10 Tipsfor a Healthier Rapport

with Recruiters

Presented to Tri-City Unemployment GroupMonday, October 13, 2014

Elyse Williamson, Staffing ConsultantFrank’s Employment

Photographs copyright 2014. All rights reserved.

1: A recruiter works for the employer. A recruiter works with you as a candidate.

• A recruiter’s priorities, choices, and efforts are organized within the framework set by the employer who is their client.

• Only one person has the job of new employment for you – and that person is you.

• Your healthy relationship with a recruiter can be a long-term one!

2: Your ongoing contact with a recruiter is a business relationship.

• Empathetic and interested in your well-being, but not your pastor.

• Amiable and engaging, but not your friend.

• Collaborative, but not your family.• Refrain from saying that you are

desperate for work. Say and show instead that you are motivated, equipped, and prepared.

• Most recruiters will not be checking in just to see how your search is going.

3: We often handle 10-15 active searches at one time, with a routine pool of 100-500 individuals for each search.

• Use your email, phone, text, and in-person contacts effectively and judiciously.

• Exercise patience in terms of response time. Measure your patience in days, not minutes.

• Trust that a recruiter is communicating and keeping the process transparent as much as they are able.

4: Every contact with and from a recruiter is an interview step.

• Each contact is documented.• Each contact could be

assessed with respect to possible hiring.

• Approach the recruiter the same way you would approach the employer – he/she represents them!

5: We triage and narrow the candidate pool – and candidate contacts - based on the employer’s priorities.

Work HistoryEducation and Experience

Hard SkillsSoft Skills

CommunicationExpectationsPreparationCultural Fit

6: A recruiter advertising an opening on a job board will generate a massive response. Replies are often triaged.• As much as 90% from

unqualified applicants.• Average person spends less

than 50 seconds reviewing ad before applying.

• Keyword algorithms for job boards can be imprecise.

• No substitute for taking extra seconds to read ad!

Electronic Recruiting Exchange: "Video Job Descriptions - a Not-to-be Missed Application Accelerator," by John Sullivan. Posted May 12, 2014

7: A recruiter uses a job advertisement as a first-step of prescreening applicants.

• Shorter content, especially for increasingly mobile-driven advertising

• Only key portions of employer requirements, priorities, and preferences

• Embedded instructions, such as “call Elyse”

8: We use social media resources and contacts in developing our talent pool and professional network.• LinkedIn

– 96% search for candidates– 92% prescreen candidates– 91% post jobs

• Facebook– 65% showcase brand– 35% vet post-interview– 31% vet pre-interview

• Twitter– 43% post jobs

Statistics from “Social Recruiting Survey Results 2013,” published by Jobvite.

9: We use social media resources to assess and “vet” your qualifications and suitability.

• 42% have reconsidered a candidate on basis of social profile content.

• Not a replacement for your resume, but a complement to it.– Work samples– Recommendations– Discussion contributions

Recruiter perceptions – social media

POSITIVE NEUTRAL NEGATIVEReferences to using illegal drugs 1% 7% 83%Posts of a sexual nature 1% 16% 71%Profanity in posts/tweets 4% 20% 65%Spelling, grammar errors 3% 29% 61%References to guns 1% 31% 51%Pictures of consumption of alcohol 1% 39% 47%Volunteering, donating to charities 65% 26% 1%Political posts/tweets 2% 65% 18%Overtly religious posts/tweets 2% 55% 28%

Statistics from “Social Recruiting Survey Results 2013,” published by Jobvite.

10: Recruiters want to say “yes” as often as possible. That’s how we succeed.

• If we say “no” at some point, this is information for you, not a judgment upon you.

• How you handle a rejection is still a step in the interviewing and prescreening process!

• Most recruiters value an open-ended relationship for a potential “yes” in the future.

Thank you for your invitation!

Frank’s Employment• http://www.franksemployment.com• https://www.linkedin.com/company/frank’s-employment• https://www.facebook.com/FranksEmployment

Elyse Williamson, staffing consultant for professional positions• Direct line: 630-457-4616• Email: elysew@franksemployment.com• https://www.linkedin.com/in/elysewilliamson/