Recruiting In Yoga Pants

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Category: LinkedIn

What Does Your Social Media Content Say About You?

April 7, 2023 /

This might sting a little.

Now I say this as someone who is pretty darn transparent on social media… I’m far from the example anyone should be following! That said – I am a recruiter, and I read profiles for a living (along with some other stuff 😉 ) So what is an active job seeker to do? Now this is not your profile – we have another video about that you can check out HERE. We’re talking about posts, comments, and engagement.

Get ready for some very loving truth bombs…

Truth Bomb #1 – Your posts are incredibly vague

You’ve seen them – “don’t ignore my post!” or “I need a job!” Well, yes. I believe those things are true. Unfortunately a lot of those posts don’t say much else. They often lack context or a clear call to action – so what’s a reader to do? Unfortunately a lot of readers will make comments like “you got this!” or the dreaded “commenting for reach!” but seriously…. does that actually get you anywhere?

Truth Bomb #2 – your post is about YOU, not how you solve THEIR problem

This one sucks. I want you to think about this though – there’s a difference between “I need” and “I can do”. One is self-serving, the other is value adding to the audience. The reality is a stranger on the internet doesn’t care if you’re about to be homeless. YOU care, hence your content asking for help. The readers of your content? Not so much. They have their own wishes/needs/agenda, and if you speak to that, you’re way ahead of your competition. Instead of “I need a job” try “I am excited to land my next role where I can provide X by doing Y” or something to that effect.

Truth Bomb #3 – you need a talent shaped box

Another tough one – so many folks are hesitant to get too specific. If I post about how great of a recruiter I am, and that I’m really good at sourcing engineers, no one will consider me for a marketing gig! Well… that may be true… but are you QUALIFIED for a marketing gig? It’s absolutely ok to consider a career change – and your content should speak to that. The reality is the more targeted and specific your pitch is, the more likely it’ll get noticed by the right people!

The goal is to create a mental picture of how you can solve someone’s problem. Companies hire people to DO things. Buy, sell, build, consult, influence, direct, manager, manufacture… you name it. Show you can do that thing, and watch your engagement go up.

Check out the 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.

Applying Through 3rd Party Sites!

October 14, 2022 /

We love an easy button don’t we?

Applying through a one-click / easy apply / mass application type site may SEEM like a good idea, but what happens on the backend of that process?

So for me, I’m ALWAYS going to go straight to the company’s careers page. Sorry LinkedIn – love ya but not going to apply through ya. I want to go STRAIGHT to the hiring company, carefully upload my information, make sure my resume parsed correctly. You’re going to see EXACTLY what I want you to see from me and I’m taking NO chances!

But I am crazy suspicious like that. If you’re not, and you want to take your chances with one of these sites, read on!

I investigated LinkedIn, Zip Recruiter, and Indeed to better understand HOW those applications are managed. The results, NOT surprising in the least! In fact, these sites operate exactly how I had hoped.

All three sites allow the job poster (typically a recruiter) to set up specific criteria in order to be moved through the process. This can your typical Yes/No decision tree type questions, or even assessments! Based on the job seeker’s response to those questions, an applicant can be “automatically” dispositioned. So what does THAT mean?!

For Indeed, your application is “Rejected”. In Zip Recruiter, it’s “Hidden”. LinkedIn? You’ve been “Archived”.

Do you know what all three of those statuses have in common?

The list of applicants is still READILY AVAILABLE AND VIEWABLE to the employer! Many recruiters will go back into those lists and double check candidates for mistakes or even fit for other roles.

Just like we do in traditional ATSs. It’s even possible to “unhide” or whatever to bring that candidate back to the main workflow.

These sites can be particularly useful for small companies that can’t afford a big box ATS, or don’t hire often enough to set up their own. Once again, the SYSTEM being used to TRACK APPLICANTS functions exactly as expected. It’s a digital filing cabinet, following the instructions given to it by the user – typically a recruiter.

Don’t let yourself get weirded out or scared by these scam artists masquerading as “job search coaches”. You don’t need to pull the tiny white font crap, no need to “bypass” applications, or throw yourself on the mercy of your network. Targeted, relevant applications coupled with strategic networking is your best bet.

For more on this topic, watch the 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.

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 Network With Recruiters On LinkedIn

September 25, 2019 /

On average, I receive anywhere from 10-50 LinkedIn connection requests a week. While many are just “want to connect” messages, a WHOLE LOT are asking for my help or advice on how to get a job with my company.

I can probably provide actual, specific value to approximately 3% of those people.

This post is for the rest of you.

