Making the Most Out of Recruiter Messages

We have all experienced it. We were happy in our role for a year, two, and now the tides have changed. You're applying every day, but not getting the best responses on Easy Apply alone. You want to expand the search to Recruiters, but you’re not sure which Recruiters can help. You start going through your inbox for contacts, and you come across messages from Recruiters over the past few years.?At that point, you respond.

“Sorry I missed your note, I’d like to learn more about this opportunity”.?

Your reply is dated today, but the original message is from 2 years ago. That job was filled, 2 years ago.?

First and foremost, I've done this too, we all have. You were simply not interested at the time the Recruiter reached out. There is no harm in this, and there’s no reason to harp on that. It’s always been my opinion and the advice given to me by mentors, that you do not owe anyone simply because they appeared before you with a request.

That said, there are ways to be strategic when a Recruiter reaches out, even if there’s nothing you need from them when they do.?

Why should you respond to Recruiters, even if you’re not interested??

This past Saturday, I was at a bonfire with a family member who recently found out their position was eliminated due to an acquisition. They didn’t understand why they weren’t getting interviews if the media was talking about the candidate-driven market. They didn’t get the best responses when “easy applying” at higher volumes.?

I advised them to give themselves a little grace for not finding something right away. Job searching is hard, it’s stressful, and it’s a pendulum of emotions. It’s important to make space for the feelings that come up in difficult situations.

From there, when they were ready for some action items on what I would do in that position, I asked them the following questions:?

Q: Which recruiters have you reached out to?

A:?None. Some have called me but I didn’t like those jobs.?

Q:?Did you ask them if they had other jobs available?

A:?One called me, but I told them I didn’t have the skills for that job and we hung up.?

Q:?Did you send a thank you note asking them when you should follow up or when they will follow up?

A: No, they sent me a thank you note. We already spoke.

Q:?Did you follow/connect on LinkedIn??

A: No.

Q:?What do they recruit for, as in do they have a specialization?

A: I don’t know.?

Q:?(Referring to 5 unanswered Recruiter emails in their inbox) Did you see this and respond??

A: No.

So why did I ask these questions??

You want to have a specific understanding of what the Recruiter does. Calculate the odds of them getting you a job. Then, invest time appropriately.?

Are you a Digital Marketing in CPG looking for roles in Colorado??

Then it doesn’t make sense to connect with a Construction Recruiter in Vermont, and if one reaches out, tell them that explicitly (doesn’t hurt to be nice! They might direct you to a better POC).?

Alternatively, if you come across a Recruiter whose LinkedIn states “Digital Marketing Recruiter / CPG / Colorado” and you don’t respond,?then you are missing a huge opportunity?to get a job through that Recruiter.

Don’t like that job they reached out for? Ok, tell them! Ask them when and how you should follow up or vice versa. Conversely, if a Recruiter is being honest and direct that they cannot help you at all when you reach out, following up and expecting a different outcome isn’t a good use of your time and resources. Move on to someone else.?Put you first.

It is worth mentioning, recruiters are either “agency”, “consultant”, or “in-house”. The type of Recruiter you network with will vary the outcome.?

As an in-house Recruiter with Fetch Rewards, no, I cannot get you a job at another company. That would be an agency recruiter or consultant. I joined this company because I deeply believe in our mission and the employee first culture, and I have committed my time and efforts to building our team through top talent. I can place candidates within Fetch Rewards, serve as an expert for internal growth and opportunity, provide interview prep, market insights, and other recruitment advice, even if candidates don’t end up aligning with our company goals at the time we speak.??

Networking has other benefits too. There are candidates I’ve spoken to who were not a fit for one role but proved to be perfect for another, and we were able to expedite their second process because I had enough information to share with other teams.?

When in doubt of the Recruiter's intentions, specialization, or ability to help you, simply ask.?

Your wants are not easily assumed.?

We're all people with different perspectives and personalities. Recruiters are people, so communicate with them accordingly! I have had candidates who wanted to touch base monthly, quarterly, or annually.?Great, I do that.

I’ve had candidates who wanted the right of refusal for any job that’s remotely close to their skills, and I’ve had others that preferred to be extremely targeted.?I'll filter accordingly.

I’ve had candidates that wanted advice, and I’ve had candidates who were annoyed by advice. Both are fine, but I had no way of knowing before they told me.?

When I’ve asked, “What are your expectations from a recruitment partner like myself”, I’ve had a few candidates laugh and say, “Yeah, well I want a job!”

Sure, I laugh with them, but then I ask them, is it?really?that obvious? Unless you tell me, how do I know:?

• What type of job you're seeking? Do you want to stay in the same field or transition?
• Should I call for remote roles or hybrid? Both??
• When do you want to start??
• How active are you??
• Do you have any vacations coming up that would delay the search??

It’s easy to assume that Recruiters can easily assume, but a bit of direction will set you up for success in converting your recruitment calls into job opportunities.?

