How Do We Find You?

It’s always interesting to me to look outside the box and look at our recruiting world through the eyes of others. I was having a meeting with several other professionals about what we do and we were discussing job boards, and how recruiters find people. We take it for granted that every job seeker knows exactly what to do and how to be found.

That’s not the case. While we’re in this business day in and day out, the average job seeker only knows that it’s important to have a resume. They aren’t writing experts, they don’t always know what’s critical, what’s too much, too little, etc.  Here’s a list of the things job seeker’s might consider and why:

• Strong keyword selection. It’s not just what you did; it’s what a recruiter will look for. It’s not that you’re just a manager; i.e. it’s that you managed more than eight people. Perhaps mentioning that you handled scheduling, discipline and professional development are strong factors. It might also be important that you led some of your team to promotion opportunities.  All of these details will be in the job description that you’re applying for – just read between the lines.
• Demonstrate your 80/20. Sure you did a lot, but what were you mostly responsible for, not just the once a month task.  Focus on what you accomplished, and excelled at. Nothing speaks to a recruiter or hiring manager more clearly than past success. If you’re in sales, perhaps the average number of clients, percentage growth versus industry norm, typical client volume, etc. If you’re handling a high volume of calls, let them know an average (inbound vs. outbound).
• Placement. You can’t be found, if no one knows about you. That means you need to apply for appropriate jobs, but you might also consider posting in professional forums on places like LinkedIn, especially if you’re in somewhat of a niche market.  Think of it as networking for your resume (and that’s not a bad idea either).

As recruiters, we look in a number of places. Of course we post on job boards – our own, and the leading ones. We also post in non-traditional places, talk to career placement offices from various post-secondary programs, and scour multiple places to identify strong candidates. Step one is finding you, step two is making sure you have the appropriate work history, and step three is validating that you have done the tasks we’re looking for someone to do in the new role.  If you can accomplish that trifecta, you’ll increase your chances of earning that elusive interview.

Read more of our blog for tips, ideas, strategies on your job search and more. Share with your job seeking friends. Every little bit helps.