A Recruiter’s Perspective

If you’ve never worked with a recruiting firm in your job search, applying for jobs at XYZ Company could seem intimidating.  But what if you could ask a recruiter any question you wanted? From interviews and resumes, to what it is recruiters actually do; we sat three of our top recruiters in on a roundtable discussion and asked them some of these questions. Here are the first four questions we asked them.

Question 1: You receive or find resumes from two different people who have the EXACT experience and qualifications you’re seeking to fulfill a client’s job. What would make one resume stand out over the other?

“Personally, I like a resume that is clean, thought out and not thrown together. As a recruiter, I see hundreds of resumes a day. For me, it’s important to find your experience quickly. I shouldn’t have to search through paragraphs or pages to find your experience. Bullet points are always a plus compared to paragraphs.” – Michelle

Question 2: What makes one job seeker stand out in a phone interview compared to others?

“Personality. This is their opportunity to sell themselves. For instance, if I’m hiring for an HR Coordinator position, the nature of the job requires you to be friendly and personable. If you’re dull and giving me one word answers, then I might move on to the next job seeker.” – Irene

“Attention and Professionalism. If I call you to talk about a job opportunity, I want to know that you are giving me your time and focus, without having the TV blaring in the background.” – Michelle

Question 3: What advice would you give to a job seeker on how to successfully work with a staffing/recruiting firm?

“Be open minded when working with a staffing firm. You never know where a job opportunity might take you.” – Jackie

“Treat the staffing firm as your actual employer. We work directly with the company you’re trying to get a job with and at the end of the day, with a temporary or contract job, we will be your direct employer.” – Michelle

Question 4: What would you say are the advantages of taking a temporary/contract assignment?

“It’s an opportunity for you to get more experience and exposure in an industry you’re looking to work in. You can build your experience and skill sets that might open up more opportunities in the long run.” – Jackie

Do you have a question for our recruiters? Email your question to [email protected] and it might get featured on the next Recruiter’s Perspective.