How do I make the most out of Recruiter outreach when responding??

I’m not going to speak to the types of messages that Recruiters should send or the volume at which messages should be sent. My purpose here is to help candidates with the reality of the market, and better guide them to career opportunities.?

Let’s say you receive a message like this:?

Hello Name,?

I’m a Marketing Recruiter at Fetch Rewards. We’re hiring a Marketing Director. We offer unlimited PTO, fully remote flexibility, medical benefits, stock options, and more.?

Would you be interested in connecting??

Best,?

Recruiter

Before responding or not responding, consider the following:?

• Am I open to new opportunities?
• What about this job in particular?
• If I’m not open to opportunities, could I be at any point in the future??
• If I made a job switch, what would be important to me? Nice to haves vs. dealbreakers??
• Have I researched the company??Is the company interesting to me??
• Have I reviewed Glassdoor, and if so what are the trends? Have I checked their company in the news? Social media??Does this align with my interests and values??
• What type of Recruiter is this??
• What information would I need from the Recruiter to determine if this job was a fit??
• Based on the Recruiters title or posts, what other jobs do they recruit for??Does this align with my experience?
• If I don’t like this job, is it possible that this Recruiter gets me another job??
• If they can’t connect me to other jobs, is there any general information they can provide me with??

If the answer is yes to any of the bolded questions, you should answer the Recruiter in one form or another. Otherwise, you are missing out on a?free?resource that you can use for your benefit.?

What are the best ways to answer a Recruiter??

Feel free to take the below responses and make them your own.?Ask other Recruiters in the industry, as with more perspectives you'll only improve your messaging.

Example 1 - If you are interested, let them know ASAP, get more info, and get a time on the calendar. This will help you stand out.?

Thanks for reaching out. I’m interested / may be interested. What is the best way to set up a call? Is there information you can send me ahead of time about the role? What can I share with you to help better determine if I’m a good fit for this position??

Example 2 - If you’re not open to new jobs, but might be someday. Be specific. How? When? Why? What for??

Thanks for reaching out. I’m not interested in new opportunities at the moment, but I may be open to Marketing Senior Manager level jobs in 2022. Will you be hiring at that time? If so, what types of roles do you recruit for? How can we best follow up??

Example 3 - If the Recruiter seems out of your industry.?

Thanks for reaching out. I saw on your LinkedIn profile that you recruit in Construction. To be honest, I’m a Marketing candidate in CPG, so not sure of the relevance here. That said, if you have a colleague that recruits for CPG marketing roles, could you connect me to them? Appreciate it!?

Example 4 - If you’re interested, but concerned it may not align with your skillset.??

Thanks, I may be open depending on the offering. To be honest, the title might be a bit junior/senior. Can we start the call by discussing Fetch Rewards, the offering, and the role first? Then from there, if it’s aligned, would be happy to share more about my experience!?

Note: If you turn down a message because of salary, not a role mind you, but just the message, then you may be missing out on another role you could have learned about on the call. They also may be able to negotiate if you have demonstrated experience that warrants a higher salary. Keep in mind, aside from the title and what you show online, recruiters don’t know you. Again, think about yourself. What could you gain from taking this call??

If you think you may have been ghosted.?

We’ve all been ghosted, and we have all ghosted, both in personal and professional settings. The purpose of this is not to defend ghosting or judge those who have ghosted, but instead, help candidates navigate a reality of the job search.?

Try messaging back something quick and simple, addressing the delay, and how you hope to direct the outcome of the situation.?

Example 1 -?

Hello,

It was great hearing from you. It’s been a few days, so just checking in. Can we get something on the calendar??

If the Recruiter doesn’t respond to that, cover your bases.

Example 2 -?

Following up here. Are you ok??

Wanted to make sure all was well since I haven’t heard back from your initial request to connect. You seemed interested, and I was interested in learning more about the role. Appreciate you may be busy, but if it’s not a fit, I’d also like some feedback as to what has changed.?

Thank you in advance.?

Then if they don’t respond, hopefully, they are ok. If they are ok and still don’t answer, that’s not on you, and that is not representative of professional recruitment behavior. Do not let that bad experience deter you from empathetic, talented thought leaders in the HR / TA industry who may be able to help you in the future. Put yourself first.?

Conclusion.?

Recruiters can be a valuable resource in your job search. Candidly, I have never gotten a job by applying online, only through Recruiters. I have also placed candidates who did apply directly. Recruiters are some of the many tools in your job search toolbox. The idea is to find the right tools to build your career. I hope this article will help you better navigate your job search with recruiters, and inspire you to directly set expectations, ask more questions, and make valuable connections to drive your career forward.?

If you are interested in learning more about opportunities at Fetch Rewards, apply on our careers site, or email directly. Follow me / connect for more insights on recruitment and to stay in the loop for future roles at Fetch Rewards.

Email Me: [email protected]

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