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I see threads like this VERY OFTEN and what's funny, people ACTUALLY think they can answer this question.
Unfortunately, there is no one way. Ask 50 HR managers and you'll get 51 answers.
I've had HR people give me "insider" info about the opportunity before the interview with the hiring manager and I've had HR managers WITHHOLD info that they should have provided.
There is no one way to do things. THERE ISN'T. It's about timing and the person you're speaking with. There is no magic process, method, trick, etc....to this process.
Same thing with resumes. Take your resume to 50 "resume experts" you're guaranteed to be told you need to "change" your resume. No right or wrong way.
What you should not be doing is asking a general audience(forums) for advice but instead find the HR person/recruiter/ hiring manager on LinkedIn and approach them and ask what THEY, specifically are looking for. TARGET your questions and resume towards the persons in the company in which you're interested in working.
How to use Linked:
1)- Get a Premium account (YES. SPEND SOME MONEY)
2)- Apply for the position online FIRST
3)Go to LinkedIN and search for the company HR manager,etc...on L.I.
3) Let the person know that you applied for the position and you just wanted to follow up and express your sincere interest in the opportunity.
4) Keep it short and sweet.
5) DO NOT go on L.I. contacting people in search of jobs. Go to follow-up AFTER applying.
As it relates to a Premium account. IF you can afford it, I highly suggest it. People will tell you to join the groups and you can contact the group members for free. First off, you need to wait until you get approved by the group and second, the specific person you're trying to contact may not be apart of any groups.
With a PREMIUM account, you cut through all of that. You can do a direct contact. L.I. has a guarantee response rate or you will be refunded your Inmail credit.
If you're serious about the job search and you're career, find away to get the $49/month Premium account.
Another thing to add. HR people screen candidates based on company and hiring managers' criteria. They don't do the hiring. The HR job is really quite simple. Find and present talent to the powerful people on the organization. To do that, acceptable candidates should, for the most part, not have a resume that includes things the hiring decision makers will object to.
So, as a candidate, your job is to help the HR folks overcome objections. Felony records, long gaps of employment, a history of discharges, a history of job turnover... All these things disable the HR people from presenting a candidate that won't embarrass them internally in the company.
HR people want nothing more than to be looked at internally as the source of solid candidates. They have no interest in harming candidates or blocking them from interviews. They just want any candidates they present to meet hiring standards.
That has not been my experience. I've had HR people jerk me arround with all sorts of crap for technical positions no less and then in cases where I interviewed with the technical managers HR has proceeded to dictate how the interview is to proceed with lists of mandatory questions usually based on behavioral interviewing or typical cliched questions.
Ideally HR should only be able to screen out completely unqualified individuals and have no say in the actual process. Instead the technical interviewers are forced to take a back seat to HR.
In my experience, the HR folks screen the idiots out to save time for the hiring manager and then are involved in the interview panel of the finalists- who survived the HR screening, and then HR tested and interviewed the top candidates for soft skills and corporate fit.
When I was a hiring manager, our HR Manager- or Recruiter- were active participants in all parts of the interview and selection process and had a vote on who to hire. The hiring manager had the final vote but took the word of the Human Resources Professional or Recruiter very seriously. After all the interviews were completed, a committee got together, which included HR, and discussed the pros and cons of all applicants. The committee was usually, the direct supervisor, his/her boss, HR, and 1-2 other key staff members who would work closely with the new hire. Everyone had a vote.
That has not been my experience. I've had HR people jerk me arround with all sorts of crap for technical positions no less and then in cases where I interviewed with the technical managers HR has proceeded to dictate how the interview is to proceed with lists of mandatory questions usually based on behavioral interviewing or typical cliched questions.
Ideally HR should only be able to screen out completely unqualified individuals and have no say in the actual process. Instead the technical interviewers are forced to take a back seat to HR.
Silly for HR to have a vote before final offer, HR already voted that the candidate was acceptable when presented to the internal powers. That's what proper candidate evaluation is about and should be done during the screening process.
The HR "crap" involves corporate citizen fit based on standards developed by the management of the company. HR cannot technically qualify anyone beyond documented experience, education and training. But they can and should ensure candidates meet the "citizenship" requirements....whatever they are for that organization.
Some HR people don't really understand their roles and inflate themselves to believe they really matter in the recruitment jobs beyond finding and screening talent. They are called future discharged employees. I had a long and strong career in HR with a wonderful record of promotions. Primarily because I always understood my job and respected everyone I worked with and interviewed. In the end we are all human and are all trying to make a living. As I rose in rank in the organizations where I was employed, I discharged recruiters who failed to perform as humans and thought they actually had power.
That has not been my experience. I've had HR people jerk me arround with all sorts of crap for technical positions no less and then in cases where I interviewed with the technical managers HR has proceeded to dictate how the interview is to proceed with lists of mandatory questions usually based on behavioral interviewing or typical cliched questions.
Ideally HR should only be able to screen out completely unqualified individuals and have no say in the actual process. Instead the technical interviewers are forced to take a back seat to HR.
I couldn't agree more. I avoid HR like the plague and go right to the hiring managers. If we hit it off, then we know.
Smart candidates know to avoid HR until the last possible minute. I don't think I've met anyone at HR in any of my last few positions until they were ready to actually hire me.
I couldn't agree more. I avoid HR like the plague and go right to the hiring managers. If we hit it off, then we know.
Smart candidates know to avoid HR until the last possible minute. I don't think I've met anyone at HR in any of my last few positions until they were ready to actually hire me.
Updated affirmative action and equal opportunity rules have required that organizations keep track of the demographics of all candidates for employment even if they are not interviewed or hired. As a result, most progressive organizations will require all applicants, even the CEO's son, apply online and thus with HR, so your information is tracked. Applying though HR is a necessary evil. If you are qualified they will send your resume on to the hiring manager.
If in the past you were able to avoid HR in mid sized or larger companies, that will not be so common anymore.
Mom and Pop companies do not care about affirmative action. They are lucky to find qualified candidates.
And no, it's not fully necessary to go through HR first. I've avoided them many times over the years by working through recruiters, meeting the future potential bosses first etc. And I'm not talking just small companies. I've done this at big ones as well.
Eventually you end up with HR, but at that point you should be signing papers to work there and discussing benefits. That's about all HR is really good for anyway.
It could be that my skill set is pretty rare and that's why I can do it. There aren't too many extrovert, expert technical sales guys walking around these days.
Anyway, avoid HR if you can. You'll get farther in the interview process.
I couldn't agree more. I avoid HR like the plague and go right to the hiring managers. If we hit it off, then we know.
Smart candidates know to avoid HR until the last possible minute. I don't think I've met anyone at HR in any of my last few positions until they were ready to actually hire me.
Unless you know someone at the company there really is no way to avoid them unfortunately.
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