By Beverly Weinstein

Recruiters don’t find candidates jobs, they find candidates for jobs
– a distinction that’s often misunderstood. In other words, the
recruiter’s client is the hiring organization, not the job seeker.

Headhunters (the vernacular term) should be part of your job search,
but don’t make the mistake of only relying on them. On average,
recruiters only fill about 10% of all jobs. The following is some basic
information that should be useful in understanding the recruiter’s role.

Multiple Business Models

There are two basic categories of recruiters: retained and contingency.

•Retained search firms work exclusively, and the client pays them a guaranteed fee for their services.

•Contingency recruiters are only paid if they find a candidate that
is hired by the client. Some contingency recruiters may work
exclusively, but it’s not unusual for clients to work with multiple
recruiters for the same job. That’s why you may get several calls for
an opportunity.

How They Find You
Recruiters are in the business of knowing where to look for qualified
candidates, regardless of whether those candidates are actively seeking
new jobs.

•Candidate sources range from referrals to mining databases to cold
calling someone in the same job at a different company. Professional
social networks have become an increasingly popular sourcing tool. If
the recruiter doesn’t tell how they found you, ask.

•Ways in which recruiters will reach out to candidates include their
business phone, email, and social networks, including LinkedIn,
Facebook and Twitter.

How You Find Them
The same tools headhunters use to find you can be used to find them.
And when you compile your headhunter list, take some time to do basic
research. Keep in mind search firms generally specialize by
category(ies) as well as by job level and/or salary level. Be strategic
about your outreach and expectations.

•Research the individual recruiter’s name and/or their company name.
Take a look at their bios and client list if it’s published on their
site. Look for them on LinkedIn. Any legitimate recruiter should have
ample information easily available online.

•Not all recruiters will agree to see you if they aren’t working on
a search that matches your background. If they won’t meet you, try to
at least get a phone appointment for a few minutes or, at minimum,
e-mail your resume for inclusion in their database.

What Recruiters Do/Don’t Do
•Don’t expect a recruiter to write or rewrite your resume. Most are
willing to make suggestions or point you in the direction of resume
writers or information resources on resume writing.

•Headhunters will sometimes offer you career advice or job search
tips. However, if you’re looking for help in figuring out what you want
to do next, try a career counselor and expect to pay for their time.
Some recruiting firms do offer counseling services, but again at a
price.

Beware of Promises

The growing unemployment rate has spawned a category of unscrupulous
“so-called” recruiters. They take a fee from the candidate, promise
resume help, career guidance, and a job. Major newspapers have run
articles on job seekers that have written checks to these firms but
haven’t gotten results. I recently heard from a reader who made this
mistake. It’s a rough job market; it’s hard for even the most
well-connected to help their colleagues, friends or relatives get a
job. Be suspicious of a stranger promising to do the same!

Read the column on MediaDailyNews.

By Beverly Weinstein

Recruiters don’t find candidates jobs, they find candidates for jobs — a distinction that’s often misunderstood. In other words, the recruiter’s client is the hiring organization, not the job seeker.

Headhunters (the vernacular term) should be part of your job search, but don’t make the mistake of only relying on them. On average, recruiters only fill about 10% of all jobs. The following is some basic information that should be useful in understanding the recruiter’s role.

Multiple Business Models

There are two basic categories of recruiters: retained and contingency.

•Retained search firms work exclusively, and the client pays them a guaranteed fee for their services.

•Contingency recruiters are only paid if they find a candidate that is hired by the client. Some contingency recruiters may work exclusively, but it’s not unusual for clients to work with multiple recruiters for the same job. That’s why you may get several calls for an opportunity.

How They Find You
Recruiters are in the business of knowing where to look for qualified candidates, regardless of whether those candidates are actively seeking new jobs.

•Candidate sources range from referrals to mining databases to cold calling someone in the same job at a different company. Professional social networks have become an increasingly popular sourcing tool. If the recruiter doesn’t tell how they found you, ask.

•Ways in which recruiters will reach out to candidates include their business phone, email, and social networks, including LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

How You Find Them
The same tools headhunters use to find you can be used to find them. And when you compile your headhunter list, take some time to do basic research. Keep in mind search firms generally specialize by category(ies) as well as by job level and/or salary level. Be strategic about your outreach and expectations.

