Comments on: dear recruiter

By: Tsahi

Tsahi — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:49:44 +0000

Well said Jessica.

I’ve started looking for jobs in the last few months and have encountered the same issues.
Sometimes it’s as if I’m throwing away my resume to a black hole.
I don’t know about you but it took me 4 days to write just one resume,i’m trying to make it as perfect as possible and I treat each job like as if it’s my only career choice.
So i’m only applying for one at a time and if there’s no answer I try and search for another one.

What I’m trying to say is that an HR can look for 2-3 minutes at a resume,if I’m dedicating so much of my time.
I also don’t understand why some companies don’t take people based on their willing to work and not just their experience.

Experience is great if you’re doing the same thing over and over again but in creative industries like film and computer games for example, it takes more than experience it takes vision.

Steven spileberg didn’t had any experince in cinema when he started working on his early TV shows and movies,he just had a passion a good work ethic and a talent.
The same thing goes for early car manufacturers like Ferrari and Ford,and the first game designers.

it’s hard to know what one’s abilities are until he starts to work,and it’s hard to judge someone’s work ethic from previous jobs you need to judge him by him actually working for you.

As it was sadly proven by the recent financial crisis the current hiring methods and work ethics aren’t as best as they could be.
why not give anyone who applys for a jobs a chance? and Interview first hand than the resume?]

It’s not hard today with all the messanging programs and video chat,you can give 5-10 minutes to each applicant and read the resume afterwards.
If HR have trouble with the amount of people who they need to respond to hire more HR people ,there are more than enough who have lost their jobs and are ready to work.

By: Jeff Bruno

Jeff Bruno — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 22:06:03 +0000

Thank you for writing this, it looks like more than one person can relate. I can think of at least a dozen positions/recruiters I would like to send this to.
One other thing that really burns me: the recruiters who have spelling and gramatical errors in their posts. Very difficult to refrain from pointing them out when sending an application that I know they won’t take the time to read. It’s such a double standard!
Great Job and good luck!
Jeff

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 09:20:35 +0000

Hey Jessica,
Very well said, most of us can so much relate to it and the best part is that a healthy conversation has been started between recruiters and job-seekers! Now, after so many comments I realize that there can be a spot where recruiters and job-seekers can agree and sort out this problem or at least try to do so.
As Bill suggested few methods to recruiters for short listing the candidates more efficiently, I would add to it and talk about talent assessment techniques which are very helpful. We at HireLabs shortlist candidates using our ProfileSense talent assessment system. Using this or similar systems, recruiters can quickly find the most suited candidate for a given job and then they have more time and end up with better qualified and appropriate employees.
I am sure it will work in the favor of both, recruiters as well as the job seekers. Good luck to all!!

By: Jessica Howell

Jessica Howell — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 02:30:51 +0000

Elias – Great change, and I’m sure it’s appreciated.

I think this discussion is healthy and helpful to both sides. I’ve certainly gotten perspective I hadn’t before. I hope sharing my frustration in such a public helps somehow.

By: Seattle Career Coach Examiner

Seattle Career Coach Examiner — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 23:22:37 +0000

This post really hits the spot. I hear this from clients all the time. “I’ve sent hundreds of resumes and haven’t heard a word.” As a practical exercise I occasionally submit resumes to test my skills. I have used job boards, etc. and the story is the same. Many times there is no response or acknowledgment. Of course, I always instruct clients to contact the employer on a date and time specified in their cover letter to “make sure you have received my resume and cover letter…” I suspect that some of the “bad manners” may result from lost resumes so better safe than sorry.

By: WILLIAM CADENILLA

WILLIAM CADENILLA — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 04:52:13 +0000

We all have the same experiences and I know first hand how frustrating this is. Early this year I read a book “Getting Started in Consulting,” and believe that a job seeker should apply some business development strategies traditionally applied by real consultants.

In my point of view, the most compelling strategy to me is reaching out to “gatekeepers”. I’m not talking about HR managers or recruiters. I’m not talking about the person who decides who gets hired. These persons are the decision makers – usually the person or one of the people you meet after talking to a recruiter or HR managers. For example, if you’re looking for a job as an attorney forward your cover letter and resume directly to the hiring partner or the partner of the practice you want to work on. Note that HR managers and recruiters, in my opinion, are mostly coordinators of the employee hiring process and do not ultimately decides who gets the job.

