A Recruiter's Guide to Job Hunting: Effective, Insider Strategies That Will Get You Ahead of the Pack

By Eric Knott

Written by a seasoned recruiting leader, this guide goes beyond job hunting basics to provide candidates with specific, effective strategies to get noticed. With a straight-forward approach, Eric Knott reveals the tactics clever job seekers use to stand-out from the crowd and gain access to recruiters and hiring managers.

Learn how to truly integrate social media into your search

Discover how students, even returning students, are able to gain unique access to recruiters and hiring managers, allowing them to get to the front of the job-hunting line

Manage unemployment or changing careers so they don't hinder your job hunt

Leverage job fairs and networking opportunities to gain access to decision makers

Effectively use community and professional associations to advance your search

Prepare for the most current approaches to interviewing, learning how to effectively navigate phone screens, face-to-face interviews, and the job offer

Get the details on free online resources that provide good information for candidates and those that provide the best

Gain perspective in how to vet schools as well as degree and certification programs

And the list goes on. With the number of candidates vying for each position, this valuable resource empowers you to get ahead of the masses and get results in your search.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Mar 31, 2012
• ISBN: 9781468552799

Eric Knott

Eric Knott has over 15 years of experience in corporate recruiting and human resources (HR) leadership. His expert career advice has been featured in numerous local and national media outlets. Eric currently serves on various government and community boards regarding HR and workforce planning, consults as a career expert for several universities, is a professor of business management and HR, and works in corporate HR. Eric has a bachelor's degree from Arizona State University, an MBA from the University of Arizona, and numerous certifications related to the HR body of knowledge. He lives with his family in Phoenix, AZ.

Book preview

A Recruiter’s Guide to Job Hunting

Effective, Insider Strategies that Will Get You Ahead of the Pack

Eric Knott

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AuthorHouse™

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© 2012 Eric Knott. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 3/28/2012

ISBN: 978-1-4685-5281-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4685-5280-5 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4685-5279-9 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2012903036

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

CONTENTS

Preface

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

To the hard working job seekers who are committed to being both productive and happy. You are the lifeblood of our nation.

To my family, for putting up with me while I wrote, re-wrote, edited, and re-edited this work. I love you all very much.

Preface

Candidates are Good at the Basics…

But Few Ever Get Past That

Don’t be one of those candidates!

I’ve been a leader in human resources and recruiting for almost 15 years. I meet so many job hunters throughout the US who have enormous talent and a skill set that will absolutely benefit the organization they land with. However, they struggle to get an interview, let alone a job offer. What they have in common—they lack the rule book. They don’t have the rule book to the job-hunting game. Aggressive candidates and equally aggressive recruiters have created this chess match that seems incredibly complicated … unless you have the rule book.

I have told candidates in seminars and in private sessions that my goal is to provide them with the rules of the game. So many candidates want to do well, they want to work. They simply don’t know how to set themselves apart. They know the game has changed since the last time they were job hunting, but they have no idea where to begin.

Problem solved.

These pages provide a thorough look at the strategies that allow candidates to get ahead in their search and stand out from the pack. Not much time is spent on Job Hunting 101, but resources are listed throughout the book where those basic job-hunting guidelines can be found.

Rather, we’ll focus our discussion on getting beyond the basics to gain access to recruiters and hiring managers in your chosen field. We’ll talk about how to leverage your circumstances and focus your search so you’ll start to see results.

For many reading these pages, this is a challenging time. Relax. There are jobs out there. Companies are hiring; industry is still hard at work. The challenge is that many employers have begun recruiting using non-traditional means. The lack of online job postings and weak corporate attendance at job fairs have candidates panicked. This is a sign the job-hunting game has changed. There are different ways to access jobs today versus five or ten years ago. But there is absolutely a market for skilled, eager, qualified workers.

CEO after CEO of major corporations continues to say their biggest business problem is finding quality talent. If these large organizations are having trouble finding quality, you’d better believe the smaller ones (with fewer resources) are having an even harder time staffing.

