Recruiting In Yoga Pants

Dressing up is for suckers

Category: advice (Page 2 of 4)

How To Request An Informational Interview!

December 9, 2022 /

Basically, networking. But networking with AN AGENDA!! My favorite kind!

So how do you do that exactly? Easy – four simple steps:

  1. Set Your Intentions! This is critical at the beginning of ANY job search but before you start asking people for help, make sure you know WHAT it is you want help with! Are you trying to pivot to a new industry? Relocate to a new area? Pick up a new skill? Now that you have an “ask” – put it out there! This can be a LinkedIn post, a tweet, wherever the people you want to reach are hanging out.
  2. Engage with experts! Once you make your request, folks will either start sharing THEIR expertise or recommend names for you to follow. GO DO THAT. Follow, connect, comment, share… Learn everything you can from what’s already available and what folks you’re being introduced to can offer you. You’ll probably find that many of your questions are already answered in existing content.
  3. Send targeted 1:1 requests! This does not HAVE to be a 15 minute “can I pick your brain” call. It can be a carefully written email asking for 3 specific things – make it easy to respond! If I know EXACTLY what you want, I can almost always pretty quickly write a response or drop a link that answers your questions.
  4. Show gratitude. That’s it. Lots of coaches and “experts” will claim that you MUST “build a relationship” or “show your value” before asking for anything in return. I don’t think so! Again, you’re seeking to learn something from folks who know what you don’t. It’s perfectly ok to not have anything to offer – yet. Simply showing gratitude and promising to pay it forward is all the thanks a lot of folks need (or expect).

Here’s a template you can use when you’re ready to hit step 3:

Hi (Name),

We recently connected/(name) recommended you as someone to talk with about (industry or topic). I am (quick intro) hoping to learn more about (topic).

I’m hoping you can give me some guidance on (bullet points).

If there is anyone else in your network you recommend I follow or other resources I should check into, I would be grateful! Thanks in advance for your guidance!

Me

Let’s say someone like me wanted to pivot to career coaching (bwhahahahaha wouldn’t that piss some people off). I’d write something like this, to coaches I admire or have been referred to me:

Hi (name),

We haven’t met, but your name came up in a conversation about coaching and I would love to understand a bit more about your industry. I’m a tenured recruiter in the Seattle market mostly focused on tech, and I am interested in exploring full time coaching. I recently read (something they shared/wrote) and was intrigued by (takeaway). Specifically, I’d love to learn more about:

  • recommended certifications / industry trainings
  • Workload balancing / how you structure your day
  • Business development / advertising of your services

I would welcome any other suggestions or topics you think I should research. Thanks so much for taking the time to read this! Hope to hear from you soon.

Best,

Amy

Easy peasy! Not every informational HAS to be a phone call or video chat. You’re requesting information. That’s it. That’s the purpose of the informational!

Not try it for yourself and let me know how it goes!

Link to video HERE.

Networking With Recruiters! 2022 Amy’s Version

October 15, 2022 /

I wrote about this back in 2019 and hahahahaha OMG how things have changed since then.

You can read it here, if you’re curious.

So what’s changed Ames? Well, the SHEER VOLUME of requests I get. Every. Single. Day.

Simmer down haters. I know how y’all like to get confused about how recruiting works. Keep reading.

So let’s start with WHAT recruiters actually do anyway. We are hired by companies (internal or agency) to find, engage, and deliver qualified candidates. As such, our PRIMARY FOCUS is on engaging with people in our specific niche/line of business/talent populations. There are other business facing priorities, but let’s focus on the candidate/applicant/prospect side.

For many recruiters, our priorities are as follows:

  • Applicants (folks who applied directly to our open roles)
  • Employee Referrals
  • Sourced prospects

My personal policy and what I encourage my team to do, is to check the applicant buckets first thing every morning. Yes, some roles get hundreds of applicants, but rarely overnight. Even in those cases it’s still a good practice to quickly review/forward/disposition on a daily basis. Over the last few years direct applicants have been my personal best source of hire! Sourced candidates (found by me / my team) and formal employee referrals (via my company’s internal career site) round out our list.

OK Ames, we get it – but what about people who want to approach you?

Let me clear up one ridiculous misconception RIGHT NOW – I LOVE interested, qualified prospects sliding into my DMs. Love it. Absolutely love it. You think I dress up in silly costumes every week and come up with funny ways to bring attention to my open roles for the hell of it?

Y’all – I WANT people who could fit my roles to find me and talk to me.

Those folks are my SECOND priority, after direct qualified applicants. I try to quickly scan my various inboxes daily to make sure I’m not missing any hot prospects or urgent requests. I also share contact info for our entire recruiting team, which is the single best way (AFTER applying directly) to get in touch with us about roles we’re hiring for.