This strategy worked for some of my friends, and it could work for you, too.

By: Elias

Elias — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 14:10:14 +0000

Not sure if anyone is following this thread anymore, but I thought I’d chime in, one last time. I do understand the frustration job seekers have. Monster and CareerBuilder allow you to create auto-response letters, and because of this conversation, I did create a new letter. This letter is used for jobs that are still open, but the client is not accepting resumes. So now, if you apply for one of those jobs with me, at least you’ll get an auto-notify letter that gives you the up front explanation.

It IS good to have healthy discussion between recruiters and job seekers, and I know I’m not the only recruiter who’d like to be more communicative with all job seekers.

Elias
ecobb@acgii.com

By: Michaela

Michaela — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 15:57:59 +0000

It’s great to know that recruiters think of job seekers as “not intelligent enough”. What’s really interesting is that each one of you recruiters is making excuses for your own bad behavior. Like Jessica said, all job seekers would like is some respect.
Is it really an issue of your precious time? If so what about seekers who prep and take their time to go speak to a recruiter who has called them in only to never hear anything back? Is that what you call good business practice? Nobody is asking you to respond to each job seeker individually. No job seeker is asking to you to be “miracle workers”. If a job seeker submits a resume and has every skill the job description states and is spot on with years experience what makes them unqualified or not intelligent enough?
My daughter went to a recruiter -paid them big bucks- to have them look over her resume and suggest changes that could be made. She also got advice on how to write a cover letter to present herself to a recruiter either by phone or a one-on-one interview. This is a recruiter who specializes in finding jobs for my daughter’s particular field. The same recruiter told her she has “several clients” that were interested in talking to her and she would be hearing from her in the next couple of days. Her resume fit the job descriptions that said recruiter helped write to make sure she was a good fit for the jobs she was well qualified to fill. She never heard from them ever again. Her emails and phone calls were never returned. My daughter is well educated and has plenty of experience to fill jobs posted. Does she think that just by pressing “apply” she will magically get the call or “email” her way into a job? Absolutely not. Does she want to know what it takes to get a response back after spending time interviewing? Absolutely. You recruiters say a job seeker will be contacted if they qualify but what if they are qualified, take the time and money to be counseled in order to get noticed and then get treated as if they aren’t intelligent enough? What is so unrealistic about that? Perhaps this forum would be better served if you would teach job seekers how to play your games.
Go ahead, call me bitter! The fact is that I am perplexed as to how recruiters can justify actions and blame the seekers for being stupid when they are following the advice you give as a professional/expert in your field. I will pass along to her your good wishes in her job search.

By: Rafael

Rafael — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 13:58:08 +0000

I remember hunting for jobs on the web in the 90’s. If I didn’t get a call, I assumed I wasn’t going to get an interview. So what? That never kept me up at night. I guess it’s nice to hear that you have not been selected but if you don’t get a call back, is it not reasonable to assume you won’t be getting an offer? As a job seeker, I am also going to play both sides of the fences too, take the best offer, hold my cards close to the vest, grab the next vine before letting go of the last etc. Flip the situation for a minute. Are job seekers truthful with employers that are interested in them when they are not in the least interested in the job and are just going through the motions? Job seekers are white liars too, they continue holding out for the best offer all the while telling employers how interested they are when in fact they are NOT! It goes both ways. Candidates with less marketable skills however inevitably feel this supply and demand process is more frustrating and for them it is more frustrating because they have less leverage but it’s still a two way street whether you realize it or not.

By: CLP

CLP — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 13:06:04 +0000

“Michaela” – speaking with over 1000 recruiters? If you want results perhaps that’s a good place to start.

“Nate” – You are completely off base. I am tasked with presenting my client with the most highly qualified candidates as quickly and efficiently as possible. This takes a lot of time and effort. Contrary to Michalea’s contention, I take a inordinate amount of time writing detailed/accurate/real job descriptions. If you are qualified I will contact you…it’s what I do for a living and puts food on my table. I simply don’t have the time to respond to every candidate who doesn’t read the job description and simply hits [apply] in the hopes that I am some miracle worker.

“Laurel” – your response to Michaela is spot on…well done.

“Sashi” – I have no idea what you’re asking. Sorry. If it is for resume or career advise, there are others who provide those services for a fee.