Monday, July 14, 2008

Headhunters Ignore You!

More often than not, I take a proactive role in approaching my networking contacts. I view this as my job as a recruiter and expect a certain ratio of return calls to placed calls. I also expect a certain number of unsolicited calls, and many unsolicited resumes.

We are organized enough to be able to respond to unsolicited resumes, but many firms do not care to answer most inbound inquiries.

If you cannot get the ear of a recruiter, it may be for a number of reasons. Here are some to think about:

  1. You call without a direct reference. Knowing someone who knows the recruiter is extremely effective. We make our living based on referrals from others, and most of us will reciprocate.

  2. You do not define yourself well. We don’t have time to waste, but we are always happy to have more “inventory.” A foggy presentation, however, won’t do you or us any good.

  3. You do not know what you want. If you have a very specific message, you have a greater chance of getting our attention.

  4. Your resume looks just like everyone else’s. If you are creative, or have the right help, you have an easy way to differentiate yourself from the start.

  5. You do not look like an outstanding candidate. We make our living by knowing the best people in your field. Why are you one of them?

  6. You have caught us at the wrong moment. Persistence pays off.

  7. Finally, your expertise does not match with our specialty. If you approach a recruiter, you need to know what they focus on.

Apart from our retained search services, we provide counseling to executives actively engaged in a job search. Feel free to get in touch for more information.

Contact Jason Sanders

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