Recruiting In Yoga Pants

Dressing up is for suckers

Category: Uncategorized (Page 1 of 2)

The Old Gray Lady

February 20, 2024 /

And then there were two.

Our first family walk since we sent our Old Gray Lady across the rainbow bridge. On Monday 2/19 at 1:59 pm my sweet girl took her last breath this side of Heaven.

My sweet Abby Girl was a rescue. My little kids were around 2 and 4, and I decided I was ready for a dog and wanted them to grow up with one. We had nearly 17 years with this sweet old girl. She was well on her way to being a cranky old lady when her sisters came along but tolerated them well and taught them how to be the Goodest Girl.

Please enjoy a few of my favorite snaps from over the years. Abby gave us so much love and affection for longer than we could have ever hoped for. She enjoyed an entire bucket of chicken (her fave!) courtesy of the Colonel and several pieces of bacon too. As her breathing slowed I could feel the relief rolling off her. No more pain, now she’s running freely chasing all the chickens in Heaven.

Rest in Peace, sweet girl.

GHOSTING! What it IS and How to Avoid It!

February 17, 2023 /

Y’all I’ve been avoiding this topic for years.

I knew when I started creating content all about recruiting for job seekers I would HAVE to address this.

Ghosting is absolutely a real thing. A real TERRIBLE thing. It happens, and it shouldn’t – but it’s also a term that gets tossed around a lot, leading to more confusion and bad feelings.

So let’s get down to it – when thinking about recruiting and job search – what IS ghosting anyway?

Let’s start with the dictionary definition:

Obviously the SECOND definition is the applicable one in this scenario

So there are two key things to consider: 1. a RELATIONSHIP and 2. WITHDRAWING from all communication WITHOUT EXPLANATION.

To put it in recruiting terms, ghosting is a lack of closure after two way communication has been established.

GHOSTING:
– a recruiter contacts you about a job – you respond with your availability, and the recruiter never gets back to you with next steps or an update (like the role is no longer available, etc)
– you interview (at any stage of the process) and never heard the outcome

NOT GHOSTING:
– you send your resume unsolicited to a recruiter or hiring manager and they don’t respond
– a recruiter let’s you know they’re not moving forward with your candidacy, and you don’t hear back from them even if you reach out again

In a perfect world we all respond to every message and have clear, concise communication forever and ever amen – but we’re HUMAN and shit happens. So what’s a job seeker to do?

Set the right expectations!
We already know not every message is going to get a response – that’s ok! Increase your odds by sending targeted, relevant communication with a clear call to action.

Get clarity on timelines
Once you’re in an interview process, ask your recruiter WHAT you can expect and WHEN. Hold them (us) accountable for follow up within reasonable timeframes and also the mechanism by which you’ll follow up. Should you expect a phone call? Email? Something else? Confirm with your recruiter!

Amy’s 3 touchpoint rule
For me, I don’t get super invested in the beginning. The further in the process I get the more clarity / follow up I expect but regardless I will attempt to reach out THREE TIMES – Once I’ve been ignored (ghosted) 3 times? I’m done. I’ll note that this is no longer a viable opportunity, and get on with my life.

Fine, but what about RECRUITERS?

Ahhh I’m glad you asked! Here are some things that I do to (mostly) avoid ghosting candidates. I can’t lie to you and say it’s never happened. I CAN say that if I catch it (or am called out… yikes…) I WILL do everything I can to rectify it. But to help avoid it….

Contact Info
If you’ve ever received a prep email from me (that means you’re one of my active candidates) you have TWO THINGS – my personal cell phone number, and access to my calendar. I absolutely encourage my candidates to use them as often as needed.

ATS Reminders
I am fortunate to work for a company that takes follow up seriously and have an ATS that is enabled with reminders. If I miss a follow up or closure, I get an email, If I miss it AGAIN, my BOSS gets an email. There is definitely room for grace (again, human here) but I AM held accountable or closure and proper follow up.

Follow Up Friday!
I learned this from the amazing Stacy Zapar, recruiting leader. I saw her speak about this at a conference a million years ago, and the idea is you have time blocked every Friday to follow up with any active candidates and ensure they hear from you. That can be closure, a specific next step, or even “no update update” (we’re waiting on feedback, etc).

