People are constantly asking me to “get them a job”. Just yesterday I got a text from someone who heard I was recruiting for openings in Chicago. It literally read “Sh!t! Get me a job!” (stay classy, ex-husband).
But wait, you say. You’re a recruiter. Your whole professional existence revolves around getting people jobs… right?
Not exactly. A very smart boss once put it to me this way. “I know you care a lot about getting people jobs. That’s admirable. But the reality is you’re the recruiter. You facilitate the introduction. The hiring manager gives someone a job”.
Wait… really?
Yes. So if I’m not getting people jobs… just what exactly DO I do all day?
Read the hiring manager’s mind. We all know that job descriptions have little, if anything, to do with what the job actually entails. I have to get inside the head a bit of the person who actually does the job giving – what problem are they trying to solve? What skills and abilities does a candidate need to possess to adequately solve that problem?
Find people. We call that sourcing. Some recruiters still do the old post and pray, some tweet, some inmail, some search resume databases, some even actually pick up the phone.
Probe and influence. Ok, I’ve got the people. Now I have to read their minds. What would make them consider an opportunity with my company? Where’s their salary threshold? Do they have what it takes to be successful in this circus? At the same time, I have to influence my hiring managers to give my (qualified) people an interview.
Close, close, close. Move the hiring manager towards an offer. Close them high. Move the candidate towards offer acceptance and resignation of their current job. Close them low. Meet in the middle and make everyone happy. Then make sure the candidate not only shows up on day 1 but that his new boss has arranged for a desk for him to sit at.
At the end of the day, I don’t “get” anyone a job. I set the stage for job getting. I bring the players together, ideally for the end result of an accepted job offer. Candidate, you still have to interview for it and Hiring Manager, you still have to make it worthwhile. But if you’re expecting your recruiter to wrap up a job like a birthday gift and hand it to you, forget about it.
Comment by Bill Schultz on October 4, 2011 at 6:44pm lol @ stay classy, ex-husband).
Comment by Amy Ala on October 4, 2011 at 6:50pm @Bill that is an absolutely true story - he really sent me that text, which is actually what spawned the idea for this blog. lol
Comment by Bill Schultz on October 4, 2011 at 6:58pm
Comment by Amy Ala on October 4, 2011 at 7:02pm
Comment by Amy Ala on October 4, 2011 at 7:44pm
Comment by Chantelle Legg on October 5, 2011 at 6:49am
Comment by Tami Brittain on October 5, 2011 at 10:43am I couldn't have said it more eloquently myself (re: ex-hubby).
I'm actually sharing this one on my personal FB page - people automatically assume that as a recruiter, it's my job to get them a job, which isn't the case at all! Thanks!
Comment by Yvette M. Kriz on October 5, 2011 at 10:45am So am I. I get this all the time. :)
Added by Lisa Zee on June 13, 2013
Added by Rebecca B. Sargeant on June 18, 2013
© 2013 Created by RecruitingBlogs.
Powered by
RecruitingBlogs.com was founded in 2007 and is the social network for recruiters and HR professionals with over 35,000 members and over 21,000 blog posts and forum discussions. Its global online network provides recruiters with a forum to share, interact and collaborate with one another.



You need to be a member of RecruitingBlogs to add comments!
Join RecruitingBlogs