But what about everyone else? Job seekers need help!

Y’all have to understand that my day job is what allows me to create all the other content for folks I will never hire. That means my day job HAS to be my priority. I started this blog and later YouTube channel BECAUSE I was no longer able to keep up with all the one to one requests. I have no special skills. I was not born into privilege, nor was I handed any opportunity. I had to figure out the hard way what worked for me, how to network effectively, and what a proper job search strategy (FOR ME) looked like. My primary goal with this “side hustle” is to help the average, every day job seeker who does NOT have certain privileges navigate all this better. My content is FREE, no strings attached, and available to anyone who wants it.

I sincerely welcome any and all messages from anyone who wants to get in touch – I’m merely asking for a little grace and understanding if I can’t respond right away, or worse – completely miss your message and fail to respond at all. I will never – EVER – be mad that someone reached out to me.

Now there are SOME individuals who think I could provide more value by responding to hundreds of people every week with “sorry can’t help you” instead of “making videos every day”. (Once a week, sparky. I make videos once a week. Math is hard I know).

Now that we have a bit more CONTEXT, let’s dig into what job seekers CAN do to stand out and get helpful responses!

Get clear on your ask

If you just want to network or add someone to your LinkedIn connections, that’s totally ok! You can say that! Unfortunately I’m at the max LI allows, but I encourage folks to follow me to stay connected. Feel free to engage in comments, tag me in posts, I’m cool with that! If you want to DM me, please tell me EXACTLY what it is I can help with. If I see the message (and honestly, I get SO MANY I know I miss a bunch) I’ll do my best to answer quickly – even if it’s redirecting you back to a video or post I already made.

Do your homework!

I cannot stress this part enough – contacting the RIGHT recruiter(s) is such an important first step. Most of us are pretty good at highlighting our industries, the company we recruit for, and the kinds of roles we’re looking to fill. Simply targeting your message to the RIGHT kind of recruiter is already a game changer, and fairly low lift.

Connect with / Follow industry pros

So many job seekers default to RECRUITERS, which is fine! Most of us really do want to help and it’s like Christmas when qualified folks land in our inboxes. However, those messages can be accidentally missed in a sea of other requests. Don’t sleep on networking with fellow (insert title here) and their leaders! If I was looking for a new recruiting job, you better believe I’m hitting up RECRUITERS and recruiting MANAGERS at companies I want to work for.

OK Ames you’ve convinced me – now what do I SAY?

I got you! I’ve written targeted networking templates you can access HERE. These templates are intended to give you a framework you can personalize to your specific requests and target audience. I have lots of other content like Salary FAQs, Recruiting FAQs, all kinds of stuff to help you navigate this all more effectively. If you like videos, I’ve curated a whole playlist you might want to start with. – Job Seeker Survival Guide

To sum it up –

Friends, let me be vulnerable with you for a moment. While 90% or more of the reactions I get to my content is positive, I get my share of very loud haters. I’ve had people tag CEOs of three major tech companies (my employers) trying to get me fired. I’ve been insulted, threatened, and accused of all kinds of nefarious nonsense. I refuse to share my family on social media (rarely even pictures) because my KIDS have been targeted by strangers angry that I didn’t give them something they demanded of me.

There is NO profession – including recruiters – that deserves the vitriol certain folks lob our way. The fact that recruiters remain accessible after what we go through should be celebrated! I know my content (let alone my style) is not for everyone, and that is OK! My only ask is if you HAVE benefited from anything I’ve shared, please pay it forward. Share with your friends. I don’t want lifelong followers – my hope is that folks leverage my insights, get the role(s) they want and help the next group of job seekers.

I never want to shame anyone for seeking help. EVER. Asking for help is a sign strength, in my opinion. Recognizing your gaps, or where you need a lift, is a wonderful thing. I sincerely want to be that lift to as many people as I can, as effectively as possible.

Recruiters are human too – don’t forget that when asking us to put the HUMAN back in Human Resources.

P.S. – for the salty little potatoes in recruiting who think I owe literally every single person who contacts me a response – please leave your contact information below. I will add it to my auto-responder so that these folks can go to YOU for the direct, one on one assistance I am unable to provide. We thank you for your service. Alternatively, you can see if shutting up is right for you.

Unsuccessful Interview = Waste of Time?

September 30, 2022 /

This is a tough one y’all.

