Here's What Recruiters Actually Do

What do recruiters do all day? Are they just letting robots read resumes? Do they already have their minds made up before a job posting goes up? Well, we got all the answers to those questions on the latest episode of Get Hired with Andrew Seaman from Eddiana Rosen?? who is an interview coach with a background in HR and recruiting. In this episode, Eddiana tells us about all the types of recruiters, how they select diverse candidates, and how they narrow down a candidate among many options.

You can read a transcript of the discussion below. You can listen to the show above or on Apple Podcasts by clicking here.

TRANSCRIPT: Here's What Recruiters Actually Do

Andrew Seaman: Recruiters are often seen as gatekeepers to employers. In many ways they are, but it's so much more complicated than simply deciding who does and does not get a chance to impress the hiring manager. We're talking all about it on today's episode. From LinkedIn News, this is Get Hired, a podcast for the ups and downs and the ever-changing landscape of our professional lives. I'm Andrew Seaman, LinkedIn's senior managing editor for jobs and career development, bringing you conversations with experts who, like me, want to see you succeed at work, at home, and everywhere in between. So one of my favorite reviews for this show on Apple Podcast is a one star and it's titled Total Show. Yep. They called me a show. Why did they call me a show? Well, I interviewed a recruiter, and in the words of the reviewer, whose name is apparently Don't Get Ripped Off 123, quote, "The guest was obviously giving a bunch of lies and the host just went along with it," end quote.

I don't like this review because it drops our average rating, but I do kind of like it because it shows how much misinformation there is about the recruiting profession. Honestly, recruiters are often in a tough spot. First, they're usually caught between the hiring manager and a bunch of job applicants. Then they also have to abide by their company's rules about feedback. Of course, there are always just some bad eggs like any profession, which ends up giving a lot of recruiters a bad rep. So today, we're talking with Eddiana Rosen, who's an experienced recruiter, HR specialist and interview coach. Buckle up as we learn what happens behind the curtain of recruiting and how you can use these tips to your advantage during your job search. First up, what does a recruiter do? Here's Eddiana.

Eddiana Rosen: I, the recruiter, essentially goes out there in the job market to find the right candidate for it, and so that's how I start building relationships, reaching out, looking at LinkedIn profiles, and then essentially get them to talk to us and potentially even having to apply. We essentially build out those job descriptions in conjunction with the hiring managers to have people actively apply, but we also look for candidates who might not know that those job descriptions exist and we find them.

Andrew: Basically, so you have people that are coming to you because they saw the job description and they're applying, but then you may also go out and say, "Okay, well I might be able to find a few candidates on my own," and then for something like that, and listeners, they may not know this, but there's a backend to LinkedIn for recruiters and basically you can type in someone's specialty, certain skills and that'll bring up a list of people that meet those qualifications and you could start reaching out to those people and say, "Hey, are you interested in this role?" Right?

Eddiana: That is correct. So there's actually two different pipelines that we take a look at as recruiters, and that's also going to depend on how big the organization is because some organization have a whole team of recruiters and they also have a team of sourcers. They work with recruiters and their whole job is to find passive candidates. So essentially, they also utilize LinkedIn Recruiter on the backend to heavily search for people who might not have already applied for that job and utilize keywords. Let's say that, for example, you're looking for a marketing specialist and they are on LinkedIn and they have not applied for any jobs. They're essentially already employed and they have no idea that this job has existed. It probably just posted maybe two hours ago, and a sourcer is essentially diligently looking for this person on the backend and putting keywords like email marketing, CRMs, copywriting, things like that.

And if you as the passive job seeker has those keywords on your profile, you're most likely going to pop up on the search, and so that sourcer is going to reach out to you, say, "Hey, I think that your background matches, and will you be willing to jump on a call with me?" Now, those are for organizations that are bigger, Fortune 100 companies or the big names. Now if we have a smaller company, the recruiter is probably going to be a one-man show, and so we act as all the list of the responsibilities that I mentioned in the beginning. So I'm so happy that you talked about the LinkedIn Recruiting piece because that's what I love the most because most of the time when I've been successful at finding candidates and placing candidates for these roles, most of the time have been candidates that did not apply for the role. Specifically, when I'm looking for niche positions or positions that are specific, LinkedIn works to have a very optimized profile so that I can essentially find them through the backend when I'm looking for them as a recruiter.

Andrew: Yeah, and a lot of those people, because they are niche and maybe sought after for other roles, they're not always looking that hard because they tend to be treated pretty nicely by their employer. They have usually higher salaries. They get really nice benefits. They're taken care, so a lot of times, they're not actively looking and you have to go actually get them, right?