•Research the individual recruiter’s name and/or their company name. Take a look at their bios and client list if it’s published on their site. Look for them on LinkedIn. Any legitimate recruiter should have ample information easily available online.

•Not all recruiters will agree to see you if they aren’t working on a search that matches your background. If they won’t meet you, try to at least get a phone appointment for a few minutes or, at minimum, e-mail your resume for inclusion in their database.

What Recruiters Do/Don’t Do
•Don’t expect a recruiter to write or rewrite your resume. Most are willing to make suggestions or point you in the direction of resume writers or information resources on resume writing.

•Headhunters will sometimes offer you career advice or job search tips. However, if you’re looking for help in figuring out what you want to do next, try a career counselor and expect to pay for their time. Some recruiting firms do offer counseling services, but again at a price.

Beware of Promises

The growing unemployment rate has spawned a category of unscrupulous “so-called” recruiters. They take a fee from the candidate, promise resume help, career guidance, and a job. Major newspapers have run articles on job seekers that have written checks to these firms but haven’t gotten results. I recently heard from a reader who made this mistake. It’s a rough job market; it’s hard for even the most well-connected to help their colleagues, friends or relatives get a job. Be suspicious of a stranger promising to do the same!

Read the column on MediaDailyNews.

A neighborhood bar is a great thing. My favorite, Trattoria Del Arte, is near my office in Midtown Manhattan. Cynthia the night bartender orchestrates what can be a three deep crowd like  the best  of concert masters from nearby Carnegie Hall.

You may be wondering what this has to do with career advice….normally not much. But last week my friend Rob and I met for a drink after work. We got in a conversation with someone on the bar stool next to mine. He was a banker from Baltimore in town to interview candidates for a job in the New York office.  I had just written a column on interviewing for MediaDailyNews. I suspected bankers weren’t so different from media execs as far as interviewing tactics went so I thought I’d find out and ask him a few questions. Turns out the banker was a whole lot more open than the execs I had just quoted.

The banker  explained the first thing he looks for is if the candidate’s experience fits the job. After that, intangibles kicked in.  So far so good. Media execs and  the banker agreed. Then the banker put some fine tuning on those intangibles I hadn’t heard.

The first  handshake had to be firm and you better look him in the eye, preferably the left one, the banker explained.  Why the left? I wondered.  “You have to pick an eye, ” he said. “If you don’t, your gaze darts back and forth between eyes. ” Got it. Shake right-look left.

Next tip he gave me as I held my gaze on his left eye was, “If you are at a meeting where they give you a name tag, wear it on left, over your heart.”  Why? He didn’t really explain that one. Maybe it makes you seem more sincere or maybe it lines up with the eye thing.

More advice. Don’t talk too much, don’t talk too fast and don’t sweat. One candidate he had seen that day was nervous and had the misfortune to show it by having beads of sweat collect on his upper lip. My banker told him to relax. He did and in the end his experience trumped his sweating. He was in the final three for the job. Phew.

Now comes the non-p.c. part of our conversation. Good looks, a great smile and a winning personality can make up for qualifications you may not have, especially if you’re a woman. The banker gave me not one, but two examples. One of his star staffers, a women, fell short on having answers to tough questions but her smile while she said “I’ll get back to you,” kept her job secure.

How about “older candidates”, say in their mid-fifties and up, I asked. “Not happening,” he replied candidly. He left and I ordered another drink.

You’re unemployed. It’s a fact you can’t avoid in an interview. But should you broadcast it for all to see on LinkedIn? Or should you conveniently forget to update your profile to reflect the change in your employment status?

It’s a good question. You don’t want to seem desperate by broadcasting your eagerness to find an opportunity, but you also don’t want to seem like you’re stretching the truth about your employment once someone investigates you a little further.

This very topic was tackled by Brad Attig on his blog, MyRetailCareer.net. Brad blogs about careers too with a focus on the retail industry and was also an executive recruiter in the past thus he has the experience looking at resumes and placing candidates to know that honesty is always the best policy. I tended to agree with his point of view which was not to lie, but not to be too desperate, ie. skip the full page ad in the NY Times advertising your availability.