A lot of job seekers are understandably frustrated when they get rejected after an interview. The process can be absolutely grueling at many companies, and a lack of feedback (or God forbid – closure!) can feel like salt in the wound. Believe me, I get the urge to go straight to LinkedIn and fire off a post asking how Company had the actual audacity to interview me knowing they weren’t going to hire me. (Yes, we’ve all seen posts like this)

EXCEPT – the company likely did NOT know they were not going to hire you. That’s why they interviewed you. To figure all that out. Check out “What’s The Point Of An Interview Anyway” for more on that topic.

So what’s a job seeker to do? Even if we have the most positive outlook on this, being rejected still stings and doesn’t get us any closer to a regular paycheck. NOW WHAT?

Change your thinking.

We tend to look at interviews as a one time event that results in a clear yes or no. While this is technically true, what if I told you that you could use your interview as a networking opportunity? Think about it – whatever field you’re in, you’re likely going to interview with people who also do the same thing. If you’re an electrical engineer, I would be SHOCKED if you didn’t have at least one electrical engineer on your interview panel. This pretty much goes for almost any industry, don’t you think?

So here’s the specific next step I want you to take. Once the interview dust has settled, the decision is in, closure has been received, send a note. This will likely be a LinkedIn message or invite, unless you have specific contact info for folks you met (which frankly, is pretty rare). Try something like this:

Hi Interviewer,

Thanks so much for the time you spent interviewing me last month (or whenever) for the (Title) role. I was bummed to hear from (recruiter) that I wasn’t selected, but I really enjoyed getting to know everyone and would love to keep in touch for future opportunities.

I hope you’ll consider connecting, and I hope our paths will cross again in the future!

You

So why does this work?

Simple! You’re just making friends/connections with people in your industry. Now this isn’t an immediate fix or automatic re-consideration of your interview – it IS an opportunity to stay connected to someone who does similar work. That person may go work for a new company, and when asked “who do you know” by their new recruiting team (I promise you we do this) well – they know YOU!

The reality is this – we’re not going to overrule a hiring decision. While it would be WONDERFUL to get feedback, I want you to also keep in mind that feedback is highly subjective and only relevant to three things:

  • The Company
  • The Team
  • The Role

If you want to work for that company in a different capacity, it’s fine to ask if it makes sense to reapply, target different roles or different levels. Also find out if there’s a cooling off period (of course I have a video on that TOO). Beyond that, feedback about this specific interview may not be as actionable or constructive as you might hope. My failed interview at Meta did nothing to keep me from moving on to Google.

Now go make some new professional friends! You never know what doors they can open in the future.

Should You Work EXCLUSIVELY With One Recruiter?

August 26, 2022 /

Would you consider signing and exclusivity agreement with a recruiter to represent you?

While it may seem like a good idea… it’s important to keep in mind that recruiters ultimately work for THEIR CLIENTS (aka the hiring manager/company) and NOT you – the candidate. What are the scenarios in which a single point of contact or representative might work out?

Internal Recruiters

Once you are actively interviewing for a role, if you’re working with an internal or corporate recruiter it is IMPERATIVE that you keep them in the loop of any other conversations you might be having. Most internal recruiters are happy to share internally, and generally want to land you for the company and not just their specific requisition. Recruiters also tend to leave detailed notes in the ATS to trying to game the system by having lots of side chats with different recruiters actually harms more than it helps. Be transparent with your recruiter if you’re interested (and qualified!) for roles outside of the one you’re being considered for.

Agency Recruiters

Similarly to internal recruiters, agency recruiters will likely have some tagging or “ownership” rules regarding your candidacy – meaning they can represent you across any of the opportunities their agency has access to. They will often share with their colleagues try to to connect you to roles managed by other recruiters. Having a single point of contact within the agency is a good idea – working with MULTIPLE agencies is also a good idea!

Right To Represent

This is where it gets tricky. Some companies (particularly larger firms) maybe have multiple agencies working on the same hiring need. Now personally, I think this is a TERRIBLE idea – but no one asked me so here we are. SO – this is one of the rare instances I might agree to let a specific recruiter from a certain agency represent me exclusively – with the caveat that it is for THIS ROLE and ORGANIZATION.

As usual, your personal mileage can vary greatly depending on the firm, client base, and kinds of roles you’re talking about. The most important thing is to understand the pros and cons of such an agreement. Anything that unnecessarily hinders you from talking with other companies or potential opportunities would be a non-starter for me.

Have you – as a job seeker – ever committed to “exclusivity” with a recruiter? How did it work out?

For more on this topic, check out the accompanying AMA Friday video HERE

How To Answer “What Do You Know About Our Company?”

August 19, 2022 /

Not a fan of this question y’all.

Ok – it’s IDEAL if a candidate does a little research on an organization before starting the interview process. Is it a DEAL BREAKER though if someone hasn’t? This recruiter doesn’t think so!