Sadly, experts and online resources rarely share industry best practices. Instead they tend to focus on the guidelines everyone knows: proofread your résumé, don’t get to the interview late, and research the company before you interview. I have yet to see many of the strategies discussed in this book revealed in experts’ blogs, newspaper columns, or the job-hunting how to books. Further, I see very few experts who were recruiters. This concerns me when I think about the quality of the advice people are getting. After all, how can someone who was never a recruiter or hiring manager advice others on how to job hunt?

Organizations generally feel that ads posted on online job boards and in newspapers only reach a particular group of candidates—active job seekers. The feeling is that the organization and its competitors have picked through that particular candidate pool a number of times. Now, the goal is to reach passive candidates—candidates who aren’t actively looking. Passive candidates are harder to find since they aren’t trying to be found.

In the recruiting field, the expectations regarding sourcing candidates have skyrocketed. That is, organizations now want recruiters to do more than simply manage those active candidates who sit at home on a Sunday night, applying for numerous positions with various companies by pointing and clicking. Now recruiters are tasked with finding candidates who aren’t looking. Current best practices clearly state that the most desirable candidates don’t simply apply through job boards. Rather, they are found and solicited to come to work with the company.

That shift, that change in the way candidates are recruited, has caused job seekers to worry. The old strategies they once used successfully are no longer working. The routine of spending Sunday evenings pointing and clicking your way to a new job is now largely fruitless.

The rules have changed but many candidates haven’t changed their strategy. Those who have, found jobs.

Well, the playing field just got leveled. These are the strategies successful job seekers use to stand out from their peers. This is how to transition your basic, traditional, Job Hunting 101 approach into a modern, effective campaign. It’s not hard, and the fact that you have this guide makes it even easier.

Wisdom from Deodorant

There’s a key element to job hunting that holds a strikingly large number of candidates back. They have forgotten the phrase the Gillette Company gave us almost three decades ago: Never let them see you sweat. Remaining positive and enthusiastic is absolutely critical.

Think about it. Would you vote for a politician who seemed stressed and frustrated during the campaign? After all, a campaign is very much an interview process.

Employers publicly state that personality is a key factor in their hiring decisions; they want to see positive, optimistic, enthusiastic candidates. Managing your mood during your entire job search will make an enormous difference. This includes your attitude during group networking meetings, in your e-mails to prospective employers, in your interactions with other professionals in your field, and so on. This advice stretches far beyond just the interview.

Any recruiter will tell you that a candidate who sounds down or disenfranchised in their e-mail is not going to get an interview (let alone a return e-mail). Take the time to ensure you are managing your mood throughout your search. If you’re getting overwhelmed, lean on those in your network, vent to family, watch a movie, or do whatever you need to so that you keep things in perspective.

A bit of frustration never hurt. It keeps you motivated and driven. But don’t let yourself start to believe that there are no jobs out there. Candidly, that’s just not true. Relax, read the book, and focus on applying the strategies to your search. These strategies are the effective methods candidates use to get to us, to recruiters. Use them.

Using This Book

Reading this book from start to finish is your best bet. I start where you need to start in order for you to have a thorough, well-constructed search. However, I rarely read something in the order it’s written, whether it’s a magazine, book, or even a website. I assume I’m not alone out there.

For those of you that are like me, I’ve made it easy to skip sections. Topics are labeled, resources are clearly identified, and key strategic points are called out graphically. The only thing I could do to make this easier is to read it to you.

In short, you have all the tools you need right here. Dig in!

Chapter 1

A Streamlined Approach to

Researching Careers and Companies

Researching Is a Lot Easier Than You Think

The keys to any job search are to be strategic and to use your time wisely—two things that are, perhaps, easier written than done.

No one wants to be looking for a new job. Some of you are unemployed, others are under-employed. Some have been laid off and still others see the writing on the wall regarding the company’s upcoming budget meetings. Suffice it to say that no one wants to go through the process of job hunting. And in an economy like this, it’s an even greater task to find that next job, or that next career.

