Advice for Job Seekers (employment, interview, find a job, career)

[black_fx_35]

I am a Corporate Recruiter with a F500 organization in Charlotte. I have been in the Recruitment industry for about 8 years, and have experience in Agency (search firm/head hunter) and Corporate (F500 and F10) recruitment.

I see threads here too often with people saying how frustrated they are with their job search. Most of the time these posts have very little information on what has been done to search for a job, but express frustration for the lack of success. I thought I would put together a thread with information that might help others as they look for a job, or as they look to relocate for a job.

First off, for those of you who post these threads, try and be helpful to those who you are looking for help from. Tell us upfront what your background is, what you are looking for, and what you have tried thus far (with or without success). Its a, "help me help you" kinda of thing. If I know what your search has entailed, I can provide perspective or give you insight. If I have no clue what your search has entailed, I would be wasting my time.

A couple general thoughts:

1. Agencies: For the most part, agencies are great at helping top tier candidates find job. A company is going to pay a substancial fee to an agency to find talent. That talent has to be better than what the company would find on their own (otherwise why pay a fee). While most people think they are great and have lots to offer (many times this is the case), you should ask yourself if you are heads and tails better than your competition, and thus, worthy of a fee being paid for you. Keep in mind, this isn't the late 90 when B companies were paying fees for C+ candidates because that's what the market yielded. Today, A companies are paying fee's for A candidates, because there are a plethora of great candidates on the market. What sets you apart from the others?

2. Relocating: This has to be viewed in two parts. Those who are conducting a non local job search, and those who are conducting a non local job search AND looking for relocation expenses to be paid. If you fall in the second category, refer to number 1 above. You have to be that good to warrent a company paying 10, 20, 30, 50, 100K to relocate you for the job. Relocation packages are extremely costly, yes they can easilly be in excess of 100K. So you have to ask yourself if you are that good, that a company is going to pay that kind of cash for you. These full relo packages, again, might be available for A++ candidates, but the majority of people are simply looking for a few thousand dollars to help with the movement of goods.

For those who are not looking for relocation assistance, it will likely be a bit easier for you, but still pretty difficult. One thing that is against you is the obvious, you are not local. If I consider a non local candidate for a role, there are greater risks involved (ie. is it the right role for you AND is my geography the right geography for you). My advice: Be 100% committed to the geography where the job is located. Tell the recruiters that you are strictly looking at that area, and you are coming to that area with or without a job. Don't say you are looking at the South East, or Charlotte, Atlanta and Florida. Be specific: CHARLOTTE. This minimizes any risk that the company sees. Before you get this far though, you have to at least get a phone call from a recruiter. One of the secrets (that helps lesson the risk), is get a local phone number to put on your resume. Yes, this is going to cost you, but you are serious about your move aren't you? Get a Vonage phone for 20 bucks per month, and get a 704 area code. Simple. This way, a recruiter, hr, or anyone looking at your resume will call you because they think you MIGHT be local (provided you have the skillset). Speaking about skillset...look for jobs that you are qualified for. Find a job that will get you to Charlotte, then once here, wait a year and find the perfect job. It is pretty difficult to find the perfect job locally, let alone when you are hundreds of miles away.

So...how to find that job? Research, research, research. Check the usual suspects, Monster, Career Builder, sixfigures, the ladders, craigslist, etc. Find target companies that are in line with your background. Don't just submit your resume on their website, but search for appropriate positions that are in line with your background. THEN find Recruiters or HR Professionals at these companies (or the Hiring Manager). I highly encourage people to use sites like www.linkedin.com. You are a Sr. Accountant, looking for a job in Charlotte. Do a search for Accounting Manager at the company that you are interested in on LinkedIn. Contact the people who come up in your search. Pull their e-mail address off of their profile, and send them your resume. Look for recruiters at these companies. Add them to your list (they have to accept). Then look at their contacts to find others who you can network with. Its called Professional Networking, and there are jobs to be had this way.

Be honest with yourself. Look for a job that you are qualified for. Be persistent. Do your research, follow up, network. It is often said a job search is a job itself. There are plenty of jobs to be had for talented people with strong backgrounds. Get out there and use tools that are at your disposal to find them.

Good Luck!

[PG77]

I have always said if I could get a job looking for a job I would already be employed.

But let me ask you this. I just got a call about a job I had applied to that turned out to be an agency. They didn't even know what their own client wanted. They were asking me what it was that their client wanted. Go figure.

[findingmesomeday]

Here's are two questions for you.

1. If you call me about a job, how do I know you're only going to represent me for THAT job and not blast my resume all over town? How do I know you even have hte search?

2. I read in a book (see my other thread) that making any calls or contacting the company after the interview (other than the standard thank you note) is a huge no-no and could cost you the job. What's the "rule" for contacting an outside recruiter for an update?

[Dd714]

Really heed the OP's words when she says: "1. Agencies: For the most part, agencies are great at helping top tier candidates find job. A company is going to pay a substancial fee to an agency to find talent"

For an entry level or non-professional job, using an agency is either a waste of time or an invitation to a rip off in my opinion. An agency may not be for you. Yes they will try to scam you out of money (NEVER pay to look for a job), yes they will redirect you to temp employment (because that's where they make there money), yes they will redirect you to jobs you don't need, blow your resume across town, milk you for other jobs you've interviewed with to steal your job possibility or to get another business customer.

Now, I am at a professional skill level where an employment agency works for me. I got a job through a head hunter and she negotiated a very high salary and sign on bonus amounting to thousands of dollars that went directly to me. She benifited because she made a commission on my salary from my hiring company. Then again I have also wasted my time with useless agencies in the past.

So, just remember, for a non-professional job, employment agencies are probably not your best avenue in your job search.

[supernerdgirl]

Originally Posted by black_fx_35

I highly encourage people to use sites like www.linkedin.com. You are a Sr. Accountant, looking for a job in Charlotte. Do a search for Accounting Manager at the company that you are interested in on LinkedIn. Contact the people who come up in your search. Pull their e-mail address off of their profile, and send them your resume. Look for recruiters at these companies. Add them to your list (they have to accept). Then look at their contacts to find others who you can network with. Its called Professional Networking, and there are jobs to be had this way.

I just always worry that contacting people that way comes off as weird. Maybe it's just my own personal hang up.

[f_m]

Originally Posted by supernerdgirl

I just always worry that contacting people that way comes off as weird. Maybe it's just my own personal hang up.

I would say that asking if they know of any openings probably shouldn't be too big a deal. Given that linkedin is specifically for that purpose it should be okay I think.