As for me, I prefer to frame the question a little differently – “what can I tell you about our company?” This creates an opportunity to ask literally anything – you might have already done a ton of research and are looking to verify what you know! You may know absolutely NOTHING – and that’s ok too.

For the very first introductory call, I have zero expectations of what you should already know.

Unfortunately there are recruiters and companies out there who use this as a pass/fail question. If you haven’t done minimum research, they won’t proceed with your candidacy. While this is absolute LUNACY to me, I’ve come up with a few suggestions on how to prep for those intro calls in case you run into those gatekeepers in the wild.

Research the RECRUITER

Typically your first contact is with a recruiter. This is especially true for agency represented opportunities. Some third party recruiters won’t even give up their client’s name until they get you on the phone! (how the heck are you supposed to research THAT…) Here’s the deal – recruiters are gonna tell on themselves. Check out their content, their communication, expectations they share broadly. You can learn a lot about the kind of person you’re potentially working with by watching how they communicate with the masses!

Prepare Questions

Let’s say you DO take a few minutes to google the company. You can pick up some PR blessed insights of course. Glassdoor ratings, Blind posts, there’s usually no shortage of information out there. But is it ACCURATE? Hard to say. Simply having a sense of the company’s purpose (ABC Company is the largest widget manufacturer in the Midwest!) might be a good start. Now let’s fill that in:

  • How does this role/team fit into the larger organization?
  • Besides what’s publicly available, what can you tell me about growth plans or expansion?
  • Is there anything you can share about Hiring Manager’s leadership style/deliverables/future state of the team?

Remember Why You’re Here

Interviewing is a data collection exercise – on both sides. The introductory conversation is simply that – an introduction to the team, potentially hiring manager, team members. You’re going to learn more with every interaction, and should feel comfortable asking questions that matter and provide data YOU need to know before moving to each next step. You don’t have to know it all going in, but you have the right to get it all as you go through their interview processes.

Want more insights? Check out the AMA Friday video on this topic HERE.

A Lesson In Leadership

February 27, 2022 /

Way back in my agency days I worked for a man named Stuart. He was a Russian man who would regale us with tales of cold Siberian winters from his Army days.

Stuart also dinged me for showing up to work “late”. The hours for our staffing office were 7 am to 5 pm every day. My daycare didn’t open until 7, but it was only 5 minutes from the office. So me rolling in 7 minutes late was UNACCEPTABLE even though I had staff there to open up… not to mention I worked through lunch / stayed late every day.

Stuart was not a fun boss.

Eventually our firm was bought out and we got a new COO – Bob. As part of making the rounds and visiting the offices, he took my team to lunch. Stuart joined us, and I remember the conversation turning to vacations. Stuart proudly crowed “I haven’t taken a vacation in 6 years!” Bob turned to Stuart, locked yes with him and said “do you think that impresses me?”

Now I’m sure the WHOLE restaurant wasn’t listening… but the silence was DEAFENING. I’d never heard such a thing from a leader. I was VERY early in my career – still with my first ever agency (after a few promotions) and honestly had NO idea how to navigate the corporate world, and had very little basis for comparison when it came to bosses and leaders. To hear a C-suite leader not only encourage us to take our PTO but also explain WHY Stuart – as a leader – needed to also support time off? Whoa. My mind was blown.

20 years later, I will admit I still struggle with boundaries and fully disconnecting when taking time off. I’m working on it, I promise – and though I’ve long forgotten what these men look like, I remember how they made me FEEL.

Take your PTO.
Drink Water.
Be like Bob.

The ONE Thing Job Seekers Can Control

January 4, 2021 /

 Y’all I’m going to drop some very loving truth bombs right now. Prepare yourself.

No one – NO ONE – is responsible for your job search but YOU – the job seeker. Not recruiters. Not hiring managers. Not HR. Not your momma. ONLY you. While any number of these people can help you as you navigate your search, the actions you take are ultimately yours and yours alone. 

Of course the obvious push back to this (and rightly so) is that job search is so f*cking confusing. Apply to everything. Don’t apply to anything. Network. Show your value. Have 47 versions of your resume. Don’t make a resume at all. Stand out. Stand in. Stand over there. Stand on your head.

 

 

WHAT IS A JOB SEEKER TO DO?

There is exactly ONE THING in this entire process start to finish that is 100% in YOUR control. That is the information you choose to provide to a company/hiring manager/recruiter. It is usually in the form of a resume, possibly a cover letter, and almost certainly information in an online application. Before we talk about that, let’s start by getting clear on some of the fundamentals. The usual caveats apply here – your personal mileage may vary. Your friend’s neighbor’s cousin’s ex-boyfriend once dated a girl who’s sister had a COMPLETELY different experience. Cool. You’re free to chase whatever thought leader feel good nonsense you like. If you’re open to some tough truths that may give you a fresh perspective, read on!

Job Descriptions

MOST job descriptions are written by business leaders. A lot of the formatting or required fields are created and approved by HR, Marketing, and Legal – but typically the meat of the JD is created or at least influenced by the managers, who know what it is they want to hire for. We hear a LOT of complaining about “entry-level” job descriptions requiring 5+ years of experience. Guess what? Those roles are not entry level. I am not sure why they are classified as such – they’re not. This article from Indeed describes “entry-level” as follows – 

 

  • “Degree not required” entry-level jobs: These types of entry-level jobs do not require a college degree and may not require any previous experience. Examples of jobs in this segment include data entry, technicians, retail and sales positions and administrative positions.
  • True entry-level jobs: True entry-level jobs are those that you can typically get upon graduation from college. These positions require applicants to have an undergraduate degree and possibly internship experience. Examples of true entry-level jobs can be found in the career fields of marketing, healthcare, law and finance.
  • “Professional experience required” entry-level jobs: This type of entry-level position requires applicants to have at least one to three years of full-time, professional experience in the field. Employers are looking to fill these types of roles with professionals that require minimal training and guidance during on-boarding. These entry-level jobs are commonly found in the areas of business, science and technology.
Now most of us would agree that that requiring ANY experience makes a role by definition *not* entry level, but there you have it. Fortunately, depending on the organization – “experience” MAY include research projects, internships, or certain academic experiences. This is also a good time to point out that a number of large companies, particularly in tech, have a very specific model for hiring new grads. There are literally entire groups of recruiters dedicated to Campus Hiring – college students and fresh grads often find themselves frustrated by trying to apply to industry roles (aka NOT true “entry level”) with companies who’s recruiters aren’t even allowed to talk to them. More on that in an upcoming AMA video. 
 
Of course mistakes are still made. Lots of fun is poked at ridiculous postings like the one asking for 12 years of experience in a 6 year old technology. It’s embarrassing, funny, and thankfully RARE. 
 
Speaking of Job Descriptions….
 
Basic Qualifications
 
For companies in the US subject to OFCCP requirements, Basic Qualifications (BQs) are NOT negotiable. EEO rules require these companies to create minimum qualifications that can be measurable and easily identified on a resume. Frequently Asked Questions found here provide a pretty decent breakdown of what a BQ actually IS, along with some other info. A lot of job seekers make the mistake of assuming this only applies to federal contractors – while this is technically correct, any company doing business to the tune of 10K or more annually is a Federal Contractor. Looking at you, most big tech companies. And banks. Basically anyone who does business with the government. This could be selling cloud services, advertising, equipment… the list is probably a lot longer than you think. Bottom line, companies have a responsibility to make BQs as minimal and fair as possible, but job seekers ALSO have a responsibility to make sure their application speaks to their fit for those qualifications.
 
If you’re “close” – it may make sense to apply anyway. Smart recruiters will look at these “near miss” applicants and try to map them up to more junior roles or short list them for future hiring needs. They may also use them as a reason to go back to the hiring manager and say “LOOK AT ALL THE NEAR MISSES WE HAVE” – and come away with a newly redefined role that you’re now a perfect fit for.
 
Companies (and their hiring managers / recruiters) have a RESPONSIBILITY to be as clear, succinct, and reasonable as possible in their job postings. I understand this is not always the case. As job seekers, we can’t control that. We can only work with the information we have, and respond accordingly. Which means…
 
Resumes
 
Ah… NOW we’re at the part that you can control, full stop. We’ve found a job that’s right for us. We meet the qualifications, and we’re ready to apply! If you’re worried about the dreaded ATS, watch this video. Even though we’ve told you time and again about humans reviewing your resume, it’s important to note what those humans are looking for. Generally speaking, they want to see “proof” that you can do the job. Context is important – just matching keywords rarely gets you past a quick view. Your resume is usually the first thing a prospective hiring manager or recruiter will read from you. It’s also the one thing that is completely within your control. 
 
YOU get to control what is in your resume. You decide the format, the context, the keywords. While there is a lot of guidance out there, including some worth every penny resume writers, it’s still YOUR resume, and you get to decide what to put on it. There’s literally no one policing this. So why wouldn’t you choose to optimize it for the people you want to read it?
 