Awkwardness is usually based on a lack of communication (or poor communication) – and good communication keeps the ghosts away.

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

What Is An ATS?

August 8, 2022 /

There is so much confusion about ATSs. Every single day recruiters try to explain the inner workings, with varying degrees of success. As one of those, I’m so tired of repeating myself! Instead, I’m writing this handy little cheat sheet so I have something to sprinkle all over the internet like common sense confetti whenever this issue comes up.

ATS? It’s in the name.

ATS stands for Applicant Tracking System. It’s a System that Tracks Applicants. That’s it. That’s the acronym. Not “automated”, not “ATS system”, or any of the other wild definitions people come up with. Applicant. Tracking. System.

THE ATS?

Well, which one? Seriously there are over 200 companies who currently have some kind of ATS on the market. Some are highly customizable and targeted to large companies, like Taleo Enterprise Edition. Others are free for smaller start ups or sole proprietors, like Breezy HR. The specific ATS a company may use is based on lots of variables, including cost, number of users, and features. The way an ATS is CONFIGURED can also vary widely – I’ve personally used a few of the same systems at different companies and had to learn all over because the implementation was so different.

So What’s An ATS For Anyway?

Exactly what it sounds like! A system to track applicants. Seems simple enough, but many ATSs do that and more – before we get into details, let’s review the general life cycle of hiring:

Role Created –> Inbound Applicants/Sourced Candidates –> Interviews –> Offers Created/Extended/Accepted or Declined

I recently created a 5 video playlist that explains these steps in further detail – what many job seekers find most surprising is how much “OTHER” stuff we do in our ATSs, that is above and beyond reviewing resumes. Check it out HERE.


At each step of the process, the ATS is used to document everything. Here’s a non-exhaustive list of the actions recruiters might take any given day:

Open new requisitions. These are the job postings that are published on a company career page, and possibly other places too. Many companies integrate with LinkedIn, or Indeed, or other web scrapers that might re-share a job post. Opening new roles may be complex themselves – with multiple approvers, checks and balances for compliance, and other steps before it even makes it to the internet. All activity tied to that requisition is easily viewed/filtered for reporting purposes. With few exceptions, hiring doesn’t happen without a verified business need / approved headcount / open role (so much for the old hidden job market, huh?)

Review incoming applicants. This is the step that gets talked about the most. Interestingly, it’s the part I spend the least amount of time doing when I’m in the ATS. This IS an important step of course, but far from the ONLY purpose of the ATS. Reviewing applicants is usually highly manual, with recruiters quickly reviewing large number of resumes or applications at once against certain criteria (usually Basic Qualifications). Successful applicants are usually forwarded to a business reviewer (typically the Hiring Manager or a delegate) for a second look. SOME systems will utilize “knock out” questions – these are typically “yes/no” decision tree type questions, tied to basic qualifications. For example, an application question could be “are you eligible to work in the US without sponsorship?” If you answer NO, you will be automatically dispositioned from the position. Basically that means you’re now in “rejected” status. Fun fact, most ATSs (all I’ve used) have a status, and it’s “rejected”. You’re still attached to the requisition. You never LEAVE the requisition. You are there, forever, in “rejected” status.

Add sourced candidates. Sometimes this happens in a CRM that “talks” to the ATS. Some systems (especially for compliance purposes) require a prospect to apply. Recruiters can send that invite to apply directly from their CRM/ATS to help streamline the process of getting their candidate attached to the requisition for hiring manager review and future activity

The interview process. Recruiters request review. Hiring managers request an interview. Coordinators schedule interviews and create feedback links. ALL of this typically happens within the ATS. Some notes are automatic: “submitted to Joe Smith for resume review” Others are typed out: “called CANDIDATE to discuss interview prep materials and confirmed schedule. Also discussed comp expectations of $X, candidate anticipating competing offer by date”. These entries are typically time/date stamped which is very helpful when reviewing previous history for a candidate.

Offers. Offers are created, extended and recorded in the ATS. Negotiations, approvals, all the back and forth that happens during offers is typically done in this system. It creates not only the required paper trail, but also generates the official documents that can then be emailed or delivered via a dedicated candidate portal.

