Recruiting In Yoga Pants

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Category: hiring

Can A Recruiter BLACKLIST A Candidate?

December 2, 2022 /

Y’all.

I’ve seen some recruiters say some pretty crazy stuff in the last couple of decades, but the idea that we (they) can actually BLACKLIST someone is… well. a bit out there for me.

Let me explain – but first let’s unpack the definition of “blacklist”

Alrighty! So CAN recruiters “blacklist”? Not necessarily… but what could happen:

Recruiters can record specific, actual conversations or communications that happen between recruiter/hm and candidate. So – if you cuss out a recruiter it’s quite likely that will be documented in the ATS and recorded for future recruiters to read.

Of course recruiters ALSO have the authority to decide who they want to work with and submit to hiring managers. It would be VERY UNETHICAL to not submit a candidate solely because you don’t like them. It would be REASONABLE to not submit a candidate because of repeated or highly problematic behaviors.

I don’t say any of this to freak people out. MOST recruiters are fair, realistic, and understand the difference between data points (had a bad day) and trends (consistently inappropriate or poor behavior).

Finally, if a recruiter is recording personal biases or making decisions based on anything OTHER than fit for the role / verifiable data points, it can reflect very badly on THEM.

Bottom line – NO – recruiters typically do not have the authority or influence to “blacklist” anyone for any reason – but they can definitely track factual data and let the actual hiring authority (typically hiring managers) decide for themselves.

The Golden Rule – treat others how you want to be treated – is always a best practice no matter what side of hiring you’re on.

Recruiter Accountability! Recruiting Manager Edition

November 4, 2022 /

That’s right folks – many (most?) recruiters actually report to someone.

Now this obviously doesn’t include consultants, or independent recruiters. Anyone on a W-2 (employed by a company) and even some agency folks on contract or 1099 type work still report to someone! And that person is often a Recruiting Manager (RM).

The hierarchy can vary widely org to org – some recruiters roll up to the larger HR organization, some are defined by kind of recruiter (closers vs sourcers, for example). The one thing they all have in common? They’re bound by metrics and manager expectations.

One of the most common expectations is number of hires. That’s right – recruiters will typically have a specific deliverable or expectation of output – if we’re not making those numbers, we’ve got some ‘splaining to do! (Tell me more about recruiters NOT wanting to hire people. Seriously. Because if we don’t… well….)

THOSE numbers are of course fluid depending on the organization, kind of hiring we’re responsible for, things like that. For a senior tech recruiter working on niche roles, it may be 2 hires a month. For my high volume friends, it can be 10 times that amount or more.

RMs are often involved in STRATEGY discussions as well – working with business leaders to understand hiring goals for the year, partnering with their recruiting teams to help define how we’re going to get there – RMs are involved in those discussions as well. This allows them to set the right goals for their teams and help them be successful.

When recruiters screw up, RMs are there to help redirect or correct as needed. Like any other industry, we drop balls and make mistakes – when we get those escalations RMs dig into what happened and make it right.

A GREAT RM can make or break a recruiter’s career. Check out the accompanying video HERE.

Recruiter Accountability! Hiring Manager Edition

October 28, 2022 /

One of the strangest concepts to me is the idea that many non-recruiters have – that recruiters can INTENTIONALLY BE BAD AT THEIR JOB and no one cares.

You know what I’m talking about. According to some, we’re out here willfully ignoring applicants, leaving reqs open for months at a time, and generally sucking at our job.

Y’all. Make it make sense.

I PROMISE you – if a hiring manager is unsatisfied with the level of service they’re receiving from their recruiters, they will speak up. And if they’re not? THEY SHOULD. You may not see all the sausage making but know there is likely way more to the story – either that recruiter is getting an earful, or just maybe that role isn’t the priority some folks think it is.

In a well functioning recruiting team, joint accountability is the key. Recruiters and hiring managers both have certain responsibilities and expectations of each other that should be agreed upon and met.

In the last several years I’ve hit upon a formula that has served me well across multiple business groups in three big tech companies:

PRIORITIZATION

I created a sliding scale based on how critical a role is. Those categories each come with a particular level of service and SLA for both sides. A top priority / hair on fire / must fill req means we’re meeting at least once a week and we’re committing to a certain level of engagement / productivity (X resumes a week, Y HM reach outs, whatever). If a hiring manager does not want to make the investment, we will happily re-prioritize their role closer to the bottom of the list.

CLEAR AGENDA

Based on priority, we will meet on a regular basis. Those update meetings are critical – it’s an opportunity to share specific status updates, clarify any outstanding asks, and clean up our pipeline. If we don’t have enough candidates in process, we can also use that time to do some live sourcing together or further strategize on how to get more folks in process.

Hiring managers are a critical part of the business eco-system. They are empowered to build teams, and that is no small feat! Building a strong partnership based on mutual accountability and trust makes all of us more successful. One of my all time favorite business leaders said it best – if your recruiter isn’t your best friend, you’re doing it wrong.

Check out the accompanying video HERE

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.

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.

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