How to Get Noticed by Recruiters

The Internet has been a mixed blessing for executive recruiters. While it allows them to gather resumes quickly and electronically from all over the world, it has also left them inundated with resumes with every job they post.

As a potentially qualified candidate for a recruiter's search assignment, how do you get noticed among the thousands of resumes in a recruiter's inbox? What can you do to differentiate your resume and help the recruiter jumpstart your career? Here are ten tactics to improve your chances of getting the kind of attention you want. Most importantly, you must first understand the role of recruiter. Recruiters don't find jobs for people -- they find people for companies! It's an important distinction to know, if you want to be noticed and even placed by a recruiter.

1. Recruiters normally are filling several positions at once and it becomes difficult to keep thousands of resumes in order. Today the preferred method of sending your resume is by email. Putting the position and your name in the subject line will ensure that you are being assessed for the right position. Example: VP Business Development -- John Doe.

2. Include an executive profile at the top of your resume. Your profile, by giving the recruiter a snapshot of your experience, could be one of the most important sections of your resume. Be sure to tailor your experience, skills and education to the job that you are applying for. A recruiter faced with 1000 resumes can't possibly read each one thoroughly; the executive profile is an effective way to make it through the first cut.

3. Make sure to explain all gaps in employment even if you were taking classes or raising a family. A recruiter doesn't have time to call each candidate and get an explanation for what you were doing during a time of unemployment on your resume.

4. Be sure to include a personalized cover letter expressing your interest in relocation, and geographical preferences. A candidate from New Mexico applying for a job in Boston is more likely to be contacted if the cover letter explains that the candidate has family in the Northeast and is looking to relocate there.

5. In the cover letter give a detailed description of the ideal company, position and industry that you would be most interested in working for. This description should be closely related to your career path and related experience.

6. Your cover letter should also provide your realistic salary requirements and be specific. Include your current base salary, incentive bonus and/or commission structure, company car, profit sharing, etc. Don't worry--the executive recruiter will fight to get you the most attractive offer possible. The recruiter will assess the opportunity and contact you if the job seems right for you for reasons other than salary alone.

7. Make sure your resume includes a brief description of each company you worked for, stating the industry, approximate revenue and specialty in the market. No recruiter in the world has the time or the knowledge to know the background of every company that shows up on a resume.

8. List specific accomplishments in each of your past jobs, including numbers and outcomes whenever possible. There is no easier way for a recruiter to sell your experiences to a client company than by using specific examples and benchmarks you have achieved.

9. Follow up with an email one and a half to two weeks after sending your resume. Include a new cover letter expressing your continued interest and remember to attach your resume. By then, the recruiters will have a better handle on the position and will be able to quickly assess if you are a potential fit for the client company.

10. Be persistent without being pushy. Recruiters assess personality and cultural fit to the same degree that they look for the necessary skills to perform the job. If you haven't been contacted, it may not mean you aren't qualified for the position. It may simply mean that someone else better fit the company's expectations. Maintain a good relationship with an executive recruiter. You never know when you'll get a call for your dream job.

Remember! Recruiters do not find jobs for people.....They find people for companies!

Good Hunting! Coach Mark

Career Coaching Tips

When Should You Hire a Career Coach?

Many of you are able to see the value in investing money and energy into lessons, training or coaching for your hobbies like golf, tennis and skiing. You should also consider the high-value of such an investment for your career. Face it, you will make your next career move one way or another. Wouldn’t it be better to find the "right job" on your terms in the shortest amount of time?

Hiring a Career Transition Coach can be a wise investment for your immediate career situation and for your future, especially when you are already in career transition or job-search mode.

Most experts say that there are several situations in which a career transition coach can be especially helpful. When you want to change industries, change job responsibilities, change geography and as you move up throughout your career to upper levels of executive management and income levels in the $100k + range, a good career coach can be a trsuted partner during this process.

The Job Search Process...

When you decide it’s time to start looking for a new career position. What needs to be accomplished after that? You need to determine what kind of position you want to find - career assessment. You need to tell select people of your situation - network. You need to create a marketing piece that brags about you as a product - resume. You need to decide which companies or industries to approach - market research. You need to get your resume in front of key decision makers at those target companies. You need to use phone skills to sell yourself for a personal interview. You will need to evaluate a job offer by researching salary surveys and negotiate the best deal possible. It’s a complex process. Who can be expected to be an expert at this when you don’t do it very often?