General Documentation / Search. Y’all. Every time I have a conversation with a prospective candidate I should be writing it down. I’m not always great at this, but the expectation / general rules around this is DOCUMENT EVERYTHING. We have a saying in recruiting – if it’s not in the ATS, it didn’t happen. Track. It. All. Smart recruiters will also START new searches in our database – previous candidates, silver medalists on similar roles, former referrals… ATSs are a literal goldmine of passive talent that at some point, were interested in your company. Why would you NOT search for and try to reengage those folks?

But What About…?

Knockout questions! Yes – SOME systems are enabled with a yes/no decision tree, as I mentioned above.

Ranking! Sure, some ATSs will apply a “match” score – typically a percentage. I have personally used ONE version of ONE ATS that had this ranking (Taleo) and it was awful. 100% matches were basically keyword stuffed nightmares and we regularly hired 20-40% matches because we would actually review the resumes to decide for ourselves. Absolute trash and I hate these. If there’s a good one out there, I haven’t used it.

3 am rejections! Too fast, random, or middle of the night updates are almost always a result of one of two things – knockout questions, OR a role that is no longer accepting applications. Ideally a role is REMOVED from the career site when it’s got an offer extended or even accepted. But systems fail, or recruiters forget to hit a button – things happen and while it sucks for the job seeker, it’s hardly “proof” of a bot. Some systems are set up to send a disposition email 12 hours after being rejected, so maybe the recruiter reviewed yours at 3 pm! OR, maybe they’re actually working at 3 am. In another time zone. Perhaps they’re simply a night owl – I’ve definitely pulled some weird hours during the only quiet time I have to get things done!

But my friend/career coach/resume writer/LinkedIn influencer said! Sure they did! And I bet they believe it. I don’t necessarily think anyone is INTENTIONALLY lying about how ATSs work to make a buck… well maybe a couple of people I won’t name here. But generally speaking, I think the folks spreading this misinformation actually believe it – which is kind of heart breaking when there’s so much actual data to the contrary. My best advice to any job seeker who is worried about finding “the truth”, is to go straight to the source. I talk a bit about questions you can ask in this LinkedIn post. Don’t even listen to ME – listen to the recruiters at the companies you want to work at! They know best.

Additional Resources

Many recruiters have talked about this topic until we’re blue in the face. Some of my fave links (including my own!) included here:

Marc Cenedella / Nate Smith, CEO of Lever – Secrets Of The ATS is an in-depth conversation between Marc (CEO of The Ladders) and Nate where they discuss some of the common fallacies around ATSs. Lever is a very popular and well-liked by recruiters system.

Dominic Joyce, Founder of CV Upgrade – Dominic has a great video that walks through step by step how a recruiter navigates their ATS platform. At 5 minutes long, it’s a quick yet thorough tour through a commonly used ATS. Check it out HERE

Kristen Fife, Senior Technical Recruiter – Kristen is a well respected and tenured recruiter in the Seattle market who’s been in the industry since we were accepting paper applications. Her article on the ATS, Keywords, and Knockout Questions is a deep dive into common processes in US companies. Find it HERE

Christine Assaf, Human Resources Consultant – Christine wrote one of the best pieces I’ve ever read on the “75% of resumes aren’t seen by a human” myth. Essentially, there is no actual PROOF that this is accurate – yet people share it constantly like we’ve actually seen this happen in the wild… Reader, we have not. Check out her AMAZING breakdown HERE

Yvonne Robinson-Jackson, Executive Career Coach – In this nearly hour long video, Yvonne does a DEEEEEP dive into the ATS. Check out this video for more insights into the backend of these various tools/processes, including some screenshots from Bullhorn, a common system. Find it HERE

Amy Miller, hey that’s me! 🙂 – honestly y’all I’m so tired of talking about this. That’s why I wrote this post, and am putting all my content in one place!! Starting with The Truth About The ATS Playlist – 11 videos where I break down different topics covering everything from applications to boolean searches.

There are lots of amazing professionals out there sharing their knowledge – I’ll update this post regularly with new links/content as I come across it.

Ok Fine. But Why Do You Care, Amy?