One thing I’ll add that wasn’t really touched upon was that putting an end date to your most recent position in your profile isn’t screaming out that you’re unemployed… unless you want it to. Fellow colleagues and business connections will only see that you made this change if you’re privacy settings are so that any updates or changes you make to your profile are broadcast to your network in the updates portion of their homepage and in periodic LinkedIn updates emails. You can adjust this if you want to in “Account & Settings” section, always located in the top right hand corner. Or you can choose to have it broadcast to those connections so that people see you’re change in situation and maybe want to lend a helping hand on your quest to employment. It depends on which camp you decide to settle in.

As far as recruiters and potential employers checking out your profile, if they’re not connected to you anyway then they wouldn’t be notified of your change in status. They would only be looking on your profile because they found it for another reason. Most likely that reason would be that you showed up in their search results based on your experience and compatibility with the job they’re filling. Recruiters are trying to find the best possible fit for their clients and with so many people out of a job these days, they know that unemployment can mean very little about a candidates talent. What counts is what you can do for their client. Don’t let lying be the first attribute they find in you.

Take a look at what Brad had to say on the topic and let me know what you think about it. Any suggestions on how to ask your network for help without seeming desperate?

Dan Woog gave the following missteps and mistakes for job-seeking networkers to avoid in a piece for Monster.com.

“You wouldn’t wear jeans to a job interview, but do you pay as much attention to job-hunting etiquette when networking? If you’re approaching potential contacts in an offhand way, you may be putting them off entirely. Learn what the most common networking mistakes are so you don’t have to make them.”

Waiting

Woog says not to wait until you’ve lost your job to start networking! “Effective networking means creating contacts and relationships while you’re still employed.”

Being Clueless
Know why are you attending a networking event. What are your goals? What can you offer?

Being Unprepared
“Practice your pitch as well as your answers to questions about your career goals that might arise.” Enough said. Know what you want.

Forgetting Business Cards

Might sound silly, but Woog has a point. No one’s going to remember you without it. They’ll remember meeting you but then say, “Oh, what was his/her name?”

Using a Silly-Sounding Email Name
FirstName.LastName, simple as that. No nick names or confusing combinations of letters and numbers.

Being Pompous
This should be a no-brainer, btu sadly for some it’s not.
“While you’re networking, you need to listen to what everyone else is saying. People help by offering advice. They are not interested in hearing how much you already know.”

Monopolizing Someone’s Time
Make connections, but don’t overwhelm them. Everyone wants to mingle at events so give people space. Reconnect after the even via email or phone.

Dressing Down
“Look sharp at networking events.  A networking event can be a dress rehearsal for a job interview, but no one will help you get your foot in the door if you give the impression that you’ll slouch through it once it’s open.”

Being a Wallflower
Why bother going to a networking event or conference if you don’t make the most of it. This can be harder for people who are more timid by nature, but if you’re on the market for a job, it’s not time to shy. “Be assertive, and act like a leader. But don’t go overboard. You want to convey self-assurance, not obnoxiousness.”

Being Passive
Being pleasantly persistent shows how interested you are in a position or company. Don’t be too pushy, but let your enthusiasm show.

Lying
Liars almost always get caught. Don’t embarrass yourself and burn bridges by fudging the truth on facts about your experience or your acquaintances.
Treating Your Networking Relationships as Short-Term Flings

Don’t forget to follow up and show appreciation for their help. Also don’t forget that networking is a two way street. Don’t use help without returning the favor. Ask yourself what you can offer someone in return, even if they’re not job hunting.

“No one likes to be used. Follow up every conversation with a thank-you note, email or call. Let your contact know whether his suggestions panned out or not. When your job search ends — for whatever reason — inform the person who has helped you. You may think your networking is over, but your paths may cross again.”

Forgetting Where You Came From
Continue the cycle. Help others even once you’re back in a job. Don’t forget how you got back in the saddle.

As the months since the Recession began have rolled by, more and more of the laid off executives who contribute to Wall Street Journal’s Laid off and Looking column have transitioned into the alumni category after finding new work. But today’s guest writer is still working on it and in fact he’s using the mistakes he’s made to construct a more effective plan instead of growing discouraged. Instead of hearing advice about what to do and how to do it, here’s one smart guy who admits he didn’t know what he was doing (something many can relate to), but he’s working on it and in a unique and ultimately gratifying way.

Stan Kaczmarek is an environmental engineering guy. He worked for years at Johnson and Johnson as well as Exxon and at one time owned his own environmental consulting firm. He is the kind of person who wants to make a difference in the world but his first three attempts at acheiving success at it failed.