What about recruiters?

When you are buying a house you know that real estate is all about good location. Being placed by a professional recruiter is all about good timing. Remember, recruiters DO NOT finds jobs for people - they find good people for companies! And don’t kid yourself by saying that you have some good recruiters in your corner. You are not the customer for a recruiter. The true customer is the one paying the bill, and that's the Company! A good recruiter can bring you terrific value when they are searching for a key executive or professional for their client company. However, recruiters are only one tool in your box when you are in a professional job-search campaign.

What's Outplacement?

Some people have had the opportunity to go through this process with the help of an outplacement firm after being downsized from a company. They have seen the value of this type of assistance. But outplacement firms offer their services in a group setting with cookie-cutter curriculum in a "one size fits all" strategy. A single outplacement consultant is typically "personally" handling 35 - 50 individuals at a time! Assembly line production brings nice profit for the outplacement firm, but your career is too important and unique to be "handled" impersonally.

What's individual (one-on-one) career coaching?

An individualized career coaching strategy is specifically tailored to your personal career goals is critical for the greatest success of ensuring that your career continues to move in the direction that you desire. The good news is that you can invest in your own career any time you feel it is an especially key time. I would suggest to you that any time you are in a job-search mode that you give serious consideration to hiring a Career Transition Coach.

How much does career coaching cost?

I have conducted a great deal of research into firms which offer career coaching and learned that a range of $2,000 to $6,000 seems to be typical for most people, although for a C level executive the cost for appropriate service can approach $10,000 or higher. Do the research and ask good questions before you decide to engage any type of coach. For tips on choosing the right career coach: Click Here.

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So, is career coaching worth it?

Absoultely! Many people have found that career coaching has a very valuable ROI. For instance, when you land a position that is truly the right fit much sooner than you would on your own and increase your salary $10,000 or $20,000 then your $3000 to $6,000 investment in coaching is small price to pay. The short-term results are more immediately realized than the long-range benefits, but it is in the long range where the value truly stands out. With the help of a professional career expert, you will land a better job with higher pay that puts you in position for even greater growth for your next promotion or career move. You make the choice!

“There are two types of knowledge. One is knowing what you need. The other is knowing how and where to find it.”

Good Hunting! Coach Mark

Limiting Your Assumptions and Beliefs

What would you do for a living if you knew you could not fail?

A few years ago, I attended the Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey Circus. Before the show started, I was able to walk around the grounds looking at the lions and tigers and all the other circus animals.

As I was passing the elephants, suddenly stopped, confused by the fact that these huge creatures were being held by only a small rope tied to their front leg. No chains, no cages. It was obvious that the elephants could, at anytime, break away from their bonds but for some reason, they did not. I saw a trainer near by and asked why these beautiful, magnificent animals just stood there and made no attempt to get away. "Well," he said, "when they are very young and much smaller we use the same size rope to tie them and, at that age, it's enough to hold them. As they grow up, they are conditioned to believe they cannot break away. They believe the rope can still hold them, so they never try to break free."

I was amazed.....

These animals could at any time break free from their bonds but because they believed they couldn't, they were stuck right where they were. Like the elephants, how many of us go through life hanging onto a belief that we cannot do something, simply because we failed at it once before?

Good Hunting! Coach Mark

What Matters Most in a Job!

What people want in a real job these days is not about perks. It's all about possibility......

Today's job seekers want more tangible rewards, like challenging work, skilled managers, company stability, sound ethical leadership, opportunities for growth, recognition for a job well done -- and more cash. Smart job seekers know what defines a great job and a fulfilling career, what separates a real manager from a hack, and what differentiates a real business plan from a hop-scotch diagram.

Here are 8 things that matter most now:

Challenging Work
What people seek, above all now, is a challenge. Many employees are craving inspiration. They want to work on a project or service that makes them feel they can make a difference in people's lives or can transform a business. We're cycling back to more fundamental values that were temporarily distorted by opportunism and greed. A job has to be purposeful.