Y’all I wish I didn’t some days 😉 It is exhausting having this conversation over and over again – BUT – I started this blog and channel BECAUSE I want better for those who need support. I had to learn so many things about my career and job search the hard way. Now that I am in a position to share my expertise, I will shout it as long and loud as possible so other job seekers don’t struggle through the same uncertainties and frustration I did. I have helped thousands of job seekers through one on one coaching and more recently, scaling my YouTube channel and blog – this is the same advice I have given my adult children, who have successfully navigated their own early career challenges.

If you’re reading this, I want the same success for you. There are many things job seekers should spend time on when seeking their next role – worrying about the imaginary ATS bot isn’t one of them.

But wait – THERE’S MORE

Here’s the dirty little secret. I want y’all to have the cheat codes because ultimately it makes my job easier.

There. I said it.

If you understand how recruiting actually happens, you’ll create the resume / application content that makes it easy for me to move you through the process. If you follow my guidance on interview prep, your odds are significantly higher that you’ll get an offer. If you take my advice on negotiating and understand how compensation works, you’re more likely to accept my (really good) offer without a bunch of exhausting back and forth that actually starts pissing off the hiring managers (hint, they get mad at both of us).

I started blogging and eventually creating videos because I really DID (and do!) want to be the recruiter I needed when I was younger and didn’t know what the hell I was doing. I have to admit though… all these years later… it just makes damn good business sense.

Respect or Attention?

January 3, 2022 /

Happy 2022 y’all! Have we all gone COMPLETELY FERAL since being trapped in our houses and behind masks? I know I’m not so good at being in public these days. Thanks COVID! 😉

I’m not really a “New Year’s Resolution” kind of girl, but I do want to get back to writing. I’ve been focusing so much on video content I’ve neglected the blog and if I HAD a resolution, it would be to rectify that.

Over the last few years I’ve built a wee bit of an audience, which is kinda neat! I am, after all, just a small town girl from Kansas who never fathomed I’d stumble into this phenomenal recruiting career. It’s been nothing short of a miracle (thank you Jesus!) and I am so blessed to have found so many wonderful friends and mentors who’ve supported me along the way.

Now that I’ve learned a little something about recruiting (and trust me I am ALWAYS LEARNING) I’ve tried my best to continue paying it forward to job seekers, clients, and new recruiters. I’ve made some great friends and even gathered a few haters along the way. It comes with having strong opinions, and I’m ok with that. A lesson I sometimes forget is that it also comes with desperate attention seekers who will latch on to your brand like a leech, in order to further their own agenda.

I was reminded of this quote after a recent kerfuffle involving a ton of recruiters, a resume best practice, and some poor soul looking for attention. What SHOULD have been an online argument that fizzled out quickly kept going – because the leech in this scenario so desperately needed to attach themselves to a group of well respected recruiters. It devolved into a pending defamation case, so I won’t include any links or identifying information – but believe me when I tell you it got… silly. This post isn’t about feeding trolls or throwing any more unwarranted recognition to a desperate soul. It’s about the DIFFERENCE between ATTENTION and RESPECT.

Sit with that for a moment.

I’ve been thinking a lot about my interactions with others. I am an open book online, I tend to write how I talk and I show up on video the same way I do in my living room. I don’t have a “persona” – what you see is most assuredly what you get – warts and all. I’m ok with that! There are TWO THINGS I consider when creating content or communicating online –

  • Would I give this same advice to my family and friends?
  • Would I defend this comment, post, video to my leaders?

YES – I get a little swear-y on twitter. YES – my word choice, refusal to back down, and bad habit of clapping back sometimes makes people feel some type of way about me. I get it. I know my intentions; I always want to support job seekers and when I DO disagree with others, I am careful to focus on their CONTENT – not their CHARACTER. But I am not going to sacrifice my authenticity on the altar of likability.

I won’t suffer spineless, attention seeking trolls, either.

Now here’s the biggest lesson of all, and one that I’ve tried to teach my beloved job seeking community –

NOT EVERY MESSAGE (COMMENT, POST, TWEET) DESERVES A RESPONSE.

So I guess another one of those “not really a resolution” resolutions is going to be to stop feeding the trolls. The latest example was the wildest piece of fiction I’ve read in a while. After a little research a few of us figured out that this particular hater is actually NOT who they portray themselves to be, which made the whole thing even more sad. The leaps in logic, the personal attacks, the lies… the individual is clearly disturbed. Besides that – those things simply do not require or deserve your attention. Or mine.