Image result for linkedin networking funny

So you want to work for a company. Awesome! Totally makes sense to connect with recruiters, because we are after all the mythical gatekeepers to all the jobs. Networking with recruiters at your target companies is a GREAT idea – as long as you’re hitting up the right ones. I work exclusively with a very specific business group within a giant organization. I know a fair bit about how we hire hardware engineers, especially for my client team. The rest of the company, not so much.

1. FIND THE RIGHT RECRUITER
If the goal is to connect someone who can help you get hired, then you need to look for recruiters who actually hire whatever it is you do. Recruiters are generally pretty good at sprucing up their profiles and dropping the right keywords. I did a quick search for finance recruiters at my company and had several viable hits in the first page. The key here is finding recruiting contacts that are probably responsible for filling the roles you’re interested in.

2. BE SPECIFIC IN YOUR REQUESTS
I get a lot of “just want to connect” requests which is TOTALLY fine – I’m a fairly open networker, so odds are I’ll accept. Hopefully you find value in content I share or maybe it leads you to another connection that can help you get wherever you’re trying to go. If you’re looking for a specific “in” or have questions let us know! It feels really good to help – I love it when someone reports back that they got their dream job or made a great connection because of something I said or did. Also, if I work here, it’s because I WANT TO. So I want you to want to, too. But I NEED you to be really clear with what you need from me and how I can help. A lot of you might be reading this because frankly, it’s the best response I can give you.

3. THINK BEYOND RECRUITING
Yeah, I know, we’re the mythical gatekeepers holding all the keys to the kingdom and bestowing offers on those we deem worthy. Hah. Sure we are…. can you imagine? No, actually we are more like connectors and collaborators, trying to bring two people (or more) together for the purpose of one great hire. It’s hard, but very, VERY important work. I would never suggest going AROUND a recruiter, but maybe just maybe… there’s another way? Who better to ask about what it’s like to work as a Software Engineer for Really Cool Company than a fellow Software Engineer already doing it? Even better, what about the Software Engineering Manager you could maybe work for someday??

Here’s what I know for sure – hiring managers ultimately feel the MOST pain of an open role. I have anywhere from 15-25 roles I’m recruiting for any given day. My primary focus is talking to people who can do one of those jobs. Nearly as important is making connections / talking to people who are qualified / potentially interested in doing similar jobs in the future. A hiring manager for a specific role is feeling an immediate pain on their team. Many of them even go so far as to post “We’re Hiring” in their LinkedIn headline! Find managers at companies you want to work for referencing things you want to work on. Be clear in your intentions, and specific in your requests. Help us help you!

I do not know any recruiter who intentionally withholds information or refuses to respond to candidates just to be a jerk. I promise – if you ever feel “neglected” or think that a recruiter is treating you poorly by not replying, there’s probably more to the story! Finally, as much as I hate templates, here’s once you can use as a starting point for your next outreach. PLEASE modify to fit your personal style, voice, and how you communicate.

Hi (recruiter name),

I am a (job title) working with (company) and am interested in learning more about how (company) hires (titles). I have applied online to (position), and found your profile which said you hire (titles).

I’m not sure if my application has made it to your desk, but I wanted to express my interest directly. You can learn more about me here (linkedin profile, personal blog, link to resume, WHATEVER). If I am a fit for any (title) roles you’re working on, I’d be happy to set up a call to discuss further. You can reach me directly at (email) or (phone).

If I may be a better fit for another (role/team/recruiter), please feel free to forward this email to the appropriate contact – I’d really appreciate it!

Thank you,

(you)

Easy peasy! Now why does this work? A few things – you’ve giving me CLEAR info that I can work with – you’re a this, looking for a this, at my company. Cool. You recognize that I actually recruit for relevant roles, which is like 8 billion bonus points. You applied online (yay! especially for big companies – we really do fish in our own pond) and you’re giving me contact info in case I want to immediately jump on the phone before you change your mind. 😉 Finally, you’re giving me permission to share (sooo helpful – I’m way more inclined to forward to my friends when I know you’re ok w/ it) and also not applying a ton of pressure to respond. It’s an open ended “hey if we fit let’s chat” and not a forced “I REALLY WANT TO NETWORK WITH YOU AND ASK YOU TO SOLVE ALL MY CAREER PROBLEMS”.

So there you have it. A peek into the brain of an overworked, stressed, and ultimately really wants to be helpful recruiter. Try it and let me know how it goes! Send me your results to amy@recruitinginyogapants.com – I’m opening up 30 minute coaching sessions to the first 5 job seekers who give this a try and share their feedback. Please put in the subject line “NETWORKING WITH RECRUITERS RESULTS” so I don’t miss it.

Happy connecting!

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