To our Fellow Recruiters – Let’s Stop Embarrassing Ourselves

I read an article on Next Montreal (a Montreal source of all things tech) and it left me with a feeling of overwhelming sadness. The article is entitled “Looking Back on my Year of Recruiting” and you can find it here.

The article was written by someone who spent under a year working in recruitment, so clearly no time to understand an industry or become proficient in it. He found no passion for it and is now off to look for the next challenge and hopefully find himself professionally. That is all understandable.

What I found odd, however, is that a recruitment firm chose to actually sponsor this article. An article in which the only words written in capital letters are “Recruitment”, “You” and … “Money”.  Hardly classy.

Let’s be honest. The recruitment industry does not have the best reputation and is known for treating corporate clients and job seekers as commodity. According to this article, recruitment is a “numbers game”. Apparently, in order to be a successful recruiter, you just have to make a whole lot of phone calls. Well, when you lack in quality (ie: strategy and analysis) you can certainly try making up in quantity. What happens in a “numbers game”, however, is that at the end of the day your contacts are reduced to feeling like actual numbers.

When you feel “irritated”, “aggravated” and “disheartened” in your job and your only motivators are “economic gratification”, “potential income”, “commission obtained with placements”, or a “generous check from your client”, it sounds truly unfortunate. Who in their right mind would want to be part of a field that is reduced to something this shallow?

It is obvious that successful recruiters operate with a completely different set of values, goals and aspirations.  A recruiter’s reputation, LinkedIn endorsements (or lack thereof) and longevity in the field are all testaments to that. It is nonetheless embarrassing to read articles that play so well into the unattractive and old-school stereotype of what the recruitment field used to be generations ago.

Fellow recruiters, you do make our lives easier by allowing us to shine in comparison. We would much rather, however, shine among super stars.

Should I include my Education on the Résumé?

Recently I had the pleasure of interviewing a Director of Operations with 15 years of progressive experience. His highly impressive résumé highlighted experience overseeing 100+ direct reports, implementing IT infrastructure, streamlining production and improving manufacturing processes. As we continued discussing his résumé, I noticed that one thing was missing – his education. When asked why there was no mentioning of his educational background, my candidate said that he had not completed a Bachelor`s Degree and did not want to have a section mentioning only his high school diploma.

That was a mistake!

You should always include your education on the résumé, no matter what the level. If your experience speaks for itself, you will probably be considered for the position you are targeting regardless of your educational background. On the other hand, if the position absolutely requires a University diploma, not listing your education at all will achieve nothing. Best case scenario is that the hiring manager will not notice the missing section and will call you anyway, only to find out that indeed you are missing one of the qualifications for the role. Time wasted and an awkward situation for both parties!

No matter what your thinking process, it always looks suspicious when someone does not include such key information as his or her education. There is a reason you did or did not go to University – own it!

Excerpts from Cover Letters & Résumés – part II

At the end of 2010, we shared some of the most hilarious or sometimes confusing excerpts from cover letters and résumés we had received that year. The time has come to share those excerpts that put smiles or evoked puzzled looks from our team members in 2011. Enjoy!

“I am looking to find a position on the Montreal side of Ontario so i can move out there.”

“Sir …
Director of human research”

“I would like to know if you have some career opportunities available? I need a career, I'm very intelligent and hard working.”

“Though an Indian citizen and on the wheels still have the zeal to work and contribute meaningfully.”

“I’m very factual reliable trustworthy and I’m a past learner.”
“Last year I met the woman of my life in Miami Beach and she is from Montreal and we decide to move there.”

“My command of the English language is above avereage and my personality has been described as passive/aggresive.”

“The penetration of IT in our daily lives is not just limited to being a buzz-word for fashion enthusiasts.”

“My name is ___ --nice to meet you!”

“hi i speak french and english im great in computers i repair computer hardware and software problems and i can reapir ipods and xbox i dont have a degree in computers but iv been working on them for over 5 years”

“I have extensive experience in retail, almost 6 years in the works!”

“I do not have a CV prepared, as I have not been actively searching; however, you will find mine in your mailbox tomorrow morning.”

“If by any chance you may have an opportunity for my son Marco, he's got talent (act) and the looks (people say). May i send you his picture?”

:)

Things you Should Never Put on your Resume … Or Should you?

An article in Business Insider gives tips on things not to include in your resume. You can find the article here: http://www.businessinsider.com/11-things-you-should-never-put-on-your-resume-job-2011-12 .

Some of the suggestions make perfect sense: skip personal information such as your SIN, don’t include irrelevant work experience and so on. That being said, there were three tips on the list that we strongly disagree with.

They are:

Get rid of the objective: If you applied, it's already obvious you want the job.
Not true! A vague objective is certainly a waste of space on your resume. A clearly defined objective, on the other hand, can be truly helpful. It might sound silly, but if you are applying for a sales job at, say, Pronexia and you include an objective in your resume that states: “Looking for a Business Development role at a Headhunting Firm”,  you will stand out. Candidates tend to apply to dozens of postings where they see a potential fit, but by being specific you are demonstrating to a potential employer that your search is focused.

Don't let your resume exceed one page.
The article suggests that Recruiters have no time to through a resume that is longer than a page. What?! As we suggested before, your resume should be of whatever length is required to communicate your relevant experience. We actually wrote a whole post on this subject. You can find it here: http://pronexia.blogspot.ca/2010/11/1-myth-of-resume-writing-resume-should.html


Don't list your hobbies.
DO list your hobbies! There is nothing more exciting to a hiring manager than seeing that one of your hobbies is related to their industry (music if they are a music label, gaming if they are a gaming studio, and so forth). If you list a hobby that is also something that the Hiring Manager enjoys, you are even more likely to land an interview.