There are desperate attention seekers who don’t have the slightest shred of self-respect – let alone any respect for YOU, dear reader. By giving them oxygen, it feeds the fire of their fantasy. The fantasy that someone cares. That they matter. That ANY press is GOOD press. (think about it – how bad do you have to be at sales if the only way you can garner views is by making up wild stories about total strangers simply because they have a following and you don’t?) That the ATTENTION they’re getting by riding your coattails somehow turns into RESPECT.

It doesn’t. It never will.

Lying Liars and the Truth About Your Job Search

February 7, 2021 /

Y’ALL.

I am so fit to be tied right now.

My friends know I have this funny hobby of raging against bad ATS advice (lies) on social media. Today I was tagged in just such a post. I won’t link it here (and frankly, there are SO MANY to choose from) but this one hit me especially stupid because the poster claimed to have WORKED IN ATSs FOR 14 YEARS.

If that’s true, you know better.

I looked at the person’s background – some HR stuff, so yeah, maybe part of SELECTING an ATS, or asking for certain features. If this person is ACTUALLY MAKING THE CLAIM that the ATS does… well, let’s just look shall we? Here’s what the poster had to say –

You are applying through the ATS which is going to screen your resume “out”.

90% of jobseekers resumes are not ATS Friendly hence not getting interviews.

False. In other words, you’re lying.

Let’s break it down, shall we?

The ATS is going to “screen you out”
The ATS does NOTHING ZIP ZILCH NADA without a human telling it to. While some systems use “knock out” questions MOST recruiters (and believe me, I’ve asked HUNDREDS) still review resumes one by one. Search strings and filters can only go so far, and most ATSs are simply NOT that advanced.

90% of job seeker resumes are not “ATS friendly”
This is so utterly meaningless I don’t even know where to start. I personally see resumes as ATTACHMENTS. It’s worked this way in Taleo, both business and enterprise editions. I’ve seen it in iCIMS. I’ve also seen this in homegrown systems used by Microsoft, Google, and Amazon. “ATS friendly” is such a ridiculously stupid statement it cracks my brain.

The only thing that comes even REMOTELY CLOSE to explaining this, is the problem with parsing. When you upload your resume, the ATS “should” recognize certain words (like your name) and put them in the name field. This doesn’t always happen. If you have charts and pictures and colors, the ATS can be confused and ask you to reenter all your info. This has NOTHING to do with how a recruiter sees your resume. Again, it’s an ATTACHMENT. In all it’s colorful, charts and pictures glory. Now if those resumes are RECRUITER friendly is a whole other topic – the point being, the recruiter STILL SEES IT.

But Amy, why do you care?

Great question. I ask myself all the time why I bother. Thought leaders gotta think, I suppose. Think of ways to manipulate desperate job seekers with their made up statistics and scare tactics, it seems. The bottom line for me – I care too much about my industry to stay quiet. And I work too hard to bust recruiting myths to sit quietly when people say things that are verifiably not true. Ultimately, this doesn’t hurt ME – the next time I’m looking for a role, I know better to fall for this kind of nonsense. I live and breathe recruiting – but so many others DON’T.

I also reached out to the original poster, only to find my comment DELETED and I was BLOCKED. So much for transparency, eh? Makes you wonder what they’re afraid of. Truth, is my guess.

I’ve talked elsewhere about how recruiters view resumes. The MOST important thing a job seeker can do to improve their chances is to make it clear on the resume how you fit the role you’re applying to. That’s it.

No magic format. No secret template. No bots to beat.

If you’re a job seeker struggling with getting your resume noticed, start with my All About Resumes playlist. Most questions will hopefully be answered there, but between the blog and the channel, I try to provide actual, real world guidance that you can use in your job search IMMEDIATELY – no strings attached. I also wrote a post breaking down your job search into 5 easy steps – check that out HERE. And don’t forget The Truth About The ATS playlist too.

Good luck out there, and don’t let the bastards get you down.

Is This Thing On?