I’ve shared the story before about the job seeker I was attempting to help who wanted a job as a forklift driver. He couldn’t understand why he wasn’t getting calls, as he had significant experience in this field. When he showed me the resume he was using to apply, there was not a single mention of forklifts. None any of the certifications he had. NOTHING that would indicate he’d ever set foot in a warehouse. There was NO changing his mind that online applications and the assholes behind them weren’t at fault. What he failed to accept was that his resume, the information he was providing, was completely on him. He couldn’t control what companies were posting. He couldn’t tell them which ATS to use, or how to structure interviews. The information he was putting in front of them? That was all him. And he refused to see the errors he was making. 
 
As a job seeker, you can’t guarantee job descriptions will be well written. You can’t be sure the recruiters on the other end of the ATS knows what they’re looking for. You can’t even really predict the format of an interview and can only do your best to influence the outcome. You CAN control the information you’re putting forward as an introduction. Instead of bitching that a company is focusing on required skills, maybe just take a minute to make sure you’re talking about your expertise in said skills? We hear this a lot in industry changers – for example, a job seeker noted they use “EPC” in their industry, whereas in tech the terminology would be “engineering supply chain”. Now we can agree that any recruiter or hiring manager worth their ATS log in could recognize interchangeable terms like this, why leave it to chance? The more you mirror the language in the JD (aka what the managers are looking for), the less you have to worry about silly “keyword” matching. 
 
YOU decide what companies you want to apply to.
YOU decide which roles you fit the qualifications for.
YOU decide what information to put forward in the application, networking email, and resume.
 
For more insight, check out my All About Resumes Playlist – and take charge of the one thing you are fully in control of.
 
 

How To Beat The ATS (and get immediately rejected!)

October 12, 2020 /

What’s old is new again, y’all!

That tired, old “tiny white font” hack is back on the internet, this time in the form of a TikTok video. Now I don’t actually HAVE TikTok, so we’ll have to settle for a link to where I was recently subjected to this horror – someone’s LinkedIn post.

edit: I now have TikTok. My kids are embarrassed beyond belief. Here’s my response.

The general idea is that you can trick “the bots” (yeah, the ATS bots that don’t exist. I know. Stay with me here) by adding the Job Description to your RESUME in TINY WHITE FONT! White, so it’s not visible. Tiny, so you don’t have a weird bunch of “empty” space. The goal here is to pack your resume FULL of the necessary keywords so you get past the (imaginary) bot. I mean, how could you NOT be a perfect fit for the job, when you’re resume is basically the job description??

If you suspend all logic, you have to admit there’s a certain kind of magic to this. Sort of like the same kind of wonder little kids have when their parents convince them Santa Claus is real. I mean, there’s just enough evidence (the presents, the cookies consumed, the reindeer hoof prints) to PROVE that THIS IS REAL.

Except the parents who are buying the gifts, eating the cookies, and making hoof impressions know better.

The big difference here though, is there’s no harm in believing in some fat guy in a red suit. Using the aforementioned trickery in your job search though, can actually cost you. Let’s dive into a few possible scenarios, AKA things I’ve personally seen happen as a recruiter –

1. A real person looks at your resume. Assuming your resume is not a fit otherwise (minus the white font trickery), we never know you even tried that, and just reject. Because… you don’t meet the basic qualifications. This is literally the first and most important rule. Good news, we don’t know you tried to scam us. Bad news, you never got past the first screen anyway.

2. A real person looks at your resume. There’s some interesting / relevant experience, but the recruiter doesn’t see a particular technology that they know the hiring manager is looking for. So a little CTRL-F – word shows up… GASP! In TINY. WHITE. FONT. Reject. Congratulations, you’ve just convinced the recruiter that you’re probably shady and we have other candidates to look at. Next.

3. A real person looks at your resume. You clearly meet the basic qualifications, and get passed on to the hiring manager. If you’re lucky, the tiny white font trick goes unnoticed, and you move through the recruiting process.

4. A real person looks at your resume. Not a fit for the role you applied to, but you stay in the database. Some time later, the same recruiter (or even a different recruiter) runs a search, and guess who’s resume shows up? Boolean search shows the relevant terms highlighted in… wait – what’s this? TINY WHITE FONT? Ugh. Reject. The recruiter moves on to other candidates.

Bonus Point – the recruiter is so annoyed they put a note in the database that you came up in a search using a tired old “hack”. Future recruiters steer clear. I’ve absolutely seen this happen at a small, privately held company as well as in agency. If you still don’t believe me that this is old news, check out this article from 2010. It’s as bad an idea now as it was then.

Now many people will argue with me that there’s NO WAY a real person looked at their resumes. Sometimes, that’s absolutely correct. Knock out questions, roles being closed/internal transfers pending, maybe we already have a large number of prospects… bulk dispositions CAN happen, though I would not say it’s “the norm” and not nearly as common as folks may think. Even when it DOES happen, guess what? A PERSON made that decision. And set up the ATS to do it. My coffee maker may turn itself on at 6 am every day, but only because I told it to.

There is a common misconception that if you only have enough keywords packed into your resume, you’re going to get past the gatekeepers (robotic or otherwise). Ok… and then what? I’m even willing to play along that all recruiters are just out here playing buzzword bingo and submitting unqualified candidates based on a keyword match. How far does that actually get you? Do you think you’ll even get an interview if you truly don’t possess the qualifications for the role?

Visible Confusion | Know Your Meme

Sorry y’all – not how it works. You’re going to have to be able to perform the job. If you CAN perform the job, taking time to actually illustrate that in your resume from the start is always going to be the smart play here. Anything else is just sleight of hand, kind of like sneaking presents from Santa under the tree.

Eventually, kids grow up and know better. Let’s hope job seekers will follow suit.

How To Land Your Next Role In 5 Easy Steps

June 17, 2020 /

hahahahahaha.

 
Y’all I couldn’t even TYPE that title without laughing. As if it’s that simple. 
 
 
BUT WAIT! What if we COULD distill the process down to a reasonable, repeatable, 5 step process? Let’s discuss.
 
 
I actually DO believe we can create a simple roadmap for finding your next role. Here are the steps I came up with – let’s pick them apart down below.
 
 
  1. Determine the companies you’d like to explore / could see yourself working at
  2. Look at their open roles, apply to ones you clearly fit the qualifications for (caveat – employers have a responsibility for being clear and concise in their postings – I know this doesn’t always happen)
  3. Threefold networking – Recruiter/Peers/Leaders – more on that and how to get templates below
  4. In tandem, make sure your trusted network knows you’re open, what you’d like to do and what you’re good at – they may often recommend companies you may not have considered or that didn’t make the cut in step 1
  5. Rinse and repeat as needed
 
 
 
So why does this WORK? The key to all of this is QUALITY OVER QUANTITY. So many job seekers (and God love ya recruiters are lousy for this too) think that “if I just spam ENOUGH PEOPLE SOMEONE WILL RESPOND”. 
 
 
Oh nay nay. 
 
 
In step 1 we are carefully curating a list of companies we could see ourselves working at. There’s no magic number or criteria here. YOU decide who makes the list. Maybe it’s all of FAANG. Maybe it’s anywhere within a 10 minute commute. Could be 3 companies, could be 30. You decide. Although 30 you might want to break down into 3 separate efforts. 🙂 Check out my video on Dream Jobs HERE.
 
 
GREAT! You’ve got your list. On to step 2. Now check out their careers pages. Look for roles that light you up. Do they actually hire what you do? That’s a good place to start – once you’ve found a role (or maybe a few in HUGE companies) start working on those applications! The key here is to make sure your resume is well targeted to the job description and those pesky Basic Qualifications are clearly addressed. If you’ve already created your master resume and are targeting a handful of related roles, this should not take more than an hour or so. This is TIME WELL SPENT. The better targeted your profile and resume are to the needs of the role, the more likely it is a recruiter will contact you. That said, we’re not going to sit around and wait. WE ARE HUSTLERS AND READY TO MAKE SHIT HAPPEN!
 
 
So now we’re at step 3. NETWORKING. Yes applying is important – but that doesn’t mean you can’t use every means available to you to get noticed. Job seekers often default to contacting recruiters – which is a GREAT idea, if they’re the right ones. I wrote about networking with recruiters HERE. You can also email me with “NETWORKING”  in the subject line for updated templates and more guidance on how to reach out to recruiters, possible peers/colleagues, as well as potential hiring managers.
 
 
Whew! We can see the finish line. Now here’s the part where you call on your friends and family. If you’re open to a change, TELL PEOPLE! Your colleagues, neighbors, your kid’s t-ball coach, all these people know other people. Now this is not a license to spam everyone with your career problems, but if you know the guy across the street works for your dream company, hit him up at the next HOA meeting! It can be as simple as “hey I’m looking for my next career move and applied to a role at XYZ Firm. How do you like it there?” See where the conversation takes you. If neighbor guy is uncomfortable, he’ll change the subject pretty quickly. Let it go. OR – he could be like most decent humans and tell you all about it. Maybe even offer to refer you! Employee referrals are fantastic when done right. I actually landed my current DREAM JOB after grabbing a glass of wine at happy hour with one of my girlfriends. She works for a company I had actually avoided for years. I’d interviewed a couple of times but didn’t have the best experience previously. While hearing about how much she LOVED her job I knew I had to at least throw my hat in the ring. Nearly 6 months later I’m the happiest I’ve ever been career wise! Take the shot.
 
