On March 13 I held a joint teleconference with Joe Centrella of Resource Options Inc., one of the premier recruiting and placement firms in the Boston Area. You can hear a recording of the conference here. The official topic of the teleconference was, "What Do Recuiters Do For You", but as it developed, a better title would have been, "How can you find a really good recruiter, and how can you work effectively with him." The discussion ranged far and wide, but Joe came up with three good rules of thumb:

1. A good recruiter will spend time talking with you about your long-term goals and aspirations, what you're good at and what you enjoy doing, your good and bad jobs, and other things about you. He'll use this information to match you with a job and employer that suits you well, so there will be a better chance that you'll be a reall success in the new job.

2. A good recruiter also spends time talking with the hiring company and the hiring manager, finding out about the organizational culture, what sort of person they're looking for, the career path opportunities in the company, and other factors that he will use to make the perfect match between the job and the candidate.

3. A good recruiter looks for a good match for you, not a fast placement because he doesn't want to wast your time, the company's time, and his own time on an interview that doesn't fit either you or the company. So it may be weeks between phone calls, but when the recruiter calls you it's likely that he's found a very high probability match. (Joe says that it's okay to check in periodically to see how things are going, but don't overdo it and call every day...)

"Having two or three recruiters representing you is wise....but be honest with each recruiter as to where your resume has already been submitted. Don't make the mistake of withholding that information. Also advise your client to be as sure as possible that their contingent recruiter of choice isn't blasting their resume all over kingdom come. Employers don't welcome a recruiter who spams resumes out where they are not wanted or invited. That's bad business for the recruiter, and bad business for the candidate." (KM)

"I 100% agree! The candidate needs to be selective which agency/recruiter(s) they choose. Also, make sure the recruiter(s) understand not to mass email without prior consent. There is nothing worse than 'Egg On Face' when a client tells you, 'this candidate has already been submitted thru another agency' and the candidate has no idea which recruiter or agency. It's damaging to both parties." (OC)

"I think that is an excellent conversation to have with your clients. I would say, it is actually good to work with multiple recruiters, just make sure you are working with the right ones. By that I mean your clients should make sure the firms they deal with specialize in their fields and have a long established track record of success. I would encourage your clients to develop relationships with recruiters and firms that take time to interview and get to know their clients and be cautious of organizations that call you based upon a resume on Monster.com and have a 10 minute conversation regarding one job." (PD)

• How long have you been recruiting in this field?
• How many candidates like me have you placed in the last year?
• What sort of companies will you be contacting about me?
• Tell me something about yo
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  enjoy doing, your good and bad jobs, and other things about you. He'll use this information to match you with a job and employer that suits you well, so there will be a better chance that you'll be a reall success in the new job.

• A good recruiter also spends time talking with the hiring company and the hiring manager, finding out about the organizational culture, what sort of person they're looking for, the career path opportunities in the company, and other factors that he will use to make the perfect match between the job and the candidate.

• A good recruiter looks for a good match for you, not a fast placement because he doesn't want to wast your time, the company's time, and his own time on an interview that doesn't fit either you or the company. So it may be weeks between phone calls, but when the recruiter calls you it's likely that he's found a very high probability match. (Joe says that it's okay to check in periodically to see how things are going, but don't overdo it and call every day...)
  Shortly after that, one of my clients asked me about the advisability of working with more than one recruiter at a time - whether it would cause trouble or had any down side. I knew one answer to the question already: it makes your life much more complicated because you have to keep track of multiple recruiters and who they've sent you to - sort of like directing traffic in a busy intersection. But I didn't know the rest of the answer, so I sent the question out to the listserve of the Boston Recruiter's Group. As usual, the recruiters in the group were very helpful, and here are some the responses I got back:

  "Having two or three recruiters representing you is wise....but be honest with each recruiter as to where your resume has already been submitted. Don't make the mistake of withholding that information. Also advise your client to be as sure as possible that their contingent recruiter of choice isn't blasting their resume all over kingdom come. Employers don't welcome a recruiter who spams resumes out where they are not wanted or invited. That's bad business for the recruiter, and bad business for the candidate." (KM)

  "I 100% agree! The candidate needs to be selective which agency/recruiter(s) they choose. Also, make sure the recruiter(s) understand not to mass email without prior consent. There is nothing worse than 'Egg On Face' when a client tells you, 'this candidate has already been submitted thru another agency' and the candidate has no idea which recruiter or agency. It's damaging to both parties." (OC)

  "I think that is an excellent conversation to have with your clients. I would say, it is actually good to work with multiple recruiters, just make sure you are working with the right ones. By that I mean your clients should make sure the firms they deal with specialize in their fields and have a long established track record of success. I would encourage your clients to develop relationships with recruiters and firms that take time to interview and get to know their clients and be cautious of organizations that call you based upon a resume on Monster.com and have a 10 minute conversation regarding one job." (PD)