Eddiana: Absolutely. I'm essentially putting myself at risk, the rejection of them saying, "Why are you reaching out? I'm already employed at a pretty big company. I'm not interested," but that's the people that we want because most likely they already understand the industry. They're already working for a competitor most of the time, and they most likely have very transferable skills to the role that I want to fill. The reason why I'm mentioning that is because recruiters unfortunately have garnered a very negative reputation. We want you to get the job. When we're bringing you into an interview, we want you to do well, but something else that you have to remember is put yourself in the shoes of the recruiter. Essentially, the job of the recruiter is to fill the job, and our reputation essentially is to make our hiring managers happy. The hiring manager is going to essentially have a position to fill and they're going to be the ones essentially working day to day with this person.

Also, with that being said, I do also want to make clear that it is our jobs as recruiters to advocate for candidates that sometimes do come from under-represented backgrounds. There's also untraditional backgrounds that might not essentially check all the boxes on paper, but we do believe that they could have those transferable skills that might not be as obvious right away. So it is our job, and I think that companies are doing much better at this. It's to train recruiters to tie in that gap because sometimes it's not as obvious on resumes, and I think it's very important for recruiters to be advocates for these people to essentially tell the hiring manager, "Hey, it might not be as obvious that they could do the job, but let's give them a chance."

Andrew: And also with recruiters now, it's on them to make sure that there are diverse slates of candidates. So I know the companies that I've worked for, interviews did not start until the recruiter went out and said, "Okay, I found five really great candidates that are qualified and they all come from different backgrounds," to make sure that everyone was getting sort of an equal shot and you're not just going to the same well, right?

Eddiana: Absolutely. It also speaks to why recruiters right now are more a vital piece of creating a recruiting strategy. We need to come prepared to the table and ask difficult questions. If a manager tells me, "I want only candidates that come from this university," it's our job as recruiters to question that. And I think that we need to take that responsibility as recruiters to essentially have a diversified pipeline to bring to the table. I think it's very important for recruiters to make themselves a little bit more of a strategic partner with hiring managers, with everybody involved in the hiring process in the organization as a whole to make sure that we do have a very representative pipeline.

Andrew: We'll be right back after this break.

Andrew: We're back with Eddiana Rosen, talking about what a recruiter does. I want to also go back to the idea of people applying for roles because you mentioned that a lot of the people that you place end up being passive candidates, but obviously, there are a lot of people who apply for jobs and they really want a job. They really want to work for a certain company, so they stretch and hope that they'll be able to get an interview. So for people who are listening, I think it's always really important for them to know that there's so many variables that need to align for someone to get a job. I know it varies by company, but for people who apply, what should they know about what happens once they hit the apply button?

Eddiana: I'm going to speak for my own experience. I've been in various industries and I've myself worked behind at least five applicant tracking systems. And I am here to tell you that there is not a single applicant tracking system that I've been a part of that is actually auto-rejecting any type of resumes or candidates. And with that, there's a caveat. People say, "Well, what about when I get literally rejected right away when I apply?" The answer to that is there's actual knockout questions that we do put into place and essentially think of, "If this, then that," and it's an actual person essentially creating questions to make us understand that, let's say, if you don't live in this particular area, then we're not considering you. That's a knockout question that we immediately disqualify you from continuing. That's essentially not the applicant tracking system. It's really a human predisposing the applicant tracking system saying, "If this, then that."

Now when it comes to the question, "Are we reviewing the resumes?" Yes, we are. Legally, we have to. Before we reject anyone, we have to take a look at the application. And the reason for that is because we have to make sure that we are not introducing any type of discrimination or biases into our hiring processes and we are essentially rejecting people who are not qualified for the job and that we are evaluating people who are qualified for the job, which is why sometimes it takes so long for you to hear back from companies because right now the ratio per application is anywhere between 250 to 500 applicants per one job posting. So that's one recruiter taking a look at an average of 500 people applying. Now, when it comes to what happens when you apply and it's going to vary per company, what happens is that if you are qualified for the job, there's probably many other people who are as well.

There's a little bit of luck introduced to that and also timing. How soon do you apply for the job since it was posted? How quickly is the company willing to move on that role? So let's say that you were number 499 and there are 500 applicants, and there were the first 20 people that applied and 15 of them were actually qualified, you're most likely not going to be interviewed because even if you were actually reviewed, most likely those 15 first candidates that applied are already in the second or third round of interviews that are being evaluated. So timing is going to be critical. Of course, qualifications are going to be critical, and if you are shooting your shot, just be honest with yourself and essentially ask yourself, "Am I actually qualified to do this job? Am I going to do it well and am I applying on time to do the role?"

Andrew: Yes, definitely. I think that's always the most important thing is a lot of people, they think, "Oh, just go for it," and it's fine to do that if maybe you're 70% there on qualifications, but if you're 50% there, that's probably not going to get you across that finish line. You really need to bring competitive skills, so you have to assume that you're competing against people with 80, 90% of those skills, and if you have 70, there's a chance. Maybe you'll get an interview and you'll be able to wow them and really make your case, but if you have 50% of what they need that someone's bringing 90%, that is a really big gap to make up for.

