Why recruiters don't return your calls

Recruiters get a very hard time from job seekers as they don’t see any value in what they do, just that they don’t return calls or keep you updated on your application.

To be fair to recruiters – they face a very competitive & highly time  pressured work environment and can only deal with candidates that are a very close match to what their clients want - all other candidates, of which there are very many, will not get a look in – that’s just a fact.

The reason is that the employers, usually big blue chip companies, will give their job spec to 2-3 agencies and expect 2-3 cv's back from each recruiter. They will then select only the top 3 candidates from the 6-9 cv’s submitted for interview so it’s very much a “race” to get the best cv’s in first – otherwise no placement fees / commissions – hence the lack of time available to return calls / emails to unsuitable candidates.

On top of all this, a lot of HR managers / employers don’t give the recruiters any feedback on cv’s submitted as the cv’s are sitting on a line manager’s desk who is probably waiting on his financial controller to give the go ahead getting approval on hiring in the first place!!

And so, even when a candidate thinks that his cv has been submitted for interview, it’s still out of the recruiter’s hands – all very frustrating for HR managers / recruiters and job seekers alike.

 Top 10 tips on how to deal with recruiters

1. If they don’t return any of your calls or emails, don’t take it personally. It’s just that you don’t match what their clients are looking for at that time.
2.  Make sure your cv is very specific for the exact job you are most suitable for and covers the main facts / your ideal:
• Job title
• Industry or category (Developer, Lan /Wan, etc)
• Ideal location
• Expected salary bracket
• Top 3 skills (use keywords)
• Availability
• All contact details
• 2 pages MAX
3. Whatever your work experience, you will find from the job boards that there are a few names of recruiters that keep popping up in your industry. These will be your eyes and ears as to what’s going on in your industry – I suggest you get on their radar and stay there until you get fixed up – Also keep in touch every 6 months or so anyway - “The day you start a new job is the day you start looking for your next one”.
4. Send your cv and make sure you keep in touch every few weeks using the main facts above, don’t expect them to remember you as they are dealing with about 20-30 candidates daily.  Also, don’t take it personally when they don’t return your calls – it just means they don’t have anything for you currently.
5. Try and get a face to face meeting with your selected recruiters if possible. This is very important as once they believe you will represent them well in front of their clients, they will push for you all the more down the track. Dress well, clean shoes, nails, hair, etc – All the usual – be professional.
6. Make sure that if you see the same job spec with a few different recruiters,  only send your cv to ONE and make sure you tell him / her also.  This will build loyalty with the recruiter.  Also, this will make you look better in the eyes of the employer, rather than getting your cv from 2, 3 or even 4 recruiters – you will just go in their “too hard” basket.
7. A lot of people spend time trying to figure out who the employer is behind the recruiter’s job description, thinking they will stand a better chance if they can avoid the recruiter completely.  Some employers do also try and get CV’s directly to reduce their agency costs but they get so many CV’s directly that chances are they will miss you anyway.  If you’re the right person for the job and a well established recruiter has put you forward for the job, the HR managers will keep your cv as a priority anyway as they know the recruiter’s judgement is usually close to the mark.
8. If you feel your cv or interview skills could do with a makeover and you can afford the approx 150 euros, then I recommend using the likes of www.Careerscoach.ie for IT – Many other providers out there.
9. On your job hunt, make sure you keep a note (Pc, notepad, etc) of all calls made, cv’s / emails sent – when and to whom, conversations, ref’s of job spec’s, as it can become very confusing a few weeks down the line trying to remember what conversation you had with which recruiter about which job.
10. Remember, most experienced recruiters know your industry very well and if you select just 2-4 and make them your recruitment partners, chances are they will eventually deliver you a great new job.

 Happy job hunting!

 Niall Kelly

 Director

01 236 6636

www.ComputerJobs.ie & www.SalesJobs.ie