A Future
No one expects to stay for years and years at a company. But people do not want to keep getting laid off every three months either. It's bad for the budget, not to mention the morale. Burned by past empty promises, employees are obsessed with the idea of working at a place that makes an honest-to-goodness product or service. They want a clear visible path to profitability, with supportive investors and partners already in place, and a CEO who can articulate the strategy and doesn't shrink from tough questions. If they don't find that, they'll look elsewhere -- or change their minds quickly. Giving employees reasons to leave companies has grown dramatically over the years. We have taught people how to leave. Loyalty and dedication is truly on vacation in today’s workforce! Note to Mr. Employer: You better pay attention - because today's junior managers are tomorrow’s leaders. Young skilled workers see what happened to Mom & Dad's cradle to grave career days and say, "Not me!" Companies laying off employees to improve the bottom-line by reducing payroll to make the shareholders smile has gotten rotten!

Honesty
Although many people in the workforce are fairly young, they are no longer naive. They know when they're being fed a bunch of baloney, and to them, there is nothing more insulting. So if the company's experiencing trouble, they want to know about it, directly from the head of the company or the business unit. They can handle it. If they are not meeting expectations, they need to be told, so they can improve. And when offering a job to candidates, don't promise them the world -- simply tell them what you need from them, and be honest about the tough parts. If you think the job may change, tell them. Candidates are flexible these days -- as long as they don't feel that they got lied to on the way in.

A Chance to Become More Marketable
People know that their job won't last forever. They know that things might not work out and that they could get the boot one day. So what do they want? The chance to gain skills that will round out their abilities -- and that will make them more employable in their next job. That doesn't mean they'll be less loyal -- on the contrary, employees tend to stay longer at places that don't try to fence them in or try to hold them back from learning and growing.

A Manager With a Clue?
Managers don't have to have gray hair and wrinkles -- nor should they revert to the old command-and-control mentality -- but they do have to have experience, as well as respect for the act of managing human beings.
Note to Mr. Manager: GOOD PEOPLE WILL DO GOOD THINGS IF YOU ALLOW THEM TO DO GOOD WORK! Micro-management is a dead-giveaway for poor leadership! NEWS FLASH! Employees want regular, periodic reviews, something that does not happen much. Job seekers want to know about your culture and how good people with good performance are rewarded in your organization. Isn't it wise to retain good people who care about the company and its customers? Talent retention is going to become your worse nightmare if you don't WAKEUP! Read the book: Love 'Em or Lose 'Em: Getting Good People to Stay by Beverly Kaye.

Accountability
People who are still interested in a work place where what they contribute can be measured, both by the boss and in a way that can be demonstrated in their next job. Yes, it's key to work in a place that gives performance reviews and takes them seriously. Case Study: John is a good employee was promised reviews that never materialized or that were delayed months and months. When his review finally came, it was one-sided -- Here's what he thinks. If he had known what his boss was thinking, he would have started looking and changed jobs a lot sooner. Sound Familiar?

A Respect for Balance
Many job seekers and employees are thinking more than ever about work-life balance. It's not that working hard is a problem; it's that working hard simply to work hard is a huge problem. Today, they no longer believe that "living to work" is worth it when your life and happiness matters most. They will work extremely hard to support a new product launch or to finish a critical project, but they now hate the idea of working late hours. It's a huge warning signal to people it they don't have a life outside their job. Little league Dad's and soccer Mom's are fed up with companies that expect employees to give their blood, sweat, and tears just to keep their job and stay in good graces with the BOSS! Note to companies: Allow your good employees to find their work-life balance or your employee retention rate will decrease.

Cash
Cash is King! Performance incentives reign supreme. 4-6 weeks of vacation time is more popular than ever. (There’s that balance thing) Stock option plans have had their day, some of which are not worth the paper they are printed on - with the exception of Google. D'oh! The pay cut for equity or stakeholder ship is long gone. These days, some options are seen as a perk that will probably never pan out -- something nice to have but unlikely to form a retirement nest egg. During the past 4 years job seekers realize that their leverage may have shifted back to employers -- However we are entering a long term candidate/employee driven workplace. Recruiters already know this....Companies are having a very difficult time trying to locate and hire top talent....and it's only going to worse as the baby-boomers finally retire. Companies know the salaries offered last year may not be enough this year. Employers hoping to attract good candidates will need to offer more hard currency (CASH) instead of paper dreams to get the talent they want.

See my "Distributor of Hope" blog.

Good Hunting! Coach Mark