In today’s fast-paced job market, recruiters play an integral role in the recruitment and selection process. They provide invaluable hands-on support to employers in filtering the vast talent pool to identify suitable candidates for vacancies. At the same time, their “insider-knowledge” of industries and the business leaders who make decisions is critical for jobseekers to gain access to.
However, it is this access that frustrates most jobseekers. Ask any jobseeker and they will freely share their negative experiences trying to get hold of recruiters to speak to them. They will talk about “the wall of disconnect” – the gatekeepers (receptionists) who guard the communication lines; the numerous messages left to return calls; and the unhelpful administration processes that seem to differ agency to agency.
I can completely empathise with what jobseekers go through. During my many counselling meetings, I have assisted clients make phone calls in the hope of building their confidence to follow up their applications. It is a crucial part of the jobsearch / jobseeking game. To then experience firsthand “the wall of disconnect” is overwhelming for many of my clients.
At the same time, as a former recruiter, I have a full understanding and appreciation of the daily grind today’s recruiters go through to make jobs fall into place and what it personally takes to achieve performance targets month in, month out.
Equipped with an intimate appreciation of both sides of “the wall” I have thought about what I could write to assist recruiters in their role by putting together a list of things jobseekers can do to get their attention. Believe me when I say this- recruiters are extremely busy people, so getting their attention falls on the shoulders of individual jobseekers. So here are my top 7 tips:
- Timing is everything: In my Twitter account, I am constantly reminding my followers which days are the best days to apply for jobs. For me, the best time to apply for jobs and send out applications is Sunday night. This is because recruiters return to work on Monday. Emailing applications on the last day of the weekend increases the chances of them being within the “optimum” viewing section of a recruiter’s work email. Trust me when I say this: recruiters do not have time to read through every emailed application so timing when applications are sent is actually very practical.
- Effective jobsearch routines are central to interview potential: The traditional pillars of “parachute” jobsearching (make jobsearching a full time job) no longer apply in today’s job market. The efficiency rate / ratio of actual phone calls to sent applications would be explicitly low if jobseekers simply just applied to jobs without following up. It would be a complete waste of time and energy. My suggested routine for jobsearching, carrying on from Tip One, is the “3-3-1 Rule.” Put simply: 3 days of sending applications (Sunday night, Tuesday night, Thursday night); 3 days of following up sent applications during business hours (Monday, Wednesday and Friday); and finally one day (Saturday) purely for window shopping for vacancies and / or preparing applications to be emailed Sunday night. This routine is effective because it efficiently sets a focus each day.
- Applications are advertisements: Let’s get this straight- a recruiter would only criticise a résumé’s format because it is unclear about what direction or specialisation it is trying to promote. The golden rule of résumés is to make it interesting enough so recruiters actually want to read it. The onus lies on the jobseeker to prepare documents that respond to the selection criteria. Recruiters have it hard already by having to read so many different application formats. Filtering through these and having to decipher content is a pain. Most recruiters would agree with me when I say reading résumés is not a task that they look forward to. So focus only on what the advertisement says. Period.
- Be seen and heard: Assuming you already have a LinkedIn account, you need to advertise on your profile you are keen to talk to recruiters to discuss vacancies. Many recruiters today rely on LinkedIn as a reliable resourcing tool to identify, verify, authenticate and filter talent. If a jobseeker isn’t on it, then questions can be raised about their true status, employment, credentials and currency in the job market. Having endorsements and recommendations, being part of associations and following them; connecting with as many peers as possible, are viable ways to get the right attention. Even when I am sleeping my LinkedIn account is working for me, so imagine the potential if a jobseeker spends quality time in making their own profile attractive to recruiters. Please note- if you do have a LinkedIn account it should mentioned be on your résumé.
- Be locally engaged: When I practise following up applications with clients, we do role plays and run through what words and phrases they can use. Culturally speaking, to many of my migrant jobseekers, being linguistically assertive is not something that comes naturally. This makes practice necessary. I make it a priority to focus on a jobseeker’s lifestyles, hobbies, interests and life choices. It is imperative for me to ensure they are ready to engage in discussions about the weekend, the weather, football, current affairs, and popular culture at the drop of a hat. This is what makes them interesting enough for recruiters to see beyond their accents to engage in a phone interview.
- Phone scripts are useful: The “wall of disconnect” does exist. However, there are ways to overcome it. I encourage jobseekers to plan what they intend to say on the phone if they do get through to their intended target versus not getting through. Not getting through includes the contingency plans (what to say) that need to be implemented to not sound like a business amateur on the phone. If a jobseeker gets through, then it is about getting straight to the point and asking two questions: (1)- if they have received the application and if they have read it?; and (2)- is there anything specific they are looking for in the perfect candidate? The focus of these questions is to lead the recruiter to engage in a discussion about the jobseeker’s credentials. If this occurs, this is the beginning of a phone interview. Now if a person doesn’t get through to the specific recruiter then hope is not lost. Leave a message with the person on the phone, but most critically tell them that if they haven’t heard back from the said recruiter by the end of the day or the next day they will call again (name a time). I call this “the anchor”- Leaving a message with a defined time anchor allows for tacit consent for another call to be made if needed.
- Real time messaging works: As mentioned before, LinkedIn is a reliable resourcing tool used by recruiters. Knowing this, jobseekers can use LinkedIn to initiate an alternative form of contact to overcome the “wall of disconnect” with recruiters. In my career counselling sessions with jobseekers I have found many of them have had greater success communicating via LinkedIn rather than just making a phone call alone to follow up a sent application. LinkedIn’s messaging service is a great real-time communication facility that allows jobseekers (once a connection invitation is accepted with the specific recruiter) to have a conversation. Furthermore, recruiters can readily use a jobseeker’s online profile to make a real-time assessment of their suitability for a vacancy.
In a perfect world, recruiters would get back to every applicant and advise them of why they did or didn’t get through to the next stage. In business terms (in reality), this is impossible based on the tight deadlines and magnitude of administrative and account management work that needs to take place each and every day. Some recruiters have resorted to putting at the bottom of advertisements courtesy messages / disclaimers that pretty much say “don’t call us, we’ll call you.” While it might sound unprofessional to out the truth, it is necessary to remind us all that there simply aren’t enough hours during a work day to get to every applicant.
Based on this honest revelation, my suggested tips are designed to assist jobseekers get the right attention. As simple as they are, they are life-changing. I know this because I have seen them work firsthand. I believe if aspiration matters to a jobseeker they need to put their fate into their own hands to make opportunities happen. Ultimately, it all starts off by making a conscientious effort to connect and engage others and using these relationships as leverage to gain access to exclusive opportunities. Thus, I look forward to accepting your LinkedIn invitation.