Here’s what happened:

“On the first path I decided to write a book to fulfill a lifelong dream: making a difference with words that inspire. But it soon became apparent that no publisher would even consider what I was writing unless I already had a platform as a recognized expert and leader — family and former co-workers did not count.

I also began seeking a senior-level environmental position in traditional environmental fields, as well as in a new area I had become adept at: engineering sustainable products for the green marketplace. But companies looking for senior environmental staff either delayed their hiring or couldn’t decide what role they wanted to play in the green economy.

Lastly, though I had initial success getting consulting assignments while waiting for one or both of the above paths to pay off, the consulting field crumbled within weeks of the market collapse.”

Sounds frustrating.

But Stan used these experiences to learn something about the industry he was trying to break into.

“I was forced to look back, re-consider what I really had to offer, balance that against what I still wanted to do, and decide how I could brand myself as significantly different than the growing crowd of writers and environmental experts. In the process I had to admit my career successes were also offset by failure, especially when it came to influencing corporate management to consider proactive approaches to the green economy. An even higher realization was that I failed in this task for the very same reason I could not get published: I lacked a media platform, a powerful voice and a uniquely crafted message. All three would be necessary if I was going to stand above the din.”

So how is Stan overcoming these failures and finding that voice? By blogging of course. He started two. One that focuses on the environment and one about unemployment and his personal journey. He is using the platform to talk about both his passion and career goal as well as his personal thoughts, thus humanizing his digital persona and allowing him to engage with readers and his target audience in a more collaborative way. He is not talking at his audience, but rather conversing with them. These things are key in social media and particularly in branding yourself. Stan seems to be on the right track.

He’s using LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter of course and many other networks to get the word out about his endeavors. His guest spot in the WSJ is sure to help as well.

The lesson he has to teach others in his shoes is that he needed to learn a few new tricks and embracing this learning experience instead of fighting it is ultimately leading to success. Instead of dwelling on what went wrong and fearing new technologies, Stan embraced the fact that he needed to change his strategy and now he’s on a journey he didn’t see coming.

Check out the article, which links to Stan’s blogs, here.

Want to get a sneak peek at some of the new features Facebook is working on and test them out before their rolled out for general usage? You can! With Facebook Prototypes, the social network allows users to give a few tools a test drive while they’re still ironing out the kinks.  Here’s how.

Go To Applications in the Bottom Left hand corner of the Facebook browser.

Then click Browse More Applications.

In the left hand column of options, the last one reads Prototypes. Click here.

Now you’ll see a listing of new tools and features still in beta that you can try out.

Facebook warns that many of them still have bugs and kinks to work out, but if you want a glimpse at the future of the site, give them a whirl.

One I’m trying out is Enhanced Event Emails which gives you the ability to save Facebook events to your Outlook, iCal, or Gmail calendars right from the invitation email you receive. I tried it out and the Google Calendar option did not work, but I saved it to my iCal without a problem and now won’t have to keep track of my events in two different places. Nice!

Give them a whirl and let me know which ones you liked and which you didn’t.

A week after Labor Day and it seems that the haze of summer has quickly lifted and business is abuzz again. Newly minted college grads who took the summer to relax are now eagerly pounding the pavement and embarking on interviews. So what better time than the present to talk about how to prep, primp, and behave in a one on one interview.

Yesterday’s Dear Bev column featured advice on interview prep, with a focus on what NOT to do. But Saturday’s New York Times featured some subtle tricks you SHOULD employ to let your interviewer know you want the job and that you’re the right man or woman for it.

Phyllis Korkki put together the piece which emphasizes fitting into the company culture with proper attitude and attire. She mentions some of the same things we did such as dressing for success, making eye contact and using confident body language. “Confident but not cocky,” the article states. But aside from these basics of portraying the best “you” there is, Korkki goes into some more specific tricks to position yourself better and make a lasting impression on the interviewer.

She recommends thoroughly researching the company before hand (we said that too!) and coming armed with questions about the company that pertain to adding to its success, not just about you and how you’d fit in.

Another way to make an imprint on the interviewer’s memory? Establish something you have in common with him or her.

“Maybe you went to the same college or you pull for the same sports team, she said. During the interview, “leverage your referrals,” she said, finding ways to highlight the people you know within the company,” Korkki wrote.

