Article: How to Work with Executive Recruiters

How to Work with Executive Recruiters
A step-by-step guide on how job seekers can work effectively with
executive recruiters.
Elizabeth Bennett
You met with a recruiter, but now she’s not responding to your
e-mails. Maybe your background is perfect but you don’t make it past
the phone screen. How could it be that you’re “not a good fit” when
you’re so clearly made for the position?

TheLadders spoke with several current and former third-party
recruiters, as well as job seekers, to learn more about the nuts and
bolts of the process of working with a recruiter.

Job hunters tend to view recruiters as an unfortunate necessity in the
search process, regarding them as the people who don’t respond and
don’t really know what the hiring company is looking for.

It turns out that many job seekers have misconceptions about the most
basic role of a recruiter. “They don’t understand that we don’t work
for them,” said Greg Bennett, a headhunter at the Mergis Group in Cary,
N.C. “We work for the client” — the hiring company.

In this Package:

Why Employers Use Executive Recruiters
Your Role - And The Recruiter’s
Five Ways to Make Your Recruiter’s Job Easier
Three Lessons I Learned from Executive Recruiters

Download this Package as a PDF document.Below are some typical
scenarios in which job seekers may20find themselves. We asked the
recruiters what’s happening at their end.

Scenario One: You think you’re a perfect fit for the position, yet the
recruiter isn’t responding to your application or your follow-up calls
and e-mails. Potential red flags may include:

You’re not qualified for the job.

Like it or not, your work experience may not fit the bill. It could be
that the hiring company is looking for 10 years of sales experience and
that your 15 years in sales is not attractive. It’s also possible that
you didn’t read the posting closely, or at all. “When a job seeker
ignores certain stipulations such as a listing that requests local
candidates only or has degree requirements that don’t match, it becomes
evident that they are answering postings without reading them,” said
Sherry Brickman, a partner at Martin Partners, a retained search firm
in Chicago. “This is a waste of time for everyone involved as well as
frustrating for a recruiter.”
You’re a good fit but not an ideal fit.

“[Third-party recruiting] agencies get paid a lot of money to find
people that a corporation in need of staff can’t,” according to Michael
Rosenberg, manager of sales, productivity and performance at
TheLadders. “And with a 15 to 25 percent fee going to the recruiter,
corporations want to make sure they hire the exact right person.9
D In
plenty of cases, almost isn’t good enough, especially now that
recruiters are pulling from a larger applicant pool.
Your recruiter — or the hiring company — isn’t effectively
communicating the job specifications.

Sometimes recruiters aren’t able effectively to express what their
client is looking for, a result of their own limitations or their
client’s lack of specificity. The larger the organization, the more red
tape there is, according to Rosenberg.
Your e-mail subject line could be slowing down the process.

Effective subject lines in e-mails should reference the position you’re
applying for, rather than “Hello” or “Intro,” Rosenberg said. If a
recruiter is sorting through hundreds of e-mails a day, it makes her
life easier if she receives a cue about the contents of the e-mail.
Your resume may not be conveying your story at a glance.

With so little time to devote to each resume, make it easy for
recruiters to find what they’re looking for: your last employer and
position, your tenure there, and the three most relevant bullet points
based on the job you’re applying for. If a quick scan doesn’t yield a
compelling career narrative, Rosenberg said it’s possible that your
application will never make it beyond the inbox.
Misspellings of any kind turn off some recruiters.

Typos may leave the impression that you don’t pay20attention to details.
Double- and triple-check your cover letter and resume. Better still,
have someone with an eye for detail proof it.
A generic cover letter could be your undoing.

Recruiters may read the lack of specificity as lazy and/or uncaring,
Rosenberg said. Tailor each letter to the particular company, industry
and position to which you’re applying.
Superlatives may be getting in your way.

For instance, calling yourself the “best” or “greatest” CPA without
supporting evidence can be perceived as cocky. “It suggests the job
seeker is way too sure of himself and may be tough to work for,”
Rosenberg observed. “A recruiter could build a story in their head
before they even get you on the phone.”
What can you do? Not much if you’re not qualified, but applying for a
specific job and making sure that you’ve dotted all your “I’s” and
customized your cover letter will at least ensure you’re getting the
attention you deserve.

Scenario Two: You didn’t make it past the recruiter’s phone screener.

Your general attitude could be a mismatch with the hiring company.

For instance, your professional- yet-serious demeanor may not work in a
setting where a sense of lightness and humor is considered a priority
for managers, said Harold Laslo, a staffing specialist at the Aldan
Troy Group in New York. Don’t tak
e it personally. The longer a
recruiter has worked with the hiring company, the better he’s able to
evaluate your candidacy.
You didn’t listen to the questions.

During phone screens and interviews, less is often more. Whether the
cause is nervousness, self-absorption or other limitations, candidates
sometimes provide far more information than a question warrants,
according to Marian Rich, a recruiter with Bonell Ryan, a retained
search firm in New York. Rich said she often asks candidates to give a
quick overview of their careers, probing for details later in the
process. “I'm always dismayed at how many candidates launch into an
in-depth and very lengthy response,” Rich said. “It can put me off and
will certainly raise the question of whether or not this candidate will
interview well with a client.”
What can you do? Follow up with the recruiter to ask her why you’re not
a good fit. She should be able to provide a concrete reason. If she can
do that — and you trust her assessment — let her know you’d like to be
considered for future positions.

Scenario Three: You met the recruiter in person, but now he doesn’t
think you’re right for the job.

Your work style may not be suited to the position.

For example, the recruiter may determine that you thrive in structured
work settings, but the hiring company is looking for someone who =0
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functions best in an unstructured environment. Once again, recruiters
who have placed candidates with the hiring company have a good sense of
who would succeed there. It is well within a job seeker’s rights to ask
how long the recruiter has worked with a certain company, said Laslo of
Aldan Troy.
Your personality may not be a match for certain company or department
cultures.

For instance, you may think your ambition and assertive personality
could only be an asset, but it could signal potential challenges at
some firms. “If a candidate has career aspirations and I pick up that
they may not have patience before they see advancement or will be
badgering HR in regards to advancement, they may not be right for
certain companies,” Laslo said, adding that small companies tend to be
more focused on personality than large ones.
What can you do? Talk to your recruiter and find out exactly why you’re
no longer in the running. Gather as much information as you can and ask
if there’s anything about your personal performance that you could
improve.

Career Advice from TheLadders

How to Work with a Recruiter
Recruiter Relationships: Job Search Essentials
Working with a Recruiter in a Buyer’s Market
Credibility with Your Recruiter

Scenario Four: The recruiter is being vague about why the hiring
company doesn’t want to proceed with your application.

She may not have=2
0all the information.

Recruiters agree that at each point in the application process your
recruiter should be able to cite specific reasons why she (or the
hiring company) doesn’t think you’re a suitable candidate for the job.
But recruiters don’t always have that information if the hiring company
is reticent to disclose it for legal or other reasons, said Rosenberg.
She may be reluctant to talk about personal quirks.

If the hiring company is troubled by your lack of personal hygiene, for
example, the recruiter may withhold the information if she thinks it’s
not constructive.
What can you do? Strike a friendly tone when probing for details. Help
the recruiter understand that you value his feedback and would
appreciate any information he’s able to supply.