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I received an email today from an old job website and it was promoting a post from a medical recruiter. I began reading the post which was written by a recruiter offering "advice" to job seekers, and referring to one specific line that recruiters never want to hear from candidates. The post wasn't really an advice column, more like an article criticizing job seekers.
The line she mentioned that job seekers always say was..."Just get me front of the hiring manager".
I almost laughed because I've said that more than a few times to recruiters and they reacted the same way she did. They didn't want to hear it.
I think many job seekers are under the presumption that recruiters are well meaning individuals who are working hard to help find you a job. Well, I'm here to tell you that's a pipe dream. Recruiters do not care about you! Some of them may say they care about you, but let's be honest, they can be polite and they can be nice, but many of them don't give a damn about you. I wrote "many" because there are some recruiters who do care, and those are probably the most successful ones that I know.
If you're working with a recruiter and they don't answer calls, emails, or don't seem interested in your well being, don't get offended, just understand that it's their job to place people, not to like them. I've listed below a few things that I have come to understand about the recruiting business:
Recruiters Don't Work For You - Years ago, I was under the impression that a recruiter was working for me. Wrong! They're hired by companies to place people. Therefore, they are looking to place you with the company for whom they are recruiting and that's it. They're not looking for jobs for you, they're working for companies to place people. That's what they do! Again, don't get offended, merely understand that's how the system works. You are a product they a trying to place. They're not your aunt or uncle trying to find you a good job for a good company.
They Have Specific Guidelines - Recruiters don't set the guidelines so again don't get pissed off if they tell you that you're not qualified. A lot of companies set very specific parameters for hiring and they won't deviate. Some companies even have developed hiring algorithms. Years ago, I had a recruiter contact me about a management position in medical devices, because he thought I was a git. And even though I had 5 years experience as a sales manager, my experience wasn't in the medical sales field, so they wouldn't interview me. Not even a phone interview, despite the fact that I was the top rep at my company, out of a field of 300, and had been to President's Club 2 years in a row. I guess I didn't fit the company algorithm.
Recruiters Are Sales People - Whether you like the job they are pushing or not, they're going to try and sell you on the position. That is their job. It might not even be a job you want, but the best recruiters are great sales people. They will try to get you into the position because it's how they make their money! And they can push very hard to place you in a job you might not even want. Recently my wife had a recruiter calling her all the time to place her in a position with less pay at a more prestigious company. My wife told her that she was very happy in the position she was in and that she didn't want to take a pay cut.
The recruiter told her, "You're making a big mistake. Your company is going to go under or sell to this company and then where will you be?"
My wife's response, "I guess working for that company anyway? But for more pay?" Ouch!
Recruiters Have Bills To Pay - I was working with one of the top recruiters in the medical field years ago, and he was pushing for me to sign this stupid employment agreement before the end of the month. I was still working for a company and was getting irritated with the fact that he kept emailing and calling me. This guy had written books on recruiting, had offices in NYC and Los Angeles and was one of the top guys in his field, so why was he bothering with me?
I asked him, "Why are you calling me? I'm just a measly medical rep, and you're a big time recruiter."
He answered, "Even I've got bills to pay. And if I treated everyone as a measly medical rep, I wouldn't be a recruiter for too much longer. Everyone's important...to me."
Good answer.
Recruiters Won't Get Attached - Recruiters have to remain objective. They can't like one candidate more than another because they have to be unbiased. Thus, if they seem cold and heartless to you, it's because they probably are cold and heartless. They sell people and they may have their favorites, but they can't show this to companies, or candidates. People come in and out of their lives daily, and they don't have time to get all cozy with you on the couch and snuggle. Recruiters have to find the best candidate period, and many of them don't have time for feelings. So again don't be put off if they seem distant.
Finding a job is hard, very personal, and stressful. Rejection is difficult to overcome, especially when it almost seems that a company or recruiter is rejecting YOU. However understand that recruiters are a tool you can use to find employment. And just like a tool, many of them can be hard and cold. Try to get to know them, understand them, comprehend how the system works, and in the long run, both of you will be successful.
Good day and good luck with your job search!
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