these will impact just about every aspect of your job search, including your resume, the phone interview, definitely the face-to-face interview, and even the first impression once you start. That is why these three words are so important, no critical, to one’s search.

Recruiters are constantly amazed at how candidates take a job search for granted. The genesis for this article was a comment a candidate said to me just yesterday. Having just completed an interview the previous day, I asked the candidate how he thought the interview went. He replied, “I think it went OK. I did a lot of research on the company ahead of time so I felt prepared.” So far so good. Then I asked, “Were you asked any questions that you didn’t feel you answered completely?” His reply, “I guess I wasn’t really prepared for the questions. I haven’t had that many interviews so I wasn’t ready for the questions. I think I need to start preparing for that.”

Isn’t it a little late to start preparing for the questions one is going to be asked, after the interview?

This is the problem recruiters encounter daily. Candidates don’t understand, or get, the priorities of a job search. Knowing what to do and when to do it is the difference between getting the job and not getting it. Random luck rarely works in a job search.

I have said to hundreds of candidates, “You need to prepare for the questions you are going to be asked.”, he would have said,”I know.” I get so tired of hearing “I know.” From now on please replace it with, “I’m doing it.” PLEASE.

The answer to the question is, presentation, presentation, presentation.

Let me know if you knew these. I have asked over 500 candidates this question and none knew the answer.

Please don’t say, “I knew these.” Instead please tell me, “I’m doing these.”

Presentation, presentation, presentation is the key to a successful job search. Those that have this mastered will always do better than those that don’t.

Presentation includes:

1. How well your resume presents your accomplishments. This includes aligning them closely with the needs of the job. The correct terms and phrases immediately catch the reader’s eyes. Leave the correct amount of white space so the resume doesn’t look cluttered and unorganized. (Consider listening to our audio on, “Traditional Resumes Are Worthless – Click here).
2. How well you communicate during a phone interview. If 70% of communication is body language, and this is missing during the phone interview, how do you effectively communicate when 70% of the communication is removed. (Consider listening to our audio on phone interviewing click here or downloading our free chapter on, “Winning the Phone Interview” – Click here).
3. Face-to-face interview. The first impression drives the interview. A strong first impression will set the tone for the rest of the interview. Make a strong presentation and you often get an easier interview than with a weak first impression.
4. Preparation is all part of the presentation. Knowing how to make a strong and professional introduction, when to pause for effect in your answer, how you will stress the points you know are critical, how to answer the question in a succinct manner, when to lean forward in the chair, how to demonstrate high energy during a phone interview, what questions to ask during the interview, how to use your voice inflection, eye contact, etc. are just some of the keys to a great presentation. (Consider reading the blog article, “Where’s Wes, Not Waldo” – Click here).

Presentation takes an enormous amount of preparation and practice. This about “doing” not “knowing.”

Please leave us your comments and if you knew the answer to the question.

To review all our free resources and tools – Click here

Job Search Disaster: Too Many Eggs in the Wrong Basket

I read with great interest a post today on The Work Buzz Blog by Rachel Zupek, where she revealed that in CareerBuilder’s most recent Quarterly Staffing and Demand Outlook that 25% of surveyed candidates indicated they planned to use a recruiter over the next quarter in their job search.

What the heck does that mean for using recruiters in your job search?

Is using a recruiter mean you’re praying they find you a job at the expense of investing in personal networking?

Does it mean that you plan on contacting a recruiter?

Does it simply mean you’re going to send your resume to a recruiter and if something happens – good for you.

No fault of Rachel’s here – I’m just giving her a plug for publishing the survey results. However, my frustration is apparent that I consider most surveys to be worthless from an informational and useful perspective. Should this data give hope to recruiters? Should it convince job seekers that a major part of their job search should be working with recruiters?

Let’s be real about the effectiveness of using recruiters in your job search (By the way – 90% of my income is generated as a Retained Executive Recruiter).

1. The recruiting profession covers less than 10% of available job opportunities. The higher up the food chain you go, the lower the probability a recruiter will help you find a job. Why is this? It’s because the vast majority of jobs are in the “hidden job market” – they are not advertised, published, placed with recruiters. They are filled through networking.

2. At a managerial/executive job search level, you should be in contact with good recruiters who specialize in your area of expertise/job level/industry/geography. Your contact – interaction – time invested with recruiters should be less than 10% of your overall job search strategy.

3. Networking is KING! 80% of your job search should be focused on networking. If you would like to learn more about how networking, job search personal branding, creating an abundance of referrals and job leads can help you – be sure to visit our FREE Audio Library where Brad and I have posted all our LATALKRADIO broadcasts about job search, including networking, resumes, interviewing, and personal branding. We cover networking strategies and tactics in-depth through our “Job Search Home Study Kit“. If you want to understand how to reduce the time it takes to find a job by at least 50%, this kit has everything you’ll ever need.

4. Sending your resume to a recruiter “blindly” is a useless exercise. 99.9% of these will end up in the trash can. There are a number of techniques you can use to gain a recruiter’s attention, manage the relationship, and get your resume to “pop” to the top of the stack. Learn more about how to work with recruiters by reading our recently published book on Job Search titled “This is NOT the Position I Accepted”. We also have talked about how to work with recruiters on our Weekly Radio Show.