Being deliberate with your search and using your time wisely will inevitably cut the amount of time you spend looking. This book will provide you with valuable strategies for the key tasks that will drive your results. It reveals the quiet ways of getting recruiters’ attention, and ensuring you stand out from the pack. The one challenge: you must be willing to step outside the role of a traditional candidate from years past.

I’m not suggesting anything crazy. No need to take out a newspaper ad to showcase your résumé or crash business meetings to get access to hiring managers. Rather, you simply need to be willing to advertise your strengths and the value you bring to a company. This skill is not celebrated in most aspects of American culture, but you’ll need it for a job search.

I am going to reveal respectful, classy, and very effective ways you can advertise your strengths to ensure recruiters and hiring managers take notice. Take advantage of the advice and know that as you follow it, you will be setting yourself apart. Make it count!

Researching is Always the Best Beginning

Every job search needs direction. The Ready. Fire. Aim. approach is okay when picking out laundry detergent, but your job search deserves a solid plan. Additionally, planning will save you a significant amount of time and heartache as you progress through your hunt.

Going into the search, you need to know what type of job (or jobs) you’re looking for, which companies offer those positions, the typical education and experience level desired, salary range, and so on.

If you’re planning to stay with your current career, you’ve cut out some of the potential soul searching, but not all of it. Many candidates start considering new professions, especially during difficult economic times. The instability of some careers pushes candidates toward more stable or more widely employed careers. This migration creates some of the changes regarding which careers are in demand from decade to decade.

When looking at your current career and when considering a new one, there are quite a few things that will be floating through your mind. Do the research necessary to ensure you’re making a wise choice as you pursue jobs in a particular field. Here’s what to look at:

Which Fields Are Hiring?

Strategic Tip

To see which fields are hot, check the number of postings for the various fields on internet job boards.

It may seem obvious, but check the online job boards to see which careers are hot in your area. Different geographic areas are hotbeds for different careers. For example, manufacturing jobs are more common in the Northeast and Midwest, law enforcement jobs are more prolific in border and coastal states, especially in California and Texas, which have both a border and hundreds of miles of ports.

The US Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics has employment forecasting available at www.bls.gov/oco, but that information is for the nation as a whole. More localized information can be found by entering employment projections, followed by your state’s name, into your search engine.

Some of the employment trends predicted won’t be relevant to your area. Further, changes in the national political environment and even world events will lessen the accuracy of these reports. For example, a spike in gas prices may cause less hiring in trucking and manufacturing, and more hiring in public transit operations and fast food. Politically, changes in health-care initiatives will cause significant changes in staffing needs and the demand for specific levels of expertise.

Strategic Tip

Several government web sites provide thorough employment projections and are regarded as benchmarks. Use these sites to gather data on your chosen field, but do local research as well.

Therefore, take the various employment projections with a grain of salt. Many variables can change the employment landscape, variables that can’t possibly be predicted with total accuracy.

Rather than trusting national reports or casual perceptions of employment trends, look at the local job postings on typical online boards for indications of which fields are in demand. Keep in mind that in metropolitan areas, the days of positing jobs in the newspaper are over. To see which careers are hot, you’ll always want to hit the popular online job boards in your area. Figure 1 lists common national job boards. We’ll refer to these resources throughout the book, particularly in Chapter 6.

When looking at the postings, notice how many of them are for the field you are interested in. How does your field’s number of postings compare to other fields’? How recent are the postings compared to other fields’? Are the advertised salaries in the postings consistent with what you’re looking for? Are there any surprises with desired educational levels?

Comparing fields on a job board allows you to see which careers are experiencing the growth in headcount (or in the number of positions available), which companies tend to offer the positions, and how much they tend to pay. We’ll talk more about online job boards and how to truly leverage them in Chapter 6.

Figure 1: