Recruiters - any good?

[m_asim]

So applying on company websites is not resulting in as many callbacks as I'd prefer. I think they just get inundated with mountains of resumes that they can't dig their way out of. Are recruiters any good in getting companies eyeball my candidacy?

If so, anyone you'd recommend?

 

[Yakoo752]

what is your industry/field?

 

[295566]

It's all about who you know. There are a LOT of lazy recruiters out there who will do the bare minimum to get their $150k + salaries.

Not to mention that statistically it is cheaper to hire a referred candidate, and said referrals tend to stay longer than those who are sourced.

 

[jt2]

The question is a bit too vague to give a definitive answer.

Put as simply as possible, it depends on the position you're going after. When I had an open requisition I was hiring for, if I was contacted by an unknown recruiter with a fistful of resumes, I'd generally ignore them.

OTOH, if a recruiter that I knew contacted me with a resume , it was a good bet that they knew what I was looking for and I'd be more likely to have a look.

If you see a position posted directly by the hiring company, it is quite possible that they haven't budgeted for a recruiter's fee and having one submit you for that position would do more harm than good.

So you need to know a bit about the position going in before you can make the decision.

If you're not getting responses, give your resume a makeover - don't just use one, tailor it to the position you're applying for. And don't forget a cover letter where you detail how you're a good fit for the position, love the company, etc.

 

[aminalmutha]

Utterly useless, in my experience.

 

[mototireguy]

Asking if recruiters are any good is like a piece of meat asking of the beef wholesaler is any good.

 

[CoorsLight]

For scientists, they are pretty much the only way to get an interview outside of having a friend who knows the hiring manager for a given job.

 

[*VillageIdiot*]

I think it depends on the "Dude", the best Recruiter I've ever had was Ben Wilmington and that dude saved Christmas for me that year.

He aligned not only my hard skillset with a probable fit in Infrastructure Management; but capitalized on those intangibles that I had developed; putting my in environments, where the Organization could chaptalize on my ability to read human atmospherics, amongst other skills.

Then I've worked with the "Dude" who doesn't value the whole person concept and believes that the matrices in a position description must somehow identically match with one's resume, and doesn't take into consideration the Human Terrain and personality of the employee and the prospective Organization.

Entering back into the United States applicant force makes me nervous, but it's coming that time, and a necessary evil, as I know the American system values hard certifications, over practical application.

In short, I think as a Universal Truth the "Person" defines the role, not the "Role" defining the purpose.

I don't know if this helps, but it's my unsolicited opinion.

 

[NorCalAthlete]

Take the sniper shot over the shotgun approach. Find just 10 jobs that you think you’re a REALLY good fit for and that you really want. Tailor your resume to each one. Then go hunt down people in that department or team on LinkedIn. Find out who’s likely to be the hiring manager or senior enough to have their ear. Grab a meeting / coffee with them. Have a chat. Propose yourself as a candidate at the end. Or don’t even mention the job at first, just ask a lot of questions about their org or function or whatever like you’re interviewing them, then bring up the open reqs at the end.

Not guaranteed, but more worthwhile a use of your time and more enjoyable than firing off emails into the ether and not getting any response back.

 

[m_asim]

what is your industry/field?

Sorry I should've added this info. I'm in software product management for networking products - think Cisco, Juniper, Arista or any of the big datacenter guys.

Take the sniper shot over the shotgun approach. Find just 10 jobs that you think you’re a REALLY good fit for and that you really want. Tailor your resume to each one. Then go hunt down people in that department or team on LinkedIn. Find out who’s likely to be the hiring manager or senior enough to have their ear. Grab a meeting / coffee with them. Have a chat. Propose yourself as a candidate at the end. Or don’t even mention the job at first, just ask a lot of questions about their org or function or whatever like you’re interviewing them, then bring up the open reqs at the end.

Not guaranteed, but more worthwhile a use of your time and more enjoyable than firing off emails into the ether and not getting any response back.

Thanks. Firing off resumes into the ether isn't working. I bet their corporate systems are inundated with applicants and ATS can only parse so much when you are getting thousands of resumes everyday.

 

[bruceflinch]

Those military recruiters are all liars... :laughing

 

[#1Freak]

I think it depends on the "Dude", the best Recruiter I've ever had was Ben Wilmington and that dude saved Christmas for me that year.

He aligned not only my hard skillset with a probable fit in Infrastructure Management; but capitalized on those intangibles that I had developed; putting my in environments, where the Organization could chaptalize on my ability to read human atmospherics, amongst other skills.

Then I've worked with the "Dude" who doesn't value the whole person concept and believes that the matrices in a position description must somehow identically match with one's resume, and doesn't take into consideration the Human Terrain and personality of the employee and the prospective Organization.

Entering back into the United States applicant force makes me nervous, but it's coming that time, and a necessary evil, as I know the American system values hard certifications, over practical application.

In short, I think as a Universal Truth the "Person" defines the role, not the "Role" defining the purpose.

I don't know if this helps, but it's my unsolicited opinion.

Yeah, ben busted his ass for me too. Truly more then just a recruiter. Is he still in the mix?

 

[Yakoo752]

Is he still in the mix?

He is still recruiting but he doesn't do external placement anymore, as far as I am aware.

 

[Kim]

If anyone reached out to Ben he would more than happy to help get you somewhere you would be happy.

 

[*VillageIdiot*]

If anyone reached out to Ben he would more than happy to help get you somewhere you would be happy.

Can he pull off something out in commutable distance from a place in solitude? Something normal'ish for me?