Recruiter’s Perspective

A Recruiter’s Perspective – Part 2

| posted by Leah Ortiz

Last month we introduced “Recruiter’s Perspective – Part 1”, where we sat three of our top recruiters in on a roundtable discussion and asked them career centered questions. This is part 2 of the round table discussion.

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Question 1: As a recruiter who represents candidates, what are your expectations of the candidate once you’ve mutually decided to work together in pursuit of an assignment?

“Be reliable and dependable. Show up to the interview on time and keep your recruiter in the loop as to what is going on. For instance, if you’re sent on an interview, call us after and let us know how it went. We want to know that you’re interested.” – Irene

 “If something changes with your job status, let us know. We want to support you however we can.” – Michelle

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Question 2: What advice do you have for candidates who have to answer the interview question: “Tell me about yourself?”

 “This is your sales pitch about yourself as to why my client should hire you. This is your time to shine. Don’t tell me about what you like to do on the weekends. Keep it brief and professional.” – Irene

“Keep it professional and specific to the job you’re interviewing for. If the job requires someone proficient in Excel, explain to me how you can meet up to that requirement.”– Michelle

Recruitment-success

Question 3: Of the hundreds of positions you’ve filled over the years, please describe one or two really successful placements that stand out the most in your memory and why.

“I once had a candidate who previously worked for a nail salon and was hired for a temporary 2 week filing job. The two week position turned into 2 years, and then permanent!”  – Irene

“I was trying to find someone for a temporary 3 month position. I received a phone call from a lady who was retired and looking for work. I described to her the 3 month position and while she was hesitant at first, she went in for the interview and got the job. She ended up working for them for 3 years!” – Jackie

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Question 4: What do you like most about recruiting?

“We get the chance to help people find their next career. It’s different every day and it keeps you on your toes.” – Michelle

“I love that I get the opportunity to help people. Trying to find the right people for the right position is like a treasure hunt.” – Irene

“There is never a dull moment. It’s rewarding when you see a candidate go from temporary to permanent.” – 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.

A Recruiter’s Perspective

| posted by Leah Ortiz

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.

resume

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

Phone Interview

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

Recruiter

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

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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.