5. Like most networking best practices, working with a recruiter is no different. You’ve got to be able to “help the recruiter” if you want help back. Try to find ways to make referrals on their other searches, ask how you can help them, try to find ways to make the recruiter successful. It’s a two-way relationship. I cannot remember the last time a candidate said to me “How can I help you?”

Hopefully, these 5 tips should help put into perspective what “working with recruiters” really means for your job search.

Barry

Upcoming Radio Broadcast – What’s Your Job Search Plan

Most candidates do not have a solid job search plan to conduct an effective job search – then they whine about their job hunt and the fact that it’s taking them 40% longer to find a new job than their peers.

Can you afford to be out work 6 months, 12 months, 18 months?

An effective job search plan is one of the primary methods by which you can significantly reduce the time it takes to conduct a job hunt. Many candidates have used this approach, which is a core element of our Career Success Methodology, to reduce their job search time by 40%, 50%, and sometimes as much as 65% based on traditional projections of the length of job searches by level of position.

Join Brad and I on Monday at 11 AM PST on LATALKRADIO.com as we discuss, banter, and argue about what is a proper job search plan and how do you get started in creating one for yourself. Mark your calendar right now! We take your questions, comments, and ideas and put them on the air to discuss, debate, and challenge each other.

Be on the lookout for our upcoming FREE Self-Assessment 8-Point Success Matrix for a Job Search Plan, our audio program which you can download directly from Itunes or from our website in our extensive FREE Audio Library. Finally, we’ll have a video up shortly about the Top Ten Job Search Mistakes which you can download from Youtube.

Barry

Weekly Job Search Round-up: August 1st-7th

Here is a round-up and review of our blog posts over the past week. Our blog posts have covered the spectrum of job search mistakes, resumes, networking, leveraging social media, and techniques to reduce your job hunt timeframe by at least 50%.

The Top Ten Job Search Mistakes – Are You Guilty?

We explore the most common Top Ten Job Search Mistakes based on research over 25 years. Are you making one or more of these mistakes in your job search?

Un and Under-Employment: What You Don’t Know

Recognize the emotional side of being unemployed in one of the worst job markets we’ve seen in 25 years. We interview of the leading experts on dealing with the emotional side of a job search.

Stay tuned next week as we begin to explore each of the Top Ten Job Search Mistakes and how you can overcome them. Imagine how quickly your job hunt could be over by just avoiding a few of the most common pitfalls to conducting an effective job search.

We will also begin to take an in-depth look at most powerful technique ever used to prepare for any interview question. Using this one preparation technique which is a core element of our Career Success Methdology, you’ll have potential employers almost begging you to come and work for their company.

Barry

Top Ten Job Search Mistakes – Are You Guilty?

Why Do Job Searches Fail Frequently?

We’ve conducted extensive research with candidates over the last 25 years regarding career management and job search. We’ve attempted to isolate the major failure points of careers and job searches. In our book “This is NOT the Position I Accepted“, you’ll discover more details around the classic job search mistakes the precise steps to overcome each of them.

Luck sometimes happens – we all deserve a lucky break. However, luck and hope are not sound strategies on which to base a successful job search and long term career.

In our Job Search Home Study Kit, we have a series of templates which walk you through the job search process in great depth and precision. In this blog posting on the Top Ten Job Search Mistakes, we’d like you to answer a few introspective questions about your job search success (or lack thereof):

The Top Ten Job Search Mistakes

1. Are you currently guilty of making any of the Top Ten Job Search Mistakes?

2. In the past, when you’ve made one or more job search mistakes, how has it negatively impacted your success?

3. Is there one or more job search mistakes that you consistently make? What are you doing to change and not make these mistakes in the future?

In future blog posts, we’ll explore each of these Top Ten Job Search Mistakes in more depth. Here are the most common job search mistakes made by managers and executives:

1. Not having a systematic approach to conducting a job search

2. Jumping at an opportunity based on desperation

3. Not adequately preparing for interviews

4. Lack of follow-up after interviews

5. Ineffective networking

6. No personal branding to help hiring managers and recruiters find you

7. Not leveraging on-line tools and resources

8. No coherent long-term strategic career plan

9. Poor attitude – pessimism, negativity, frustration dictate your actions

10. Ineffective engagement with recruiters

Overcoming the Top Ten Job Search Mistakes

Once you overcome these Top Ten Job Search Mistakes, you’ll be amazed at the abundance of opportunities, leads, and referrals that start to land in your lap.

Many candidates stuck or stumped in their job hunt do not recognize they are making the same mistakes over and over – thus prolonging the time period they are out of work. With a few simple exercises,  templates, worksheets, and structured plans of action that you’ll find in our Job Search Home Study Kit, you’ll be able to reduce the time it takes to complete a traditional job search by at least 50%.

Be sure to stop by our FREE Audio Library where Brad and I have archived all our Internet Radio Talk Shows discussing how to overcome job search mistakes and how to reduce the time it takes to complete your job search.

Barry

Candidate Interviewing Mistakes

We discuss some of the most common interviewing mistakes candidates make. This program is dedicated to helping ensure those that listen will not make these mistakes. The mistakes are so common that most candidates don’t even know they are making them. Having conducted over 10,000 interviews as a recruiter for over 30 years and co-interviewed thousands of times with clients, these common mistakes are the biggest reasons most candidates don’t get the job. If candidates would avoid these few mistakes their success rate would dramatically increase.
By doing these few things (not knowing them – doing them) and your competition making these mistakes, you will win the job and they will be eliminated.