January 30, 2021 /

Hey everybody! We getting FANCY over here at Recruiting in Yoga Pants! I finally upgraded the site. I’ve been thinking about this forever and finally took a chance….

If you’re reading this, I did something right. I hope.

Your Recruiting Message Sucks. Here’s Why.

February 8, 2020 /

Y’ALL I CAN’T THIS WEEK.

I’m week four into an epic new job. I’m finally starting to figure out what I’m going to be doing here (and it’s soooooo exciting!!!!!) but I’m also super sick which is just making me cranky. Enter this week’s AMA Friday – check out the video here –

So! Turns out I am 100% that bitch who gets all judgy and whatnot when people spam me. Who would have thought? I know a lot of you are wondering just what is WRONG with me, that I get all annoyed by a perfectly reasonable (!!) inmail (INMAUL) that I could just simply ignore, or perhaps respond with a polite “no thank you”.

I could. But I won’t.

Here’s why it matters. Every shit message y’all send that shows absolutely no regard for the person on the receiving end makes it harder for the rest of us. Now, a lot of the time many of us will say “that’s ok! It makes me look better by comparison! Keep being awful!” which is certainly one way to look at it. However, it doesn’t do anything to combat that sinking feeling prospects get when faced with one more stupid outreach from a recruiter. They are opening our missives (if at all) with dread, not anticipation.

But Aaaammmmyyyyy….. I HAVE to send 8 billion messages to get enough candidates in the pipeline!!!! Oh really? Do you REALLY? I say NO but that’s a post for another time. Let’s start slow. Here are THREE THINGS I want you to think about before sending that next message. And for any victims of these messages, feel free to use this as a marker of whether or not the recruiter deserves a response!

1. The message is clearly targeted to ME
This is not a hard one, y’all. Get my name right, for starters. Give me some indication of WHY I made your list. Don’t give me that lame shit about “I saw your profile and you’d be perfect for”. Not falling for it. Tell me what specifically makes me interesting to you.

2. Make it PERSONAL
I talk a lot about emotional currency – basically, tap into something that will get my (the prospect’s) attention! What can you glean from my profile that would grab me? I know this is easier said than done for a lot of prospects, but honestly – someone like me makes it too easy. Yoga pants. Dogs. Pinot Grigio. I am a simple woman. Tell me you like my YouTube videos and I’m yours.

3. Give me a CALL TO ACTION
Something I can move on. Maybe it’s an invite to call you directly on your personal cell after hours. Maybe it’s a link to a really kick ass article about whatever it is your company is working on. Remember, you’re just trying to get me connected for the next step (usually a recruiter phone screen) so give me something to work with here.

That’s it! This is not rocket science. This is simply taking FIVE MINUTES to respectfully craft a message that respects the other person’s time. It’s really that easy. Now if you STILL don’t believe me, let me share a cautionary tale of my own.

Many years ago I was working for a very small company and just starting to dabble in tech. We had this cool new tool called LINKEDIN RECRUITER where we could send messages to people without being connected to them! Groundbreaking! So I’m happily sourcing away for an IT manager of some sort, and I find myself a nice long list of people who could do this job. I write a quick little inmail (INMAUL) and fire it off to 20 people. At the same company. With roughly the same titles.

Guess what happened. No really. Just guess.

One of these high level / big tech smart guys called me. That’s right, he picked up the phone, looked up my company’s phone number, and had the receptionist connect him to my desk. Imagine my horror when he says “Amy, I’m calling to give you a little advice“.

Here’s what happened y’all. My message went to a bunch of people, at the same time, who all knew each other. They worked on similar teams and probably crossed paths often. One happened to mention a shitty message he got (FROM ME) and another said, “hey” and a third said “but” and the rest is history.

That’s right, these folks all got together, shared the messages, and had a good laugh at my expense. One fella was kind enough to call me and tell me about it. Now – he was SO KIND. He didn’t yell at me or berate me. He DID tell me that I’d get a lot more positive responses if I treated each person like an individual and reached out accordingly.

He was right.

I don’t remember much about that conversation, to be honest. Couldn’t tell you the guy’s name, or even his specific title. I do remember he worked for a VERY large well known Seattle based tech company that shall remain unnamed. 🙂 I DEFINITELY remember the very valuable lesson I learned that day about the importance of personalization and really being thoughtful and deliberate in my messaging.

