Posts tagged ‘tips for working with recruiters’

Jul 2

Salary Negotiation Tips That Yield Lucrative Results

Running an executive recruiting firm specializing in staffing marketing, sales and media, there are a few tips I would give to any job seeker looking to negotiate their salary. These tips are from perceptions of the salary negotiation tendencies of some of the latest job seekers whom we’ve worked with.

Analyzing from a third party standpoint has showed me what really works with salary negotiation and what any professional should avoid.

1. Don’t Negotiate Your Salary Too Hard – If it’s only a few thousand dollars, don’t spend forever going back and forth with a potential employer. Eventually, this type of negotiation looks unprofessional, gets old to the employer and can lose the job for the applicant.

2. Understand That the Market is Hard to Predict – Predicting the job market can be a very difficult thing and job seekers who are unaware of what other, competing firms are offering can ask for way too little or way too much – both of which reflect poorly on the job seeker.

Do your research prior to asking for a salary number.

3. Speak in Ranges Rather Than Exact Numbers – To give an exact number to a potential employer is much less advantageous than giving them a range, thus putting the ball in their court.

When you give a number that is exact you also risk looking like an amateur if you’re off and, regardless of level, job seekers are often a miss when it comes to the market and their worth (sometimes more, other times they undersell).

4. Salary Negotiation Does Not Have to Be Contentious – The best negotiators discuss; the worst salary negotiators act unprofessionally and are argumentative.

What It All Boils Down To

When negotiating any salary at any level you must weigh how much you want a particular job vs. how flexible you are willing to be on a particular salary. Easier said than done, but hopefully the above tips should give you a fresh perspective for the next time you find yourself negotiating any salary.

Should Recent Grads Work With Recruiters

Upon graduating, many recent college graduates take the route of working with headhunters in conjunction with directly applying to hiring companies. While hiring companies are pretty straightforward, not many college graduates are well-versed on how recruiters work and the best practices when working with staffing agencies.

That raises the question as to whether recent college graduates should work with headhunters in the first place. It’s in my personal opinion, that the answer to this question is that recent college graduates should work with recruiting firms selectively.

Therefore, what parameters should recent college graduates use when selectively working with headhunting firms? Below are just a few of these variables:

1. Clarity – The more reputable headhunters are very clear about who their clients are, what they expect from the applicants as well as answer any questions that the recent graduate should have.

When working with headhunting agencies, clarity is crucial and should either be a green light or a deterrent for that graduate when choosing which headhunting firm(s) to approach.

2. Relevant Jobs – College graduates should only take the time to apply to recruiting firms with pertinent open jobs. Expecting to hear back from an executive level search firm will prove to be a waste of time and not to mention mentally taxing on some of these recent graduates.

Additionally, recent college graduates should ensure that they like the positions and companies that the staffing agency has to offer; they should not simply rely on qualifications.

3. Intelligent Headhunters – I’ve always wondered why some recent graduates work with any recruiter as a career is a very serious thing and there is no reason why a recent college graduate should work with a recruiter simply because they are recruiters.

Recent college graduates need to get a feel for these headhunters and their behaviors prior to trusting them with their career. My advice is to tread lightly, but don’t be over cautious to the point where you are closing doors that can find you that dream job.

4. Only After Research – Prior to working with headhunters, the recent college graduate should do research on the industry and have a firm understanding as to how recruiters work, how they are paid and what are the nuances of the industry.

This research includes how to write a cover letter and resume as you don’t want to continuously apply to these headhunting firms – one and done is my motto.

In Closing

If the above variables are considered, I think that it is more than fine that recent college graduates approach headhunters. While they should always diversify their search between applying to the employer directly, some staffing agencies can prove to be a great resource for finding that great job.

Relevant Articles

How to Submit Your Resume to a Headhunter

Top 5 Interviewing Tips From Recruiters

Jul 1

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How to Submit Your Resume to a Headhunter

Everyday, nearly one hundred individuals from around the United States in sales, marketing and the media realm of all levels submit their resume into my staffing agency. EAch of these emails and their contents are looked at.

However, not each resume submission is created equal and here are some things that you can do to stand out from the crowd upon submitting your resume to any recruiting agency.

1. Make sure that you tailor your cover letter – When submitting your resume into a recruitment firm, treat it the same way you would an individual company and show the headhunter that you took the time to look over their site, open jobs and do some research on the recruitment company.

Although, this takes only minutes to complete, when executed you are ahead of nearly 75% of resume submissions that come across our desk. Again, it’s about 600 seconds of work that could potentially change your career and there is no reason why you should not be doing it.

2. Make your resume easy to read by doing the following – When formulating your resume, make it easy for the headhunter to read by adding bullet points and a brief summary on the top of your CV.

Remember that some of the most pertinent information you have could be on the bottom of your resume and you want to make sure that this information is read instead of having your CV tossed simply because that recruiting professional could not find what they needed at the top.

Moreover, to stress the important keyword phrases, some of the better resumes our recruitment agency receives has bold wording throughout the resume. For our sales and marketing headhunters, it just makes it easier to read.

3. Be polite and respectful – The best way to get someone to do something that you want is to make them want to do it. Working with headhunters is no different and approach with respect, be polite and follow any rules that the staffing agency has set forth for you to submit your resume.

Standing out means following the rules set forth by that recruitment firm (if any) as well as following the above resume submission tips, rather pushing them aside as if you were important and above the law.

In the End

If you are not doing the above now, take the time to alter accordingly. Recruiters need great resumes and they crave great applicants, but if you don’t show them that you have potential via your targeted resume and cover letter, that tree in the forrest will never be heard.

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Jun 20

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Video: Interviewing with Sales Recruiters

When interviewing with sales recruiters or even vp of sales recruiters, there are certain things the job seeker should ask themselves prior to either allowing that headhunter to represent them or simply passing on that recruiter and moving on to a different staffing specialist.

Question 1: Does the sales recruiter know my industry? If the headhunter whom you are currently working with has little to no knowledge regarding the industry that you are seeking a business development position, than you may be wasting each other’s time.

Also, by phrasing the reason that you no longer want to work with the recruiter anymore because you don’t want to waste his time, is a great way to leave on happy terms.

Instead of wasting time in the form of sitting and hoping that the individual gets a vacancy in that industry, diversify your search to other sales headhunters. In all actuality, I recommend that you continually apply to direct employers as well. The more targeted yet diversified in reaching that target you are as a job seeker the better off you are going to be.

2: Does the sales recruiter have any jobs open that I would even be a remote fit for? This is just like the above situation. If they don’t have it now and there is no likely reason to expect that sales recruitment specialist to have a job open that would be a fit in the future, move on.

3: How much experience does this particular sales recruitment specialist have? There is a very high employee turnover rate in sales and any other form of recruitment, therefore never wait on a headhunter to get you a job as they may no longer have theirs by the time you realize you haven’t diversified your search enough.

Ken Sundheim is the CEO of KAS Placement executive recruiting and staffing agency helping job seekers around the United States help sales, media and marketing professionals find top jobs.

Jun 8

Dealing with Pushy Recruiters

An employee of mine, prior to working at KAS Placement said she was contact by a wide variety of headhunters some being very professional while other recruiters were pushy and difficult to deal with.

This begs the question, how does one deal with a headhunter who is pushy or even an overly aggressive recruiter? Know that you’re not alone in your need to deal with this recruitment professional and, because of that here are some tips how to do so.

1. Shy away from confrontation.

Yelling will get you nowhere. As a matter of fact, it may give the headhunter more incentive to continue the actions that you want stopped. If they only contact you one time, avoid speaking to them or email contact.

This is even if they called you at work and your boss found out. Let them do it again, they’ll look like they have no credibility. What happens if the recruiter keeps being pushy? See #2.

2. You’ll contact them.

Even if the recruiter pisses you off to high heavens, don’t take it personally and quickly rid the problem without breaking a tie with the recruitment company by simply saying that you are not looking right now, but may be in the future and will contact them.