I’d recommend this as long as you aren’t reaching too far. You don’t want to name drop and you certainly don’t want to mention someone who wouldn’t sing your praises or doesn’t know you very well. It’ll do more harm than good if the interviewer followed up with the people you named and they didn’t remember you.

The article also reminds to follow up afterward. While we recommended a paper letter, one person interviewed thought that when applying to a digital media company, an email is a better show of skill and savoir faire in the area.

Either way you choose to communicate, one great tip Korkki includes is inserting the names of people you met at the interview or specifics about what you discussed to show you were invested and intently listening. If you use a generic message, it will show.

Read the full article from the New York Times.

By Beverly Weinstein

It all begins when you walk into someone’s office. Often, what you don’t say is as important as what you do. Here are some intangibles that seem obvious but may make or break the end result.

Advance Preparation

Even before you arrive at the office, doing your homework on both the company and the interviewer should be a given. Information on both is readily available online. If you haven’t taken the time or trouble to do research, it becomes obvious quickly. There’s a great quote from Abraham Lincoln that speaks to the importance of preparation “Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” Nothing has changed.

Arriving Late? Apologize First

It happens to all of us. The subway stops unexpectedly for 10 minutes, the train runs late, you’re stuck in traffic, or maybe your boss snags you on the way out of the office for a quick chat. All reasonable excuses. What’s not reasonable is failing to call or email to give the interviewer a heads-up. Worse is not apologizing when you finally do show up. You start behind the eight ball, and it’s hard to recover — no matter how well the rest of the conversation may go.

Dress For Success

Or at least interview success. Don’t err on the side of informality. In the words of one senior executive: “Show up like you want the job.”

Eye Contact, A Good Handshake, and Don’t Forget to Smile

It might seem minor but it makes a difference. Look the interviewer in the eye and if you’re worried about a weak handshake, try practicing. It makes a difference in perception. Don’t forget to smile. It may sound silly, but it’s something people are aware of, and it makes you seem “happier”– seriously.

New Technology vs. Old Fashioned Courtesy

Turn your cell phone off before you walk in for the interview. Even if you don’t check it, it’s distracting and annoying if it rings. Don’t even think about having a PDA out and in plain sight. Your attention should be on the interviewer.

A Strong Finish

Don’t let the interview finish without asking for the job or in some way indicating your interest. And of course, follow it up with a thank you. E-mail is fine, but a written note is always a standout. It’s another way to set you apart from the competition.

Read the article on Media Post.

By Beverly Weinstein

It all begins when you walk into someone’s office. Often, what you don’t say is as important as what you do. Here are some intangibles that seem obvious but may make or break the end result.

Advance Preparation

Even before you arrive at the office, doing your homework on both the company and the interviewer should be a given. Information on both is readily available online. If you haven’t taken the time or trouble to do research, it becomes obvious quickly. There’s a great quote from Abraham Lincoln that speaks to the importance of preparation “Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” Nothing has changed.

Arriving Late? Apologize First

It happens to all of us. The subway stops unexpectedly for 10 minutes, the train runs late, you’re stuck in traffic, or maybe your boss snags you on the way out of the office for a quick chat. All reasonable excuses. What’s not reasonable is failing to call or email to give the interviewer a heads-up. Worse is not apologizing when you finally do show up. You start behind the eight ball, and it’s hard to recover — no matter how well the rest of the conversation may go.

Dress For Success

Or at least interview success. Don’t err on the side of informality. In the words of one senior executive: “Show up like you want the job.”

Eye Contact, A Good Handshake, and Don’t Forget to Smile

It might seem minor but it makes a difference. Look the interviewer in the eye and if you’re worried about a weak handshake, try practicing. It makes a difference in perception. Don’t forget to smile. It may sound silly, but it’s something people are aware of, and it makes you seem “happier”– seriously.

New Technology vs. Old Fashioned Courtesy

Turn your cell phone off before you walk in for the interview. Even if you don’t check it, it’s distracting and annoying if it rings. Don’t even think about having a PDA out and in plain sight. Your attention should be on the interviewer.

A Strong Finish

Don’t let the interview finish without asking for the job or in some way indicating your interest. And of course, follow it up with a thank you. E-mail is fine, but a written note is always a standout. It’s another way to set you apart from the competition.

Read the article on Media Post.