Courting The Company

The warm call from a recruiter

In this undated publicity photo released by NBC, actor Steve Carell appears in this scene from the television series "The Office." Carell was nominated for lead actor in a comedy series, Thursday, July 6, 2006, when the nominations for the 58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards were announced in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/NBC, Justin Lubin) — (AP Photo/NBC, Justin Lubin)

Yeah, I’ve done it. I have called people and told them “I was referred to you by someone on a confidential basis for a position I am recruiting for…” and I believe that most of the time that was true. But I also know that I have gotten names from references on resumes, Twitter, FB and even from peeling back urls in the old days. I have had people tell me “I know someone who would be great but I am hesitant to give you their name because I work with them.” That is where the confidential part of the referral sometimes comes into play.

Whether you believe the recruiter or not, the rules are similar to the cold call. If they don’t or won’t tell you who gave them your name then treat it like a cold call. If they tell you who referred them, it gives them a little more credibility. Also, you want to be sure and follow-up with the person that referred the recruiter to you. Why? One, to validate their story and two, to see if they have any more information on the position. A good recruiter will know a lot about the position, but as in many positions, not all recruiters are that good.

The last thing you want is to find a great opportunity and have some punk recruiter mess you up by giving you incomplete or worse, inaccurate information on the position. If the recruiter does not give you a lot of information, they may not have it. Either way, it is up to you, the candidate, to do your homework on the position and the company.

Before you get off the phone with the recruiter be sure to get their information and try to get as much information on the position and company they are considering you for. They may not give you much on the position or company until they have a chance to pitch you to the hiring manager. Remember, an agency recruiter only gets paid if they refer you to the company.

Be kind to unkind people, they need it the most.
Unknown

Handling cold calls from a recruiter

Very few people like getting cold calls. It is usually your cable provider wanting to “review your bill” with you or a group wanting a contribution. But sometimes it is a recruiter who has found you or been referred to you by someone. Hopefully, if you are like me, it is a little flattering, unless you get these calls all the time. If you do, I am sorry for this first world problem:)

The first thing to do is to ask if they are with a company or if they are with an agency. Why? Because this usually speaks to their motivation. The fee an Agency receives is often equal to 30% of the new hire’s salary. That can provide a lot of motivation and it some people to make poor choices. If they work directly for the company with the opening their motivations have a better chance of being aligned with yours, making sure you and the position/company are a match for one another.

Think of this as dating. If a dating service is being paid to set you up on dates they may set you up with some people that you are not the best match with. After all they get paid for both good and bad dates. On the other hand if a person asks you to go out with them, they probably think you might be a good match.

I am not slamming agencies here, I am just stating the obvious potential for a conflict of interest.

Either way, you want to be gracious when you get a cold call, even if you are not interested. You never know what the future holds. I have cold called people and been treated like like a punk only to have the person call me back in a month after being laid off. Guess what? I take notes, so it’s no bueno for you.

If the recruiter is worth their salt they will sell you on having a conversation about the position, not on the job itself. They may say something like “let’s have a 10 – 15 minute conversation to see if the position might be a match.” If you are available I say take the time. You never know what the opportunity is and you might even think of someone else who is a good match. Taking that call can be good for you, the recruiter and your friend.

If you are not interested at all I suggest that you just tell them. Say something like “I appreciate the interest but I am not interested at this time. Please send me your information and any information on the job. I will let you know if I think of anyone who is interested.” We understand that you are busy and most recruiters will respect your time.

If you take time to speak with a recruiter they will probably want to know about you first. I know, this is a bit of a pain as you want to know some of the basics of the job to see if it is worth your time. But most recruiters are trained to first see if you are a possible fit before they give you information on the position. They also may or may not be filling a database with your information for future use. It is a bit of a judgement call on how much information you share.

In order to succeed, we must first believe we can.
Nikos Kazantzakis

When a recruiter calls

I am constantly flummoxed by people and how they handle phone calls. I am not sure their handling of phone calls is due to not being self-aware, more communication being by text, or if they are just as think as I dumb they are. There are a few different calls that people get from recruiters or hiring managers:

Cold call. This is when a recruiter, usually an agency recruiter, calls you looking for referrals (leads) or they hope to get you interested in a position they are filling. These are bounty hunters. They have a profile they are going after and some of them (not all) will kick down doors, pick locks and do whatever it takes to find the person they are after.

Warm call. These are also usually agency recruiters but they tell you they have been referred by someone. If they tell you the person’s name that referral is a little more legit. I am not saying they/we lie but if you are told “I have been referred to you by someone on a confidential basis” it may or may not be true. I’m just saying.

Candidate initiated. This is after the candidate has shown interest in the position. They may have contacted the recruiter via social media, via the phone or by jumping through the hoops to apply through their ATS (applicant tracking system.)

Process calls. These calls may be from a hiring manager, recruiter or someone else at the company or agency while you are in the interviewing process. They may be to schedule an interview (phone, in person or Skype), to arrange travel, or to update you on your status.

