The 10 second rule to review a resume is the most
aggravating rule that some recruiters take pride in. Cut them some slack, a
candidate has spent hours on their resume and some of them have even spent money
to have a well written resume, not for some recruiter to scan for key words
just because they do not have time to review it over 10 secs. I understand that
there are a million resumes to review however how would you like to be treated
if you were on the other side?
What is even more aggravating is the disrespect for
candidates who have had gaps. Just because someone has had gaps doesn’t mean
they are less than someone who has had less gaps. People have lives that they
need to lead – young children, aging parents, stress, job loss there could be
several reasons. For God sake pick up
the phone and call them. Find out why they had the gap in their life.
An excellent recruiter has the ability to look beyond the
generic issues and at the talent of the candidate based on their drive to
achieve. I will be more interested in
learning about what did they do to keep up with their field in order to come
back to where they left off or even better to be as competitive as a person who
has not had a gap. Being a good fit in a role is not just to have the technical
requirements but the overall interpersonal characteristics to be a part of the
team. This is not just for direct hires but also for the consultants/
contingents.
When you recruit for the client assume your role as an
advocate for the client not just producing numbers. You also need to keep in mind that you do not
undercut the candidate for the sake of the relationship of the client. You need
to be the eyes of justice so that you can have those difficult and yet honest
conversations with both the client and the candidate so that they return the
respect to you.
Once the candidate builds the trust and respect in your
process they will come back to you when in need and refer people to you
voluntarily.
Finally, stay in touch. You may have placed the
candidate. Now it is time to keep them
your active candidate for the rest of your recruiting career. You will not only
learn more about the company that has hired them but also about your candidate.
Sales relationship in recruiting is not limited to maintaining a relationship
with the client but also maintaining the relationship with your candidate. It
is the chicken and the egg relationship story.
