What’s the Recruiter’s Job?

Last week I was asked by a client what was the difference between recruiters and head hunters and if there was a way that she could get a recruiter to help her finding a job. Well, it is not very often I get this question but she has not been the only one to ask this.

There are corporate recruiters and third party recruiters. The first ones are those hired by the hiring organization to do recruiting for them in full time basis while third party recruiters are subcontracted by a company for the purpose of finding and qualifying potential new employees for the organization. You can have retained recruiters who are paid a portion of their fee upfront with the balance paid when the search is over and contingency recruiters who are paid a fee only if the company hires a candidate discovered through them.

A recruiter does not get back to you after you have applied to that perfect matching job for several reasons but fundamentally because a day happens to have just 8 working hours and there are many vacancies to fill in busy times.

But what do a recruiter’s do for a position (not for you!)?

First, sit with his corporate clients to close the deal on job requirements, budget and timing constraints in filling the position.

Second, he searches for referrals and/or his data base. This is where you want to be. If you have already created and extended a successful network the chances are you get to put yourself in a favorable spot for consideration.

Third, he navigates the Internet. That means he spends time on the web posting his clients’ vacancies at different job sites while checking on the applicants he has already got for the positions he placed out there earlier. Social media is clearly becoming a resource for recruiters to use. Make sure you are visible and have a strong not-to-be-missed profile in a site such as LinkedIn.

Fourth, he’s got to go through a huge pile of pre-qualified applications, resumes forwarded by other recruiters interested in making a split placement while arranging interviews/screening phone calls with those that make the cut. Here’s the thing: Recruiters know that a resume rarely gets you inside a company unless they include a summary of your value that targets the hiring manager's needs. In other words, most resumes leaves it up to employers to figure out how you can add value to their organization and that gets you obviously nowhere closer to your goal. Come ready to bring ideas to the table and clear examples on how you have successfully overcome similar challenges. Research the organization, its culture and if possible, talk to someone already employed there to get some insider’s information.

Fifth, set up interview between the hiring manager and the already screened applicants. On this one, it is literally a blessing to have the luxury of administrative assistants to ‘some times’ do this piece for you. On this piece it is important to notice that a real top notch recruiter will never set you up for an interview unless you are clearly qualified for the job. Most candidates practice an interview forgetting to do what they are going to be measured on: ‘Practice doing the Job’. If your focus is only on what you’ve done and you leave to luck the connectivity between your potential and future added value to the hiring manager then, you’ll be lost in the system.

Sixth, follow up with corporate client and candidate after the interview is over. Consider that there will be likely a minimum of two rounds of interviews, if not three or four, based on the position seniority and other parameters. It is key on this part that candidates remember their business manners. That is what ‘thank you’ notes are for!

Seventh, making reports. Key performance indicators are essential to keep track on the efficiencies and bottle necks related to vacancies to fill and a resource to offer to a potential client when reports probe a high level of satisfaction or a valuable trend to the market.

In conclusion, be clear that a recruiter does not work for you but for the hiring company. It is the company that pays their fees and the one they have to please in order to be paid for their hard work.

Have you eaten your career transition’s frog, yet?

I just watched a short video inspired on the Eat that Frog’s book by Brian Tracy and I couldn’t help relating it to all the frogs most people keep everywhere that drain their energy and stop them to release their full potential and achieve their goal.


The idea behind the book is that by procrastinating what you would prefer not to do your energy switches in a way that prevents you to get the important things done.

These are the most common frogs I’ve seen in my clients that stop them to be at their best and release their full potential to the job market:

1. Networking. Isn’t it true that some of you get extremely uneasy about the whole networking setting? You know there are huge benefits in sharing best practice and extending your network but you still leave it as a last priority finding always a very reasonable excuse not to do it. You even complain your career transition would be over if you only knew those key contacts in the companies you know you are perfect for. The truth? It does not happen overnight, it does not happen if you hide under the blankets of your busy agenda, it does not happen when you stay behind your computer. Now, eat that frog first and select that affinity group you feel most likely aligned to your vision and go for it.