I’ve made a lot of mistakes since then and will make a lot more. Sending bulk messages is not one of them.

Showing Your A** on Social

January 28, 2020 /

Real talk – I’ve met some of the most amazing people through Social Media. That’s right. My online shenanigans have resulted in real world friendships and I could not be more grateful.

Then there’s the asshats.

Yep, I said it. Some of you are just hellbent on showing your ass on social media. Here’s the thing you might not know about me –

I’m not afraid to show my ass too.

A visual representation of my timeline most days

I’m rather “visible” on all things social. I write, I make videos. Sometimes I put pictures of my dogs on Instagram. The only thing I DON’T do is post much about my kids. (That’s the ONE thing I keep super private so don’t even think about it). Me? I’m fair game. I speak my mind often and loudly. While I recognize I in many ways “represent” my employer, the opinions I share on Twitter or Facebook are mine and mine alone. In fact, the first time someone tagged my employer on Twitter trying to call me out for some alleged awful thing I said I cried. I thought I was getting fired – our social media team laughed and welcomed me to the internet.

Fast forward many years later to TODAY. The more my career has progressed, the more senior roles I’ve held, the bigger the companies I’ve worked for… some people just can’t help but see me as a target. There are two really weird phenomenons I’m noticing on social, and I am not quite sure how I feel about either one. Other than annoyed, of course.

The Bully Shamer

I recently went through a tough learning experience with someone I thought I knew (from IRL interactions). We’d often disagreed and poked at each other quite a bit over the years. All in good fun, I thought. Then this person started really drilling in to things like my word choice, telling me what I was “allowed” to say as a TA professional. Every part of my language, writing, and experience was picked apart. I was accused of all sorts of high crimes – most notably “shaming” of job seekers and fellow recruiters. For the most part I brushed it off, figuring this was just a little over the top ribbing that was starting to sting a bit. The final straw was when this person blocked me after publicly telling me to go f*ck myself and sending a personal message about my terrible online persona.

I’ll admit that was a tough one to bounce back from. I like being liked! It was kind of hard to think there’s a person out there who literally thinks I shame candidates and bully fellow recruiters. I have PAGES of screenshots of various interactions, and I have come to realize that some people are just not going to like you. We all see the world through the lens of our own experience. If that experience causes you to think I’m a jerk, I can’t tell you you’re wrong. But I also don’t have to stick around to listen to it.

The Tagger

Oh THIS is an old fave. I have lost count of the number of times a complete stranger has said “Amy Miller is a recruiter for @Company AND SHE DID THIS AWFUL THING!” I mean… do you think the CEO is going to call me into his or her office for a good scolding? Worse, do you think I’ll get FIRED? Is that what you want? What kind of person wants to get someone FIRED for disagreeing with them on social media? What kind of attention is it that you’re trying to bring to yourself by doing something like this? I genuinely don’t get it. While I’m careful to not talk about my current employer (whoever they may be) on social or my YouTube channel, it’s not hard to confirm. By tagging said company in whatever you’re bitching about, you really look like an asshole.

Here’s the thing about me. I believe in transparency. I believe sunlight is the best disinfectant. I will call out bad BEHAVIOR publicly, but I don’t believe in “cancel culture” or putting individuals on blast just because they say something I don’t like. In recruiting in particular, I recognize that demanding people do things “my way” or only use words I approve of is a recipe for disaster. I am guilty of speaking (typing) without thinking and have owed people apologies more than once. It’ll happen again, I’m sure.

One of the questions I often ask myself in these online interactions, is how do I want people to SEE me? I hope they see a few things.

I was helpful
I was thought provoking
I was funny
I cared

Most of all, I was authentic. If you ever meet me in person I don’t think you’ll be very surprised. My “online persona” (awful as it may be) is actually, authentically me.  And my dogs really REALLY like me. So I’ve got that going for me, at least. 😉

Recruiting IS a Service – Here’s Why

January 13, 2020 /

What do recruiters actually DO, anyway?

I answered this in last week’s AMA Friday – you can check out the video here –

 
 

So while the general idea of this week’s episode is that recruiters are NOT in the business of finding people jobs, it also created some questions. Several folks expressed some disbelief, confusion, and a couple people outright disagreed that recruiting is indeed a SERVICE. Here, in my not so humble opinion, is exactly WHAT it is that recruiters provide. Enjoy!