Thank them for reaching out and, unless somewhat imbalanced, they should not be reaching out anytime soon. The last thing that you want to do is throw fuel on the fire with an irrational person that has all of your contact information.

3. Keep your composure.

I’ve come to learn that the only thing worse than losing your composure is the feeling afterwards. Professionals remain calm and collected. The more of a professional, the higher their ability to do so is.

Try not to personalize things. You’re not the first person that this headhunter has been pushy with and you won’t be the last. Remember that you can only control your actions.

4. Try to put yourself in the other person’s shoes.

Another lesson that took me nearly 31 years to learn is that people who treat others poorly do so because they are consistently treated poorly. Much of it, in my belief spawns from a lack of intelligence and an ability to surround yourself with the right people.

Some people are simply victims of circumstance and knowing this can help you achieve #1 to #3.

In the End

Just like in any industry, some recruiters are effective while some are, to put it politely ineffective. The only problem with the ineffective ones is that many spend too much time and effort on them instead of simply dealing with pushy recruiters the right way.

Ken Sundheim is the CEO of KAS Placement Executive Search.

Jun 5

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Finding the Best Headhunters to Land a Job

There are certain factors that you should look for, as a job seeker or even an employer when choosing what recruitment firm to work with.

Below, you find some of these variables which ought to either deter you or encourage you to engage and ultimately work with a headhunter.

Here are those tips:

1. Ensure that the recruiting firm does not make you a commodity. You don’t have to have hour long chats with the recruiter whom you are working with, but he or she should take more than 5 minutes getting to know you.

In the staffing business, matching job seeker and employer personalities is 1/2 of the game.

2. Find a recruiter that specializes in staffing job seekers just like you.

3. Make sure that the headhunters and their staffing firm are knowledgeable regarding the industry, company they are recruiting you to.

4. Find recruiters who are intelligent and engaging as intelligent and engaging recruitment firms work with intelligent and engaging companies. It’s birds of a feather.

5. Submit your resume tailored to the recruiting agency that you are approaching. This means no mass emailing. Treat applying to a recruiting firm the same way you would treat applying for a job directly to an employer.

In the End

If you know where to look, finding the right headhunter in order to locate the best job for you is not overly difficult, however it could be time consuming and sometimes even frustrating. Though, the better headhunters are out there waiting for good job seekers all the time.

About the Writer

Ken Sundheim is the CEO of KAS Placement a marketing recruiting, sales staffing and media recruiting firm serving job seekers throughout the U.S. You can follow Sundheim on Twitter and KAS Placement on YouTube to find interviewing and entrepreneurship videos.

May 13

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3 Rules for Using a Headhunter for the 1st Time

1. You don’t have to take the call at work. There is a big misconception among younger job seekers that if they can’t take a headhunter’s call regardless of time, location or even convenience, they have lost the chance.

In all actuality, it could not be further from the truth. If that staffing professional thinks that you are good for the job, they will call you rain, sleet, shine or even in a hurricane. If you’re not comfortable, don’t take the call at work. Nothing good can come of a bad interview.

2. The headhunter does not have to be pleasant to work with. Here is another misconception because the recruiter is the one helping you find a job even if they are paid by the employer. You wouldn’t trust a distant, cold stranger trying to give you free anything would you?

A recruiter‘s demeanor towards you says a lot as to how positive their intentions are for you and whether they have a vested interested in placing you at a job you will thrive in or simply placing you in a job.

Now, you don’t have to be best friends, but if you despise that recruiter, I would suggest to stay away.

3. The headhunter has to have some knowledge of the job and the industry. If you get on the phone with a recruiter who is simply reading off of a job description this means a few things:

1) They probably don’t deal with the hiring director directly which puts you, the job seeker at a grave disadvantage.

2) They haven’t taken the time to research the position which, directly or indirectly says they really don’t care about the job.

3) They are simply not that good at what they do.

In the End:

In the end, don’t trust your job to anyone whether it be a headhunter or a friend’s advice, but if you are going to go with the former, make sure that staffing professional is legit.

Posts tagged ‘tips for working with recruiters’