2. Asking for help. I have talked so many times to other entrepreneurs, professionals and executives about this concept. We all get approached by people wanting to meet us but once they are gone, most of the times they have failed to actually ask for what they needed from us to move on. There is a silent expectation that help will be given even if it is not asked for. Well, most of the times that is not the case. So, put that vision together and identify the people that could help contributing to your action plan implementation. The sources of expertise will be very likely flattered by a well structured and professional request. Now, eat that frog!

3. Social Media's active use. I get hired by clients to go through the social media concept, advantages and potential uses in the job search process. Most of them decide to do so after procrastinating it for a long time. They are afraid they will not be good at it and that it will be very difficult for them to get up to speed with what Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter –among others – have to offer to speed up their career transition journey. Eat that frog and go on to start enjoying the benefits social media can offer to get you closer to your vision.

4. A well aligned professional brand. Almost everything can look good on paper, but how to ensure you are selling your unique brand in a resume and not just a format copied from a cheap website? I was having lunch today with a couple of amazing recruiters who mentioned how they get turned off by resumes that contain fancy words not connected to the applicant’s track record. They also stop looking at resumes that provide looong wording sentences with no real meaning, connection or added value to the former employer’s business. Most recruiters who use social media have also found horrifying stories or pictures of those potential candidates for a job not aligned at all with the information given on the application form. Prepare and eat that frog to do your homework in order to sell consistently your Brand at your best with all what it takes!

5. Lack of a clear vision. Any job is not a job. When I get approached on networking events by job seekers with no specific goal I know their chances of succeeding are very low as they are not taking themselves seriously enough to put together a vision to drive them forward. Not having a vision will turn off most of your contacts that will very unlikely refer someone who does not even have a career goal, not enough confidence in selling connected competencies and highlights to the job market; therefore, no exceptional substance to work with. Eat that frog!

6. Grateful and mindful. How many have you forgotten to thank that contact who gave you that key tip for the job you were looking for? It is never too late to be thankful. What goes around comes around. I got recently a very rare thank you note from someone who I met while job transitioning and that after finding his job was thankful enough to e-mail all the people that helped him to be successful on it. That does not happen as often as it should. Eat that frog and show gratitude to your network and give back!

Best Success in your new diet and for those looking for the video here’s the link that I have also placed on my Facebook Career4Change page that you are welcome to visit anytime for a bilingual career coaching experience.

Video’s Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0W7GB5Fh2XM


Career 4 Change Facebook Page:
 http://www.facebook.com/pages/Katy-Texas/Career4Change/353305821256?ref=ts

"Procrastination is opportunity's natural assassin." ~Victor Kiam

Are you committed to your job fulfillment? Are you making a difference?

Have you read the news on Jaime Escalante’s cancer? This is the teacher that inspired the ‘Stand and Deliver’s’ movie. His strong belief on his students’ potential as well as his undefeatable commitment towards his vision generated such a difference in the school in which he taught calculus that the passing rate went from zero to a noticeable higher than Beverly Hill High.


He made the conscious choice of not just doing a job but taking actions to fulfill his vision. His students and the community he belonged to connected to him once he led by example. He did not wait for the school system to change but he generated the change.

What about you? What changes are you 'waiting for'? There are so many reasons not to be happy at work. It may be you are not connected to your company, managers and co-workers but most importantly, are you connected to your own vision and what it takes to get there?

I have a client who jumped from one job after another feeling unfulfilled and unsatisfied at every company she worked for. Once we explored into her inexistent Vision she actually discovered her need for one and we worked together in putting an inspiring vision to guide her through her career development. She re-gained a sense of her ‘wants’ beyond her ‘needs’ and after this realization she was able to stay long enough in a job to grow and get closer to her destination. Was she into her ideal job? Was her manager the best one in class? I don’t think so. But once she had clarity on what she wanted and needed to go through in order to get there, then her whole career took a whole different meaning. It was her choice to grab that career driving wheel.

It was Jaime Escalante’s choice to go beyond the Latino stereotyping proving himself beyond any self-given boundaries and breaking any limitation given to a Bolivian immigrant in the USA.

He now needs our help to help paying for his treatment. He is an icon to the Latino that have come to this country to make a better living adding value to society and generating a significant change in that journey.

Please, click on the link below for further details on how to help and while you do that, then start thinking about how you can generate a change.

http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktla-jaime-escalante-cancer,0,3839418.story

'Do what you can, with what you have, where you are' - Theodore Rooselvelt