1. Consultation(s)
Ok then – we have a position to fill! This is where it all begins – the initial contact with the hiring team. We often refer to as an intake meeting, or something similar. Regardless of what you call it, this is the time to set some serious expectations and get LOTS of information on what exactly it is the new hire will be doing. A recruiter is not an order taker. Let me say that again for the people in the back. A RECRUITER IS NOT AN ORDER TAKER. If your hiring manager wants to hand you a job description, waves you away and tells you “I’ll know it when I see it” that is NOT a partner, you are NOT providing a service, and I am really really sorry about how much you’re fixing to hate your job. This should be a DISCUSSION (maybe multiple discussions) to fully vet what exactly is the business problem we’re trying to solve and what kind of talent we think we need to solve it. This is not a one way conversation – recruiters should also be setting expectations with hiring managers and guiding next steps/future meetings all the way through onboarding the new hire. Recruiters and hiring managers should be meeting regularly to discuss status, what’s working (or not), and keep each other informed of any new updates, changes, or challenges.

2. Search
Right! We have what we need to execute a search. Next steps can vary widely – maybe we post a really great targeted job ad (Katrina Kibben of Three Ears Media is your person if you need help here!).  Maybe you search your database (if you’re not, what’s wrong with you?). Maybe you do some deep web boolean magic. You’re probably doing all of the above. This would also be the stage where you are vetting / presenting qualified and INTERESTED prospects to your hiring managers. Clear feedback is crucial. If managers are saying NO find out WHY. It’s possible you missed something in the intake meeting. Perhaps something has changed and the hiring manager didn’t loop you in. Test and test again that you are actually searching for the right kind of person and asking the best possible questions during your screening. EVERYONE will thank you for not wasting their time.

3. Interview Process
If you’re really lucky, you’ve got schedulers and coordinators who can manage calendars. I hate this part because I SUCK at it. I can barely manage my own calendar. However, it’s my job to be a coach throughout the process. I make sure my candidates have a thorough understanding what they’re interviewing for and what we expect. I spend as much time with my candidates as they need and do my best to always be available for check ins or questions. Read more about interview prep HERE – it’s that important.

4. Closing
Yes, sadly this will be closing the loop with candidates who aren’t getting an offer. I hate this part. I hate hate hate it with every fiber of my body. But, it’s a necessary evil and important part of the process. Done decently well, these candidates will maybe take your call the next time there’s a role they might want to hear about. Then there’s the FUN closing! You guessed it, making an offer. My absolute FAVORITE part of the job.

5. Offer Negotiation
Sure, this could be part of closing, but it’s so complex I’m giving it it’s very own step. There’s usually a lot of back and forth here, and it starts way back when we’re first working on a strategy with the hiring teams (what can we afford to pay / what level are we thinking of hiring at, etc) AND kicking off with candidates (what would it take for you to say yes). These are rarely one time conversations. It’s usually an ongoing discussion that drives closer and closer to the “magic number” with every step. Don’t even get me started on competing offers and the mental gymnastics we go through trying to anticipate everything that could get in the way of the win.

6. Onboarding
Hey… you made an offer, it was accepted, and your work here is done! Right? RIGHT? Sad to say, no. It’s most definitely not. While MOST candidates will follow through with their “yes”, there are always risks here. This is often when buyer’s remorse can set in. Staying close to your candidates (and keeping your hiring managers close to them too!!) is CRITICAL. In an ever tightening labor market counter offers are more common and looking better all the time. If you’re not keeping your candidates and new hires as excited and engaged as they were when signing their letter, you’re missing a seriously important step.

While this is by no means an exhaustive list or complete description of everything related to the service (YES IT’S A SERVICE) of recruiting, hopefully it gives a bit more insight into this crazy industry. Most recruiters are doing this 10, 15, or 50 times over (ok 50 is a stretch – you can read what I really think about req loads for more on that). Not every position is created equal, and so the level of service provided can vary. Anything surprising on this list? What would you add?
« Older posts

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

© 2024 Recruiting In Yoga Pants

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