Never Send a Recruiter Your Resume
Unless they tell you to apply to their ATS
Last week three people that I’d worked to recruit (unsuccessfully I might add) reached out (via LinkedIn)to tell me they were job hunting, asked if I “knew of anything that would work for them” and offered to send their resumes.
As always, I saw a teachable moment. Here’s pretty much what I shared with them.
“Thanks for reaching out.”
It’s a tough spot to be in the job market at anytime. In a wild economy it’s even harder. You feel vulnerable and strangely invisible. Whether you’re leaving of your own accord or your company (even one you loved and adored just a year ago) is preparing for downsizing - you’re on the hook and it’s scary.
I’m a tough-love gal, never sugar coating or giving platitudes that are useless. And I never forget how hard it can be to ask for help. I thank people who reach out. Even if they were less than polite when I first reached out.
TAKEAWAY:
Be kind when anyone reaches out. Okay. If it’s an obvious phishing scam or some rando trying to hit on you, just block and report. Otherwise, a polite response is your best bet. Not interested in the job they have? Say so and thank them for the time it took to reach out.
“I’m not actively recruiting”
This should have been blatantly obvious from a cursory look at my LinkedIn profile. I did use this part of the response to let them know what I’ve been up to since we last spoke. A mini-marketing message is perfectly fine if someone has knocked on your door to ask for help without doing any leg work to figure out if you’re reaching out to the right person. As of this morning, not one of them followed the link to check out the work I do.
TAKEAWAY:
In an ideal situation, networking is an ongoing process. Think of it as building relationships with like-minded professionals. I recommend building a network and keeping up with it well before you ever need or want anything from the people in your network. (Want a primer on building, nurturing and benefitting from a network on LinkedIn and beyond? Watch August’s calendar!)
Whether or not you’re in need of a new job - do this today: Review your connections on LinkedIn. Check out their profiles. Brush up on the names and current situations for any and all recruiters or others who have reached out to you in the past 3 years. Read their articles, comment on their posts and make yourself visible.
“If there is anyone in my network you’d like to be introduced to, let me know.”
My network is my lifeline. Do I personally know the thousand or more people in my network? Nope. However, I am always happy to have a conversation and nurture the network. Which means I am very comfortable making an introduction to someone you may wish to connect to. At this time, none of the people who reached out to me has identified or asked for an introduction to any individual or company.
TAKEAWAY:
Helping people find work that makes them happy, does not mean that I can do all the leg work myself. For instance, not one of these people let me know more than a job title of what they do - not the industry, not why they are looking, not their salary range, not their geographic goals….There is NO WAY I’m able to read their minds and understand what makes a good fit for them. Therefore I’m not able to make introductions or even recommend openings. I’ve spent decades being known for my ability to understand the nuances of hiring manager needs, job responsibilities and what can constitute an outstanding candidate. That comes from time spent talking to the candidates and the hiring managers. Reaching out with your resume and asking for any leads for a program manager job is not how to move your job hunt forward. If you’re reaching out to someone on LinkedIn be VERY SPECIFIC in who you’d like to connect to and why.
“Sending me your resume is a waste of time.”
Most recruiters (actively recruiting) are not open to receiving unsolicited resumes. Every company has a system - like Workday - that funnels resumes/applications for open jobs. If a recruiter is working 12 to 25 active openings they come into the office in the morning and check the applications - reviewing anywhere from 10 (for a highly specialized position) to 200 resumes per opening. They have a responsibility to their hiring managers and to the candidates who followed the process of applying using their job posting. Even if they have an opening for the type of position you want they will tell you to USE THEIR APPLICATION process. It’s the only way they can prove they are in compliance with whatever internal and external rules exist to ensure an equitable and diverse candidate pool.
After the recruiter reviews the new resumes they move the candidates through the funnel and call the top priority candidates to have an initial discussion.
Yes, they will keep the job open until the new hire has shown up for their first day of work. Yes, that means that you may have applied three weeks after the role was open and the top candidates who applied on the first or second day may be in the interview process already. That means that the recruiter may or may not review new applicants in the system if they have other high priority searches and they feel confident that one of the current candidates in the process will be hired. They will only go back to that funnel if the top candidates drop out.
TAKEAWAY:
This is why you often feel like your application has gone into a black hole. It’s timing. It’s not about you. For nearly every job opening there are many candidates. The recruiter has pressure to fill all their roles yesterday. That means the first viable candidates in the funnel get the first attention. The recruiter will continue to go through the funnel until they have a pool of 2-5 viable candidates in the interview cycle. Even if YOU are also a viable candidate, if you have applied AFTER the other viable candidates have applied, you may not be noticed. This is NOT PERSONAL.
Recruiters don’t keep a personal file of resumes just in case a candidate falls out of the system, they will go back to the original funnel.
Recruiters, however, DO keep an eye on potential candidates “who got away.” These are the candidates that the recruiter cold-called - hoping to pull them from their current role into the role they had. If they develop a rapport with that candidate and it’s a particularly hard role to fill (converting supervisors in box plants come to mind), the recruiter will continue to check in with that candidate over time - just in case they have another opening in the future and the timing is right for both parties.
None of that means that a role is a slam-dunk. EVERY candidate goes through the same interview process and must meet the criteria of the role, the needs of the hiring manager and the requirements of the company.
In conclusion, most recruiters don’t have the time to share all these insights with you. They are paid by companies to hire people for specific open roles. They are good at their jobs because they focus on that responsibility. Just because they had a project manager role open three years ago, doesn’t mean they have one today or will tomorrow. Their job changes on a daily (sometimes hourly) basis and they must be adept and meeting the business needs.
If you want one-to-one guidance in building and using a network, finding and applying to jobs and making sure your resume is worthy of a call back - I’m happy to help.
What will you change in your job search today as a result of these insights? Tell me in the comments!