So the basic question is always, "Can you actually do the job?" So I really appreciate that. The next question I wanted to ask, and this is something that I always am surprised about on LinkedIn, is that people say, "Oh, you have to find a recruiter to work with if you're job searching." I always tell people, "It's okay to be in touch with some recruiters, but their job is actually to find people for companies, not to help job seekers, right?

Eddiana: Yes. I actually made a video about this and people were very upset at the answer, and again, it's going to depend of how big the company is as well, but the bigger the company, the harder it's going to be for people to get in touch with recruiters and to even establish that relationship. Because again, as I mentioned, we are taking a look at the ratio of one recruiter versus 250 applicants up to 500 applicants. So just think about if your-

Andrew: And that's just one role.

Eddiana: Right. Exactly. And sometimes we are... I was managing upwards to 15 roles sometimes for senior candidates. And so think about that for a second. If it's just you sending one message, our inboxes are just inundated with people, very generic messages all the time. "Hey, I applied for this role. I think I'm qualified. Can you talk to me?" So I think your better luck is with somebody else in the organization that probably is already doing the role that you want. Maybe somebody a little bit more senior. Try to establish some rapport. And again, just think about a job searching strategy that you're not in a desperate position where you're just reaching out to somebody when you need something from them or when you're just applying for the role.

But to answer your question directly, it's nice to know somebody that's a recruiter to understand the backend of the processes, to ask questions, but the answer is, "No, you don't need to know a recruiter to get a job." They're not going to guarantee you a job. Their job is to fill a role and their responsibility is to the company, not to the job seekers. Now, if we're talking about recruiters with an agency, that's a different story because they have a different relationship, but we're talking about corporate recruiters. So I am not here to find the job seekers a role. It's the other way around.

Andrew: So if you find an agency recruiter, it's okay to be in their orbit because they're usually getting very random assignments where they'll say, "I need a writer," or, "I need someone to manage my customer service," or something like that. But you're only in luck if they have something that aligns with your skills. So don't just meet a recruiter from an agency and think you're set.

Eddiana: Exactly. I'm never putting all of my eggs in one basket. I'm always just looking from all angles and always putting myself in the shoes of someone else. What is the job of a hiring manager? What is the job of a recruiter? What is the job of that person I'm reaching out to? And it is up to you to get to where you want to go, ask the right questions, connect with the right people, and understand that at the end of the day, it takes time to build meaningful relationships. It's a two-way street. You can want to build a relationship with somebody to just take from them. You need to know how to balance that and know the right timing.

Andrew: Definitely. And what do you think are the top three missteps that job seekers make that you see over and over again?

Eddiana: Not having a strategic resume is going to be number one. Even with all of the resources out there and the templates, there's not one perfect fit all resume, which is something that people misunderstand. Resumes are very personal to people. So really understanding what it is that you do day to day, only you can answer that question. Really understanding what are the metrics, the responsibilities, and the impact that you're making on your job is really going to help you stand out. So what is it exactly that's going to make you stand out and how are you translating that into my organization? So that's one of the missteps that I see, and I can totally tell if that's just a copy paste resume that you're just mass-producing to send to every single job. With that being said, that translates into the second point that I see a lot is the spray and pray method.

I see that a lot. I have been very lucky where every time that I've been in the job searching journey, I usually only apply for anywhere between 10 to 15 jobs. That's it. I don't ever go above that. And I've gotten anywhere between nine to 12 interviews out of those jobs that I applied to because I'm very targeted. And it's going to what you were saying, be very strategic and make sure that you do qualify for those jobs. I've seen people saying that they've applied to 500 jobs in a span of two months. That is not okay, and the spray and pray method does not work. It's just going to essentially affect your mental health and it's just not going to get you anywhere. So that's number two. Number three is not being prepared. So once you finally get that call, the interview process is something that's one of the hardest pieces of the job searching process because it's so personal and a lot of it is out of your control as a job seeker.

But there's certain things that you can control, which is nine out of 10 times, you're going to be asked certain questions, "Tell me about yourself," "Why do you want to work here?", "What are your salary expectations?" "Tell me your weaknesses," "Tell me your strengths." Those are questions that you can definitely and should not be stumped by. And so make sure that you're preparing yourself. I love to use the CAR method, which is circumstances, actions, and results, and make sure that you're essentially coming up with career stories for yourself. What are the things that you have done in your career? And if you are a recent grad or somebody that doesn't have experience, you do have a lot to add.