Breaking up. My rule of thumb is that if you are on your 2nd or 3rd round of interviews I usually call you to tell you that we are not going to be offering you the position. BTW, these calls suck for us too. Sometimes I think you could be great in the position but I am not the one making the decision.

Offer. Just what the title says, we are calling to offer you the job. These also may be calls negotiating the terms of the offer.

Over the next week I will address each type of call and look at it from the candidate perspective and they recruiter or hiring manager perspective.

The telephone is a good way to talk to people without having to offer them a drink.
Fran Lebowitz

Phone interviews – the basics

When you have a phone interview what you say matters a lot but so does everything else. I have had my share of bad phone interviews and they are easy to avoid. Here are some tips to follow before your next phone interview.

Find a quiet place where you don’t have to be quiet. If you are taking a break at work to do your phone interview your car might be the best place.

Be sure you have a good cell signal. It is totally understandable it the call gets cut off but if it happens more than twice it becomes irritating quickly.

If the recruiter is calling you ask for their number in case you get cut off. This is not only a good idea in case it does happen, it shows that you think ahead.

If you are at home and you have pets, put them up. Barking dogs are aggravating!

Schedule a day and time when you can be distraction free. You won’t be at your best if you are also watching the kids.

It will be tempting but try not to use speakerphone. I would call someone ahead of time and ask them for feedback on how you sound, especially if you want to use speakerphone or a headset.

Have a copy of your resume with you. It is irritating when I ask someone to go over their work history and they don’t even have the information in front of them.

Have your questions for the interviewer written down. You WILL forget them.

ALWAYS ask what the next step is. If you don’t talk about a second date while you are on the first date that is a bad sign.

DO NOT eat while on the phone. You would think this goes without saying.

DO NOT multi-task. Your focus should be on the phone interview.

Answer the phone with your name: “Hello, this is Al.” This is especially true if you have a difficult to pronounce name.

Have a pen and paper to take notes. It is good to jot some things down that you can use in your thank you email.

Smile. Yes, it matters.

Stand up. Yep, it matters too.

Al

Science must not impose any philosophy, any more than the telephone must tell us what to say.
G.K. Chesterton

Wait a minute, that was an illegal question.

I saw a post online the other day about illegal interview questions. Many times if an interviewer asks an illegal question it is from their ignorance or for a “valid” reason, they just did not ask it correctly.

Are you married? They are probably just making small talk. Maybe they want to tell you what great benefits they have for couples. I like to know if there is another person involved in the decision-making process when you are considering a career move.

Do you have kids? Maybe they don’t charge more for families to be on the insurance plans or they have an onsite daycare.

Is your wife/husband OK with you traveling a lot? They may just want to know if you can handle the travel schedule.

I like your accent, where are you from? Maybe they just want to know where you are from.

When did you graduate? They may have other alumni from your school working for them and wonder if you know them.

Whatever the reason that a recruiter or hiring manager asks the illegal question I suggest handling it with tact and grace. If you say something like “I do not have to answer that, it is an illegal interview question” you will likely not get another interview or be hired. Sometimes that might be a good thing if you get the vibe that they asked the question for the reason it is illegal. But generally interviewers genuinely want to know CAN you do the job and do you WANT to do the job. After all they are hiring the whole person and not just your skills.

When the government regulates how much one can work, they limit the amount of passion one can have for their work.
Al Pollard

It’s all in the name

I see a lot of resumes and they all have a name on them but not necessarily the right name. This may seem like a simple thing but you want to avoid any confusion in your job search. If you name is John but your nickname is Jack (I still don’t get that) then put Jack on your resume. If you put John then when a recruiter does call and your voicemail says Jack they may not leave a message because they think it is a wrong number. Or better yet… when I ask for John I get hung up on or you say “WHO IS THIS?” thinking I am a telemarketer. Not a good start.

All that being said you want to keep it professional. If your nickname is Dog or The Dog DO NOT put that on your resume. You may be laughing but I see it all the time.

Al

It ain’t what they call you, it’s what you answer to.
W. C. Fields

Breaking up is hard to do – resigning at work

So you have done it. You landed that sweet new gig, way to go! Uh-oh, now reality sets in. You need to resign. This is like when you are dating that person that you either do not like anymore or maybe you found someone you like more or even, dare I say it, LOVE.

Keep in mind that you don’t want to burn any bridges but you do need to prepare yourself for what is ahead. I think most bosses deserve the respect of being told in person (on the phone if remote) that you have been interviewing with another company and you have accepted a position with them. I have also seen many people send a resignation email and call at the same time. While not ideal, that is better than other options.

DO NOT

Email your bosses boss before letting your immediate supervisor know.
Leave without giving a two-week notice.
Just stop coming to work. Yes, it happens.
Tell your co-workers before you tell your supervisor.
Tell your boss in a public forum.
Tell them before you are sure the other job is locked down, backgrounds passed, pee analyzed and papers signed.
Trash talk the company after you leave.