 
Ok Amy I did all that and I STILL don’t have a job!! NOW WHAT? Well, do it again. That’s step 5. You may run through this exercise a few times before you get THE call. This is why it’s so important to start with a (very) short list – give your resume and application (and networking emails and outreach) the right attention up front. You can do it again with the next few companies. And the next. And the next. I’m not asking you to limit the number of applications or outreaches – I’m asking you to do it strategically, methodically, and with the other person in mind. No spam. 
 
 
This FEELS like a no-brainer to me, but somehow seems to really piss off the so-called experts. You’ll recognize them by their constant shouting about how “the process is BROKEN” and telling you to stay away from people like me. They may also be selling something and are often found hollering at me in the comment sections of everything I say or do on social media. 😉 There is no one size fits all foolproof solution. The minute I try to create that, some fool will come along and prove me wrong. Look, this is YOUR career – you decide where you’re going and how you’ll get there – I just happen to think I’ve got a pretty reasonable map. 
 
 
 

How To Land Your Dream Job In 1,472 Easy Steps

May 8, 2020 /

I get asked a LOT how I got into Big Tech. If you’ve been following me for a hot minute, you know I’ve been recruiting since the dark ages and in tech for a while now too. I’ve been there, done that, got several t-shirts.

Still, when people ask me “how did you end up in THAT job?” – the answer isn’t terribly exciting, helpful, or that interesting. Simply put, I hustled. I mean I worked my ASS OFF to learn my industry. I made friends. I asked questions. I begged people to mentor me. I EARNED IT.

It took a long time.

Let’s go aaaaaallllll the way back to my childhood. I was a dirt poor little girl in the literal middle of the country. I was an only child (until my brother came along when I was 12). I didn’t know my dad then. My mom worked 2-3 jobs at a time to keep me in a single pair of shoes I was not allowed to wear except to school and church – to keep them nice. We couldn’t afford a second pair. I was the poorest kid I knew growing up (maybe others just hid it well, I don’t know). I had dreams of maybe someday renting my VERY OWN trailer with the money I’d make working at Walmart (one of our town’s biggest employers). I sometimes fantasized about living in France. I didn’t really believe it would ever be possible.  Technology was something for “fancy people” and only rich kids went to college. Amazon and Google weren’t even invented yet when I was growing up. Microsoft was in it’s infancy.

I’ve worked for all three since then.

I married too young (as one does when they don’t know they have other options). I had kids early (because I was married and that’s what you do). I found myself alone on the other side of the country, getting divorced at the tender age of 24 with two kids under 5. I had been working as a temp, finally bulldozing my way into a role in the advertising department for a global staffing agency. I was making $10 an hour and struggling to make ends meet.

My rep from the Employment Guide (remember when we used to PRINT ads? good times) told me I’d be a great recruiter. I didn’t even know what a recruiter WAS, but found out pretty quickly they can make a lot of money. I jumped in with both feet. I did not make a lot of money. At first. That came later.

You may be wondering why I’m telling you all this. I need you to understand – no one invited me to this party. I wasn’t supposed to have this career. I never went to college (oh some CC classes, but that was in the 90s! And I’m pretty sure I got a D in English anyway).  All I really had going for me was determination and a refusal to give up. EVER. I didn’t even know what I wanted to be when I grew up. Just… not poor. 

How did I get into my dream job(s) at such amazing companies? For me, it’s really simple. I found what I love to do. I am OBSESSED with recruiting. I love it. I love everything about it, even the bad stuff. It’s a CRAFT, a SERVICE, an amazing peek into the human psyche and understanding why people do what they do. It’s solving really big, complex business problems by just making connections. Every single day, I am living my dream.

I know you’re still asking – BUT HOW DID YOU GET HERE! Why did Microsoft hire me? Then Google? Finally Amazon? I could tell you all about the networking I did. Tirelessly applying to role after role. Attending Chamber of Commerce mixers trying to meet people “in the biz”. Dressing up in my polyester knock off suits trying to impress people who terrified me. I could tell you all that, but it really doesn’t matter. Because everyone’s journey is different and there are no secret handshakes.

Your path is going to look very different. The things that worked for me may not work for you, and that’s ok. You may end up at Google right out of college, and I’ll be just as proud of you as I am the weary single dad who taught himself to code at night after the kids went to bed. 

We all start somewhere. Some of us are a lot further back from the finish line than others. Some are running a completely different race, and that is ABSOLUTELY OK! YOU determine YOUR dream. Don’t let anyone stop you. No matter where you start.
Baby Recruiter 🙂 1976
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