Cranky Recruiter: Who Are You??

Hello Friends!  What a crazy ride the last few months have been!  I've missed meeting up with my wine friends and colleagues, and can't wait until we are back to normal--not just a new normal.  Perhaps months of SIP has made me a bit more cranky.  As I sprint to the end of this week, I have been going through lots of emails.  And something continues to make me cranky; opening up an email from someone, and they are asking for my help with their job search.  That's the entire message.  If I'm lucky, they sign the email with a name and a phone number.  Sometimes it's just an email with no greeting, no salutation and no name.  Seems they could have given their job search a little more thought, but that could just be me, Cranky Recruiter.

So, as a good recruiter, I never just trash these messages.  It could be that candidate I've been meaning to call.  When I have the time, I go back and figure out who it is.  I don't always have time, and those emails sit in my inbox for days, weeks, but hopefully never for months.

"Just one more question"

When I get time, and those messages in my inbox finally drive me crazy, I go and figure out who sent me the message.  Colombo has always been my favorite detective, and I would be a private eye if I wasn't a recruiter.  Not coincidentally, a recruiter should be a good detective: finding holes in candidate stories, looking for inconsistencies in resumes, discovering incriminating evidence when doing references.  And I am happy to dig into someone's past if I smell something fishy.  But that's once we've gotten to know each other, and most likely during the vetting process of a job search.  When we are just starting out in our relationship, I am more than happy to be led to the information--information such as your name, your phone number, what types of jobs you might be looking for, etc.

I've got an idea, send me your resume every time you email me if you are wanting to get a job.  You could frame it as, "I just made a few edits to this and wanted to make sure you have the best version" or "for a quick reminder, here's my resume again".  I'm not proud of the fact that I can't remember everyone who has been in touch with me.  I do have a great memory, but sometimes fatigue sets in and I just get cranky when I get this type of blind email.

Here's how you can turn my frown upside down: I am always happy for people to check in with me, and I encourage it.  At the end of many first phone introductions with job seekers I tell them to check in with me in a few weeks.  I even say it keeps them at the top of my mind--which it does.  Sincerely, I mean it, check in with me.  But when you do, make sure it's super easy for me to know who you are.  If you don't want to attach the resume, put something in the message about what types of jobs you are looking for, when we last talked, a funny anecdote, or a link to your LinkedIn profile.

Why?  I'll get back to you quicker, I'll be in a good mood, and I'll have positive thoughts around the message you just sent me.  I'm never cranky when someone gives me all the information I need, before I need it. 

Have a wonderful Independence Day!  Getting that off my chest has made me happier already!  Ready to binge watch some Peter Falk and see what mysteries he can solve for me over the weekend.  And an enophile's favorite episode:  https://columbophile.com/2017/09/24/episode-review-columbo-any-old-port-in-a-storm/

Productivity: Oh How I Love Technology, But Hate the Time Change

This week has been a tough one for me.  I am most productive in the afternoon/evening, and with the time change I could work up until 8 pm or later, and did frequently this week.  But that does make the work/life balance a bit unbalanced.  Tack on a sick 8 year-old and it made the juggle a bit harder this week.  

Loving to get everything cleaned up before the weekend, I was sitting at my desk this evening, Friday evening, about to declare victory over my inbox, when I had an epiphany.  Things have greatly improved for recruiters in the last 20 years.  

Yes friends, I've been recruiting top talent for the last 20 years, and sometimes it hits me how things have changed.  Let's take a look:

Email:  Wow--I can be in touch with people, have a conversation with them, over days, weeks, months and even years.  With a quick search in my email I can find out where a conversation left off with a winemaker, get details on what states a salesperson has experience with, and catch up with clients in an instant.  While I was an early adopter of email having worked in the tech space, it wasn't widespread for years, and not everyone I needed to deal with used email until more recently.  So how did we communicate?  Faxes and letters.  So slow!  Faxing used to be a big activity.  I don't even have a fax machine now.   

Cell Phones:  Back in the day very few people had cell phones.  I remember having my big flip phone and wondering how it linked to other phones.  Was it a direct antenna to antenna link?  Some people thought so.  And making that first international cell phone call was magic!  Now we think nothing of it.  But the cell phone has transformed the speed at which I can talk to a candidate.  I used to have to time my calls in the evening to reach people at home, or leave a message on an answering machine, and hope they got back to me the next day.  Now I can dial up a number, and if my recipient can pick up that call, they will.  If they are in a compromising situation, such as sitting with their boss in a company meeting, they can let it go to voicemail and get back to me later.  EXCELLENT.  And they often know immediately it is me calling, due to caller ID and saving contacts easily in your smartphone.  The ability to reach someone quickly, and often immediately, lets recruiting move so fast.  

Texting:  Texting, how I love you.  Texting is the next greatest invention to allow me to reach people at all times, to get searches moving, to keep offers headed towards a yes, and to coordinate rendezvous.  And you can text with people around the world and feel like they are right there next to you because you can instantly get feedback, updates and decisions.  And if you are in a tight spot, such as still sitting next to your boss, you can often quickly shoot off a text without anyone knowing.  