All of the above items you can control but once you let the cat out of the bag you never know what you are going to get. Before your resign think about other people who have left and how were they treated? Be sure you already have anything you want to take with you. No, not the customer list, that could land you in hot water legally, but rather your notes from projects and other work you would like to reference in the future. Be ready for all possibilities:

You may immediately be escorted out with only your keys and handbag (that they will search like you work with missile command codes.) Do not take this personally, it may be company policy.

They may ask you to keep this quiet while they work up a counter offer. If they say this and your cannot imagine a number that would keep you be sure to tactfully let them know. It is frustrating to jump through all the hoops to put together a counter-offer when there is no way an employee will stay.

“How do you want to handle this?” Your boss may be sad to see you go but they may not counter-offer. Again, don’t take it personally if they do not fight for you. They may trust your judgement, wouldn’t that be nice.

Your boss may get angry and take it personally. You might be the one thing standing between them and them being fired.

You may be thinking “hasta la vista baby” but you never know. I met a person this year that found themselves out of work after another company acquired her employer. She was the best on her team with stellar performance but years prior she had quit a job with the acquiring company with no notice, she just walked out. Guess what? They had that noted in her file and they did not want her in their ranks again.

Al

If you can’t figure out where you stand with someone, it might be time to stop standing and start walking.
Calvin Dillard

I object to your resume objective

More and more people are saying that objectives are obsolete these days. Back in the 1900’s everyone had an objective on their resume and if you did not have one it was no bueno. These days though, they usually do more harm than good. Most people could use that space on their resume more effectively with a summary of qualifications tailored to the job they are applying for or a skill summary.

Day after day I see people who apply for a position and their objective has nothing to do with the job they are applying for. Still don’t believe me? Even the best objective is just a drawn out way of saying “I want the job I applied for.” Anything that does not match the job you applied for might as well say “I don’t really want your job but I do not have a trust fund and the bills are piling up” or “I am on unemployment and I must apply for ten jobs a week to keep by benefits, you are number five.”

It would be like if you are on a date with a blonde and they ask “I got my hair cut today, do you like it?” and you answer “It looks great, I am a big fan of red heads.” They would be like WTF! Recruiters think that a lot when looking at applications. There may be an argument for putting an objective on a resume that you have on LinkedIn or in a database but I think it could limit you.

A resume is a job search tool that should be sharpened and refined each time before use.
Al Pollard

Applications are not the same as interviews

Listening to a podcast the other day I heard someone say that sales is not the same as cash flow. That got me thinking… applying for jobs is not the same as getting interviews.

This is a very important distinction in your job search. You probably already know the definition of insanity.

If you keep applying for job after job after job and you are not getting any interviews then you probably have one of the following problems:

You are applying for jobs that you do not qualify for. It is true that most times you do not have to meet ALL of the job requirements to be considered for a position but at least meet some of them!
Your spam filter is grabbing the recruiter’s emails. I email people to schedule interviews. Why? Primarily because it is faster and I sometimes review applicants’ information at weird times when you would not want me to call. For instance, I am writing this blog post at 6am on a Sunday morning.
Your voicemail is full or not set up at all. Check the number you put on your resume and make sure that people can leave a voicemail and that you will receive them.
Your resume sucks. I have covered this before and I am sure I will again.

If you are getting interviews but not getting an offer then don’t focus on your resume a lot, focus on your interviewing skills, or lack there of. A lot of people ask “why don’t they hire me and we’ll see if it will work out?” REALLY! Why don’t you just marry someone before dating them and see how that works out for you?

When resumes come in, especially in this market, hiring managers aren’t looking to find someone… they are looking to disqualify someone. Errors and hype do that.
Brenda Greene

Education on your resume

Everyone should know that it is a really bad idea to lie on your resume. Even if you had enough credits to graduate, if you don’t have the degree, you don’t have it.

The mistake that I see more people making is putting too much or unrelated education on their resume. I have made this point before. You really do need to change your resume some for each position you apply for. I know that is tough but suck it up buttercup. But then again, this is your job we are talking about, not mine.

Let’s say you are applying for a sales position. If you are pursuing your master’s in child psychology I would leave it off your resume. Why? Because it tells a company that you just want a job till you get your degree. Ever heard of overqualified? People don’t get hired because of it all the time, even if it is impossible to be overqualified. That is like having too much fun or someone being too good-looking, it don’t happen.

Most employers want people who will work there for longer than 18-24 months. Many companies invest a lot of time an resources into their people. Some positions I have recruited for in the past don’t actually break even till 18 months on the job. Yep, they actually cost the company more money than they bring in for a year and a half.

Just remember… on your resume always think about recency and relevancy.

Everything will be okay in the end. If it’s not okay, then it’s not the end.
Ed Sheeran