6.16.2003

I'm Not Sure This Is Likely

"A recruiter had called you on a great job.  You haven't heard anything since, though.  In fact, you have no way to confirm that he actually sent your resume to his client.  Now another recruiter from a different agency is calling you on what might be the same job.  How do make sure it’s a different job?  How do you make sure the first recruiter really sent your resume and wasn't just trying to stop a competing agency from submitting you?  Previously we had written about what not to do in this situation and how to protect your candidacy.  This tip is an extension of that and is about how to be proactive and turn this situation around so it works in your favor: Explain to the recruiter that you think someone may have already talked to you about the same job but, since recruiters almost never reveal their client’s names, you can't really be sure.  Then tell the recruiter that you want to be submitted but, before they send your resume, you would like someone to call the client and ask if they have already seen your resume from another agency.

Why will they do this for you?  First off, they'll make the call because it’s a perfectly reasonable and understandable request on your part.  Second, you are now a much more valuable candidate in their eyes because you are being pursued by other agencies.  Third, the staffing industry is extremely competitive and no salesperson would ever pass up the chance to beat a competitor to the punch.  And, finally, because any excuse for calling a client is a good excuse.

This benefits you in one of two ways:  If your resume had already been sent, you now have confirmation of that and you may also get an update on where your candidacy stands with the client.  Most importantly, though, you just got another salesperson from a different agency to call the hiring manager and mention your name.  This is a huge boost for your candidacy as it will increase your perceived value with the client.  If your resume had not been sent, though, you still benefit.  Again, you just got a salesperson to call the hiring manager directly on your behalf. What he did for you, in fact, was “pre-sell” your candidacy.  When the hiring manager does get your resume, he will probably remember your name and treat your resume with more attention than the others he/she will receive.

What if they won't make the call?  That’s good too, because that means that you just qualified the opening.  In this job market, recruiters will work on anything.  If they can't, or won't call the client for you, that probably means that they don't have a good relationship with the client in the first place.  Chances are, they are just throwing paper down an HR or managed staffing black hole.  Or, it could mean that their client doesn't really have a need but is just collecting resumes and testing the market.  Either way, you don't lose anything by passing on a job opening like that.

So, make the recruiters work for you.  Although they get paid by their clients, without you, they don't get paid at all. Don't let them waste your time with junk requirements and don't let them “cover” you on jobs (just to prevent you from being sent by another agency) without ever actually presenting your resume to their client.  Increase your value, make them sell you, and you'll find yourself with more real opportunities to choose from."

<Note from JobFairy.com: In all my years in IT, I have never seen this happen. Any recruiter in their right mind is going to send the strongest resumes they can to a job so they can get the placement and pocket the fee. That's how they make their money, and we here at The Job Fairy fully support that. The better they do, the better we do. In fact, I have had recruiters call me before, over a series of weeks, for jobs that sounded remarkably similar. I let all of them submit me each and every time. Nothing adverse ever happened as a result. You don't want to waste a recruiter's time with a bunch of asinine questions, like can you confirm I haven't been submitted there before? They'll make a mental note that you're "high maintenance". You don't want that. You want to be easy to deal with; there for them when they need you, but out of their hair at all other times. Besides, if you get submitted multiple times, it's the agency's fault for not having you sign a 45 day exclusive for the position or company. Client companies date stamp every submittal, so if you get put in multiple times, the agency who submitted you first gets the credit. If a client sees multiple resumes for you, that's enough of an endorsement. Recruiters usually do reveal their clients' names. Not sure where they're getting that from either. I know that recruiters will "market to anything". That's fine. Using the Job Fairy methods, you shouldn't need to care whether the openings are real or not. You make your resume available, you apply to all jobs that could possibly fit your skills, you respond to those who seek you out, and you go on interviews. If someone doesn't call you back, they're not interested. That's it. That's all. It doesn't matter if they're collecting resumes or rollerblading in the parking lot. (Highly doubtful, with budgets being what they are these days, that anyone has the time or money to be "testing the market".) If they do want you, they'll move heaven and earth to find you. Recruiters will send you an e-mail, page you, call your cell, and leave a message on your home phone - all within the space of five minutes! If the answer isn't yes, it's no - you don't have to hear that personally. Save your time and emotional energy; keep applying, posting, and returning emails. If a recruiter was strange enough to not send your resume towards a position for which you were qualified, it's a poor use of your time trying to maneuver around that. You should focus your efforts on activities which do pay off - networking, applying for jobs, submitting your resume to job boards, and answering recruiter inquiries. Face the truth; recruiters are not there to work for you. They are there to work for the company that has the opening. When you look at it from that perspective, what you have to do all falls into place.>