Social Media:  Social media for me is like being in the corner coffee shop, but being in the corner coffee shop in every neighborhood I need to be in.  Back in the dark ages, before social media, the only way people could know what you were up to is to see you, or to talk so someone who knew you.  Now you simply put a picture of what you are doing up on Facebook, and everyone immediately can see what you are up to.  Living outside of the epicenter of the wine business, social media has allowed me to form connections with people around the world, and stay on top of what's going on with friends, clients and job seekers.  And yes job seekers, it can let me see if you are a party animal, a bit odd, or a great photographer.  All things we recruiters like to check up on whenever possible.  

Productivity Tools:  Starting in recruiting, we used to get our paper resumes batch processed by a firm in Nogales, Arizona.  The resumes were transcribed at first, and later scanned into the master database.  Then we had to use our Boolean search methods to find the resumes we needed.  A bit tedious, and very underwhelming in quality.  And oh those DOS screens.  Green glowing letters.  Now I can put all my documents up on the cloud and get to my files from anywhere I am, on any device I am using.  Not to mention using a smartphone to run my business while traveling.  And thankfully, not lugging along my huge laptop bag with a million power cords, modems and phone cables.  

But still, I am run by the sun, and my body knows that I can work best when the sun is reaching the western horizon.  With sunset being at 7:16 tonight, i have a few more minutes to be productive.  And check my inbox to see if any stellar candidates got back to me about interviewing.  

There are Two Sides to this Job Hunting Scenario

Yesterday I got a call from a job seeker that I've advised in the past.  He has been job hunting for several months now, and is a bit discouraged about how it is going.  He said that when he sends out a resume to a job posting, he never hears anything back.  Unfortunately, that seems to be the norm when submitting resumes.  From stories candidates tell me, they rarely if ever hear back from a submission, not even a confirmation that their resume was received. 

This has got to be hard to take.  Yes, I do advise people to follow up on any submittal whenever possible.  If you just sent your resume to an individual at the company, check back with her before the week is out to make sure she received your resume.  While email is good, if you can call her to check that could just do the trick.  Not all hiring managers like the call, but gauging how often I get follow up I think they don't get a lot of calls. 

Why would you want to follow up on a submittal.  Well you would of course want to know that your resume got to the person intended, and also to find out what the status of the job opening is.  You do have to use a little finesse in your follow up, gracefully saying you were making sure your resume was received while also casually inquiring into what the next steps in the review process are.  Being pleasant and also eager are great qualities to exhibit when making these inquires. 

Sometimes my best candidate for a job has ended up in my spam folder, and only after they inquired about their submission did I find the email.  It happens, not all the time, but I am sure those candidates are glad they did follow up with me.

Now, I want to discuss the flip side:  What it is like to be a job poster.  Over this past weekend I posted a job to Craigslist.  I put information about the job and that WineTalent was the recruiting company on the position. 

Quickly I started getting responses.  Some were very detailed email messages with attached resumes and cover letters.  Some didn't have any email message at all, only a resume attachment.  Some email messages were kind of bossy, "Read this message to hire me for the job", and "Contact me immediately about my candidacy".  This role is for an Executive Assistant who will be handling all of the communications for the winery owner and will be supporting the company in many different settings.  Attention to detail, strong interpersonal skills and a professional demeanor are all traits I am looking for in this person.  My first impression is going to come straight from the first email communications.

Knowing that all too often candidates never get any feedback about their submittal, I can understand if they don't put much effort into the submission.  If you'll never hear back why bother finding out anything about the company or the person you are submitting to?  I can understand the logic there.  But maybe you need to go the extra mile when you are sending your resume to a posted job listing? 

Now I'm not one to complain (That's Cranky Recruiter's job), I do think if my contact information is on the posting a candidate could address the email to me directly.  Granted, Craigslist does use a blind email submission process, but someone could still find out who they are sending their information to.  Doing a quick Google search of the word WineTalent immediately brings up my website.  If someone pulled up my website they could probably quickly find out who to address an email too.  Maybe addressing it to Dear Sirs isn't the best salutation...?!  Also, if I have listed that I'm recruiting for my winery client, maybe discussing your interest in working at my winery doesn't make sense.  I don't have one, only many of my clients do.  And if you note on your submission that you are impressed with the wines I have produced and you want to be involved in a world-class production operation like mine you really do not know who you are submitting your resume to. 

So what?  You want a job and I'm going on about etiquette in email submissions.  I will say that some folks who submitted their resume have already gotten a call from me, and I'm off momentarily to conduct an interview with someone who sent her resume in yesterday.  Why did these submissions make the cut?  These emails were professional and directed to this specific job posting.  The emails expressed their relevant experience to the job posted.  They were concise yet compelling.  Of course their resumes showed they had solid work histories and the skills needed for the job. 

Take the time with the first step, and you'll set yourself up nicely on the path to a new job.

Annonymously Posted: What your grammar!