  You get the idea - it makes sense to get more than one person working on your behalf but only if you carefully qualify the recruiters you decide to use. Some questions you might ask:
  • How long have you been recruiting in this field?
  • How many candidates like me have you placed in the last year?
  • What sort of companies will you be contacting about me?
  • Tell me something about y
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    SimplicityDo not over complicate the CV. It is your one and only chance to impress the reader, so keep it simple and pull out your strongest points to sell yourself. Keep it short, to the point and punchy.AchievementsAchievements are important to highlight and shows the reader the level of your ability. Use active verbs, such as, managed, led, responsible for, achieved as this just highlights all of your skills in an effective way.Work chronologicallyThe CV should start with your current or last employment and work backwards. If this is your first job, then list
    says that it's okay to check in periodically to see how things are going, but don't overdo it and call every day...)
    Shortly after that, one of my clients asked me about the advisability of working with more than one recruiter at a time - whether it would cause trouble or had any down side. I knew one answer to the question already: it makes your life much more complicated because you have to keep track of multiple recruiters and who they've sent you to - sort of like directing traffic in a busy intersection. But I didn't know the rest of the answer, so I sent the question out to the listserve of the Boston Recruiter's Group. As usual, the recruiters in the group were very helpful, and here are some the responses I got back:

    "Having two or three recruiters representing you is wise....but be honest with each recruiter as to where your resume has already been submitted. Don't make the mistake of withholding that information. Also advise your client to be as sure as possible that their contingent recruiter of choice isn't blasting their resume all over kingdom come. Employers don't welcome a recruiter who spams resumes out where they are not wanted or invited. That's bad business for the recruiter, and bad business for the candidate." (KM)

    "I 100% agree! The candidate needs to be selective which agency/recruiter(s) they choose. Also, make sure the recruiter(s) understand not to mass email without prior consent. There is nothing worse than 'Egg On Face' when a client tells you, 'this candidate has already been submitted thru another agency' and the candidate has no idea which recruiter or agency. It's damaging to both parties." (OC)

    "I think that is an excellent conversation to have with your clients. I would say, it is actually good to work with multiple recruiters, just make sure you are working with the right ones. By that I mean your clients should make sure the firms they deal with specialize in their fields and have a long established track record of success. I would encourage your clients to develop relationships with recruiters and firms that take time to interview and get to know their clients and be cautious of organizations that call you based upon a resume on Monster.com and have a 10 minute conversation regarding one job." (PD)

    You get the idea - it makes sense to get more than one person working on your behalf but only if you carefully qualify the recruiters you decide to use. Some questions you might ask:
    • How long have you been recruiting in this field?
    • How many candidates like me have you placed in the last year?
    • What sort of companies will you be contacting about me?
    • Tell me something about y
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      Don't make the mistake of withholding that information. Also advise your client to be as sure as possible that their contingent recruiter of choice isn't blasting their resume all over kingdom come. Employers don't welcome a recruiter who spams resumes out where they are not wanted or invited. That's bad business for the recruiter, and bad business for the candidate." (KM)

      "I 100% agree! The candidate needs to be selective which agency/recruiter(s) they choose. Also, make sure the recruiter(s) understand not to mass email without prior consent. There is nothing worse than 'Egg On Face' when a client tells you, 'this candidate has already been submitted thru another agency' and the candidate has no idea which recruiter or agency. It's damaging to both parties." (OC)

      "I think that is an excellent conversation to have with your clients. I would say, it is actually good to work with multiple recruiters, just make sure you are working with the right ones. By that I mean your clients should make sure the firms they deal with specialize in their fields and have a long established track record of success. I would encourage your clients to develop relationships with recruiters and firms that take time to interview and get to know their clients and be cautious of organizations that call you based upon a resume on Monster.com and have a 10 minute conversation regarding one job." (PD) You get the idea - it makes sense to get more than one person working on your behalf but only if you carefully qualify the recruiters you decide to use. Some questions you might ask:

      • How long have you been recruiting in this field?
      • How many candidates like me have you placed in the last year?
      • What sort of companies will you be contacting about me?
      • Tell me something about y
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        Executive office chairs are typically “top of the line.” They are often used in the corporate offices of top executives and are commonplace in high-level conference rooms and boardrooms, as well as the waiting areas of upper management. It is important that an executive office chair present a professional image while also being comfortable.Executive office chairs are typically made of leather and fine wood. Most feature an ergonomically correct design to help reduce the pains that are often associated with sitting for a long period of time. Various adjustment mechanisms allow executive
        le recruiters, just make sure you are working with the right ones. By that I mean your clients should make sure the firms they deal with specialize in their fields and have a long established track record of success. I would encourage your clients to develop relationships with recruiters and firms that take time to interview and get to know their clients and be cautious of organizations that call you based upon a resume on Monster.com and have a 10 minute conversation regarding one job." (PD) You get the idea - it makes sense to get more than one person working on your behalf but only if you carefully qualify the recruiters you decide to use. Some questions you might ask:
        • How long have you been recruiting in this field?
        • How many candidates like me have you placed in the last year?
        • What sort of companies will you be contacting about me?
        • Tell me something about yourself and your philosophy of recruiting and placement.
        
        If you decide to use a recruiter in your job search, it makes sense to have one that fits you well, and I hope that this article has given you some ideas about how to find the right one.