Any projects that you worked on, any difficult students or classmates or professors that you've had to essentially deal with, think of those things and do an exercise of journaling and dump them all and then put them in the CAR method where you can essentially tell the recruiter what are the things that make you unique, remarkable, and an amazing employee that the reason why they want to hire you. So when you come into the interview process, I want to know more and be comfortable with silence. Sometimes we come into the interview and we're just vomiting at the person and telling them our life story. If they want to know more, they will ask for more, but those are the top three.

Andrew: And I really like what you said for the last point, which is to focus on what you can control. And I think that leads us back because I know people are listening to this and they're thinking, again, about the applicant tracking system. They want to know what magic wording they can put on or how to format the resume, but really you can't control what the applicant tracking system is on the other side. You just need to worry about putting your best foot forward and trusting the process. Right?

Eddiana: Exactly. I couldn't have said it better. The applicant tracking system is simply a electronic filing cabinet that makes things easier for us to find information. That is it. So essentially when you apply what we do, and also what they do is parse information, but applicant tracking systems, essentially what they do is that when you are an applicant and you happen to apply for a job that had 500 applicants and you didn't make it, but two months later a new job comes up and a recruiter say, "Hey, I noticed that you applied for a job two months ago and we didn't get to speak, but a new role has opened up. I came across your application." That's how that happens. Your information is already in that applicant tracking system and through searches or just your name popped up, or I went back to the old application and I saw people that essentially could potentially be qualified for the new role I opened. Instead of us posting a new role, I go to the old applicants that were already sitting in that old application, and that's just essentially what the applicant tracking system is.

Andrew: And also, what I always tell people is even though they don't know it, as a job seeker, you're actually interacting with the applicant tracking system because when you're going in and you're putting in your name, you're uploading your resume, and then you're going in and fixing everything that it tries to pull out for your experience and stuff, I know that's a pain point for people, and then you answer, like you said, those questions or it says, "Are you eligible to work in the U.S.? Are you eligible for this certification or whatever?" That's all the applicant tracking system, and then when you hit submit, it all goes into the recruiter's Excel spreadsheet or whatever their system looks like. And even though a job seeker doesn't know it, they've actually been working with the applicant tracking system by entering all that information in there.

Eddiana: That's correct. But it's very important too, when it comes to the applicant tracking system, the hiring process, that if you do want to uncover what goes on behind the scenes, just take advantage of the people who are creating content who do have a background in the hiring process, who are actually recruiters. Because we're not out here to get you. We're essentially here to educate you because our jobs is to essentially place good people with our companies because my success at placing good people with the company, that's essentially how I succeed as a recruiter. So please do believe us when we do say what we say.

Andrew: And is there anything else that you would like to add that maybe we didn't talk about?

Eddiana: I think sometimes people wait until the last minute, and I think it's very important to take charge of your career. And one of the things that I love is understand that your career is just one aspect of your life. There's so many other things happening, and you should listen to your inner body and to your inner mind of what else is important in your life. I know that there's a lot of buzz going around of, "What's happening?" And, "Am I going to lose my job? I need a new role. I don't make enough money," but also understand what makes you you, because sometimes that's what's really going to make you stand out. And sometimes you think, "Oh, that's silly, but that's what makes you remarkable."

And LinkedIn, that's something that has changed my life so much, of connecting with people, and that's essentially what has given me access to so many amazing professionals and other people that have brought in the remarkable things in me. I think it's important to essentially take charge of that. Instead of waiting for recruiters to come to you or jobs to appear, take charge that way. How do you want people to see you? How do you want your work ethic to appear, and how do you want people to talk about you when you're not in the room? So start by doing that, whether it's a creative outlet that you want to start doing on the side, and not just identifying yourself with your title and your company, but who you are as a person.

Andrew: Yeah. Because it's all adding to why, like you said, you're remarkable. It all adds into the mix of what makes you special and unique, so I think that's a really wonderful note to end on.

Eddiana: Absolutely.

Andrew: Well, thank you so much for joining us.

Eddiana: Thank you for having me. This was a blast.

Andrew: That was Eddiana Rosen, an experienced recruiter, HR expert, and interview coach. Remember, it's up to you to put our advice into practice. Still, you always have a community backing you up and cheering you on. Connect with me and the Get Hired community on LinkedIn to continue this conversation. Also, if you like this episode, please leave us a rating on Apple Podcast. It helps people like you find the show. And don't forget to click that follow, subscribe, or whatever other button you find to get our podcast delivered to you every Wednesday because we'll be continuing these conversations on the next episode right here, wherever you like to listen.

Get Hired is a production of LinkedIn News. This episode was produced by Alexis Ramdaou, Rafa Farihah is our associate producer, Assaf Gidron engineered our show, Joe DiGiorgi mixed our show. Dave Pond is head of news production. Enrique Montalvo is our executive producer. Courtney Coupe is head of original programming at LinkedIn. Dan Roth is the editor in chief of LinkedIn. And I'm Andrew Seaman. Until next time, stay well and best of luck.