A few posts back I asked for your patience with my comment moderation now that I've "hit the big time" with my blog. This really just means that I get lots of spam comments for new posts. I have some software that's helping cut through the obnoxious comments, but a few still get by. I quickly glance through them to make sure they are not real comments. One thing that gives them away the quickest is the terrible grammar. And here's why I am bringing it up on a career advice post. When you are communicating with a potential employer, or recruiter, take the time to proofread your missives.

Glancing through a few recently, I was asked to help people find real estate, home loans, romance and lost bank accounts. In every single one of these messages there was atrocious spelling and grammatical errors. A few seemed to be possible real comments, but then upon reading them closer, they were also spam.

So why do you need to know this. Well, wouldn't you want me to carefully review your email instead of chalking it up as spam. There is only one click of the mouse separating your message from reply or delete, save or trash, you get the idea. Even if you are not writing a professional cover letter or resume, think about putting time into reviewing your messages. That attention, or inattention to detail could be telling me something.

Beware the True Black Hole, the Spam Folder

I am getting to the end of a recruitment, and luckily I searched through my spam folder to make sure nothing got caught in there. To my surprise, there were several resumes of highly qualified candidates in there. After reclassifying them as "not spam" I have been talking to several of them, with promising interest by my winery client.

Job seekers always complain about not getting any feedback after submitting a resume to a general delivery mailbox. While contacting people directly is often recommended, even if you email it directly to the hiring manager it can be received as a suspicious email. Hiring managers are busy, and most likely don't check their spam folder unless specifically searching for a missing email.

So how can you prevent the blackhole of the spam folder? It can be tough. Some companies have pretty stringent filters on their email accounts. Also, if you are sending your email from another country, the country code in the email can signal spam filters. I know this because often non-US emails get caught in mine. I am sure I too have sent plenty of brilliant communiques to clients who would have used my services in a heartbeat--but my solicitation was caught in the filter.

My recommendation is the same as for any serious job search. First, find out who is hiring for a position. Then send your resume directly to that person. Then follow-up with them to make sure they received your email. I frequently get these calls, and do check to make sure the message came through. It doesn't always, and that call allows the message to be resent and successfully received by me. I don't mind calls--I do have trouble getting back to all calls during a busy recruitment, but strive to as best I can.

I know that it isn't always possible to find out who is the hiring manager on a position. If you can't get that information, follow up after you send your resume to a general delivery mailbox with another email in 1-2 weeks. Persistance has a way of paying off. Be courteous and professional.

Good Luck

Cover Letters and Communications

This last week I attended Back to School night, and met my children's teachers. As always it was informative and great to connect with the new stewards of my family's education. Then today I received an email from the teacher that was full of grammatical errors and obviously had not been re-read prior to sending out. While I know all too well how important it is to get communications out, I also know that this teacher is in charge of teaching kids proper writing skills. How can I stand behind my son's report card comments that he had poor grammar and spelling, when the same teacher had similar problems in her communications to me.

So what the heck does this have to do with you, job seeker? Think about your communications and what they say about you. Make sure your emails are concise and free of errors prior to sending them. I always proofread my messages prior to sending--even if it is just a quick note. It makes communication easier, and prevents any misunderstandings.

As a recruiter, a resume is a snapshot of your experience and skills. I don't really pay attention to cover letters. I do however like an email that gives me the nitty gritty on what a candidate is looking for, what their living situation is (are they looking to relocate, anchored to a remote locale, or are completely flexible), and related information. In my resume database I input these notes, along with any notes from conversations and interviews. I do advise you to prepare a cover letter to include with your resume. I am only one recruiter, and convention dictates a cover letter. Make sure it is clear, represents you well, and free of typos and errors. This will show your presentation skills and thoroughness.

This of course is true of any communications you send. Make sure you don't send a email riddled with problems. If you claim in your resume that you have stellar business communication skills, it better be reflected in all your communications.

Okay, so how many grammatical errors did I miss?

Big Brother is watching, and reading your work email

Did you see a posting for a great job and you want to send your resume? My words of advice are, don't send an email from your current employer's system.

As a job hunter, you want to respond quickly to job postings. Many of us are on our emails first thing when we get to work, and check it regularly throughout the day. Friends send us jokes, family checks in with us, and colleagues shoot out quick messages that need our attention. It's easy to forget that the email system is legally the company's property.

A company has the legal right at anytime to review an employee's emails. Another fact is that email is a written document that can be used in a court of law. So, when you send off your resume to the competition for a job and your employer finds out they can terminate your employment based on improper use of company equipment and systems.

That email you sent with your resume had better be a good one if it means losing your job.

So, when looking for a job, only use personal email accounts for correspondence. Personal email accounts are confidential and cannot be searched by your employer. I also recommend not looking for a job on the company internet because your website visits can also be tracked by your employer.

Having your own email account is simple, and probably takes as long as 3 minutes to set up. I recommend anyone who is actively looking for a job to set up a gmail, hotmail or yahoo account immediately. These email accounts are free for the bare bones features, but all you truly need is an email address where companies can contact you.

So send off those resumes and contact hiring managers or human resource managers all you want through your personal email address. And remember to check your email daily to make sure you are on top of any messages you might have.

Oh, and a personal cell phone or voicemail system is a high priority. Just remember to keep your message professional.