Recruiters Are Here to Help

I'm not the first one to write about this. I won't be the last, either. However, I think this is worth writing about this topic so that my connections, and their connections, know that recruiters want to help you find jobs, even if it is not with their company, and they want to hear from you.

I've been a recruiting professional for six years now and I love to help people find jobs. I, of course, want to help people find a job at the company that I work for, but I also know that candidates have different professional wants and needs, and other opportunities may be a better fit for them. Whether it's a friend, a family member, or a mutual connection, I love to give people advice on how to find a new job.

Why is this? I've been on both sides of the fence. After college, I struggled for two years to find a solid job. I worked as a telemarketer, I worked a scam job, I did it all. What I'm trying to say is, don't major if Digital Filmmaking and Creative Writing. Anyway, I eventually found a job in the recruiting industry and I haven't looked back since.

When someone asks why I love recruiting, I can tell them honestly that I know what it's like to be on the other side of the fence. I know what it's like to struggle find the right fit, to apply and not hear back from anyone, to not know how to get your name in the door at a company. It's because of this that I'm passionate about helping people find a job. On the other hand, I know what recruiters are looking for. I know what they want to see on a resume. I know how to make a LinkedIn or Indeed profile that sticks out. I know how a job seeker can reach out to a recruiter and get a response.

This article is about exactly that: how to reach out to a recruiter, hear back from them, and have some who can help you get in the door.

Recruiters are always looking for people to join their company. We always have vacant roles and we always have upcoming roles that we are trying to get ahead of. Despite what you may believe, we don't always have hundreds of (qualified) applicants applying for all of our roles. Because of this, we need to go out and find new talent. This is what I do, and it's called Sourcing. It's the first part of the recruiting life-cycle. We find people who aren't actively looking, applying, or displaying their resume and we try to sell them on an opportunity with the company.

This whole process is made even easier when interested candidates reach out to me first.

When I tell a job seeker to just reach out to a recruiter and start talking to them, they usually respond with, "I can do that?" Of course you can! Do you want to work for Apple? Connect with recruiters at Apple. Do you want to get a Software Engineer role at Tesla? Reach out to someone on their Talent Acquisition team.

To easily find and connect with recruiters at specific companies:

1. Go to the search bar at the top of LinkedIn
2. Put your mouse in the box
3. Hit Enter
4. Under Companies, type in and/or select the company/companies you would like to work for
5. Hit Apply
6. Go back to the search bar at the top
7. Put your mouse in the box
8. Hit Enter
9. Copy and paste: (talent OR recruit* OR sourc*) This will help you find Talent Acquisition professionals, recruiters, and sourcers at these companies. This should cover any and all of the correct people you should be getting in touch with.
10. Under Connections, select 1st
11. Hit Apply
12. You can message any of these people. Or you can get their email from their profile and reach out that way

Chances are you aren't connected to (m)any people at these companies. Because of this, I recommend selecting 2nd Connections and requesting to connect with a bunch of them. Once you are connected with them, then you can message them or email them. If you do this on a computer, it's pretty quick and easy. If you do it on your phone, the process is even easier. It's a great thing to do while in line at the grocery store, stuck in traffic (if you're not driving), or when you're just scrolling through your phone.

I like to tell job seekers that when they reach out to a recruiter, it's similar to walking into a car dealership with a bag of money, approaching a sales person, handing them the cash, pointing to a car, and saying, "I want that one. No questions asked. Thank you." The job of a sales person at a car dealership is to sell cars. A recruiters job is to find the right people to fill vacant roles at their company. If you are a qualified candidate and you walk up to a recruiter and tell them, "I want that job. No questions asked. Thank you," you are making a recruiter's day.

Here's a very important note of advice: Never, ever reach out to a recruiter and say something along the lines of: "Hi. What kind of jobs do you have for me? Here is my resume."

Find a specific, currently open role that you think you would be a good fit for, and bring this role up in your introduction.

For example: "Hi there! I noticed that Toyota is looking for a Design Engineer in Chicago, and I think I would be a great fit for this role. I went ahead and applied for the role, but I am wondering what else I could do to get my foot in the door?"

If you see a fitting role that was recently closed, say something along the lines of: "I saw that you were just looking for an IOS Developer in Cincinnati. I do see that the role is closed, but I wanted to send over my resume. Would you mind adding it to the pipeline/talent community for the next time you get a job opening like this?"

One of the other key factors is to not only reach out to recruiters regarding specific job postings, but make sure they fit your background and experience. If the role is for a Bank Manager and the recruiter is looking for 5 years in banking and 3 years in a leadership role and you don't have any leadership experience, chances are you are not going to be a fit for this role. Don't reach out to them asking, "Do you really need leadership for this role, or will my experience as a Personal Banker do the job?" For an even better approach, explain in your message to the recruiter how you DO meet the qualifications for the job. They'll be even more eager to reply to you. For the most part, job descriptions are pretty accurate to what the company is looking for.

So, remember: Reach out to the recruiter regarding a specific job posting, and take the responsibility upon yourself and to make sure you are a fit. Make sure your background and experience lines up with the Requirements section of the job opening and if you have experience with some of the bullet points under Preferences, even better!

Recruiters spend a lot of their time on LinkedIn. Send them a request. They will accept it. They will want to talk to you. Don't be afraid of approaching a recruiter. We are here to help!

I will be posting more articles like this over the next few months. I also post shorter ones and you can find them all here: https://www.dhirubhai.net/post/edit/mikeys-tips-tricks-things-stuff-mikey-weil

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me!