Oh recruitment… So much conflicting advice. At the end of the day – use your common sense and don’t overanalyze things. Let your personality shine through your one- or two- or three-page resume.

Warning: “Basement” Recruiters are a Multiplying Breed

After several horror stories shared with us by some of our most respected candidates, we have decided that it was time to blog about the new species of 3rd party recruiters. “Basement” recruiters are essentially folks with no credentials working out of their basements and papering the city with... your curriculum vitae. These people look for your contact information online and reach out to you asking that you send them your résumé so that they can in turn forward it to a company with an opening in your field. What makes their method of operation troubling is that they never invite you for an in-person interview, do not conduct an in-depth phone interview and sometimes don’t call you at all (if they downloaded your resume off a job board).

Think that you could care less as long as your CV ends up in the hands of a hiring manager?

Here is how this practice is actually harming your chances of landing a job.

1. Inability to highlight your core competencies. When someone who has never met you is sending off your CV, they are unable to highlight your core competencies and align those with the hiring company’s needs. As you submit your résumé with a cover letter, a seasoned headhunter will present a carefully crafted profile to position you perfectly and ensure a client’s interest. A “basement” recruiter, on the other hand, lacks experience and education required to present a convincing synopsis of your expertise and key achievements. If your strong résumé still captures a hiring manager’s attention, their interest quickly fades when they ask a “basement” recruiter additional questions about your experience and get vague and unconvincing answers. Your background is certainly richer and more complex than the information you could possibly include in your CV. But how could someone who never met you know that? To them you are just what’s on paper.

2. Your résumé ends up in the wrong hands. A “basement” recruiter will often misunderstand the information on your CV and present it for positions that are irrelevant to your experience. Since a hiring manager assumes that you have been de-briefed on the opening, they assume you are clueless to apply for something outside of your area of expertise. If you apply to the company for another position in the near future, you might never get a call back as you now appear to be someone who randomly applies for any and every job.

3. Their reputation reflects poorly on you. When a hiring manager receives your résumé from a “basement” recruiter, they wonder why you would choose to associate yourself with someone of questionable reputation. After all, a “basement” recruiter has no office address, no company email address and often an odd LinkedIn account that lists them as “self-employed” and mentions nothing about recruitment. A hiring manager will assume that you are a run of the mill and possibly desperate candidate if you choose to partner up with someone mediocre to handle your career move.

4. They hinder your chances of securing a job on your own. As the “basement” recruiters randomly send out your CV and misrepresent your qualifications, they close doors for you on their way. As you apply to the same companies on your own or through a professional headhunter, the hiring manager always reverts back to the “original” application and does not move forward with your candidacy.

By now you are probably wondering how you could protect yourself from these incompetent individuals desperate to make a buck and having little regard for the damage they cause on their way. First of all, you need to know that it is illegal for anyone to send off your CV to any person without your explicit permission. This is the reason professional recruitment firms ask you to sign a consent form when you come in for a meeting. If you find out that someone has presented your résumé without such consent from you, you can – and should - go after them. If you get a call or an e-mail from someone who introduces themselves as a recruiter and asks for your CV, inquire about their credentials. If they give you the name of their supposed client, ask detailed questions about the position. If the person you are speaking with is unable to answer such basic questions as the company size, the structure of the team, the reason the position is open, company’s accessibility by public transit and the details of the interview process, they are in no position to represent you.

Align yourself with the best and do not allow someone’s questionable reputation cast a negative shadow on yours!

Can your employer’s bad reputation tarnish yours?

One of our candidates works for a company with questionable reputation. Recently she asked us if we thought that the bad reputation her employer holds in the market place could negatively affect her chances of finding future employment.

The answer is not a clear-cut “yes”. If you are a superstar in what you do, chances are you will easily find employment (given the economy cooperates, of course) regardless of the company that previously employed you. After all, we are in Montreal where people tend to be more open-minded and less quick to judge. That being said, if your current employer is in the midst of a highly publicized scandal or is in an industry that makes people uncomfortable, making a move will certainly be more challenging.

All things aside, you should keep in mind that companies have reputations they do for a reason. If your employer is known for having unprofessional staff, being a “revolving door” for employees, not meeting its contractual obligations or treating clients as a commodity, why should you be working for them?

Having myself worked for a company with a bad reputation in the industry, I am constantly justifying to prospective clients that I am actually professional and trustworthy despite having company X on my résumé. From this personal experience, I can tell you that the difference between being part of a company as described above VS a place where employees are consistently praised by clients for their top notch client skills and professionalism is priceless. Not cringing every time you make a call to a prospective client and they ask: “Which company are you calling from?” is priceless. Feeling proud to walk into your office (as opposed to embarrassed and hoping nobody from the outside will notice where you are headed) is priceless.

Are you ready to stop cringing and to finally feel proud to represent your employer? Time to make a move then – give us a shout and let’s see if we can be of help!

Rules of Engagement

At Pronexia, we pride ourselves on many things, one of which is how selective we are both with our corporate partners and the candidates alike. We only choose to align ourselves with the companies we truly believe in and are proud to have as our partners . In parallel, we are highly selective with the group of candidates we represent.

As a job seeker, here are the things you can do to ensure that we will not be introducing you to our clients:

- An unprofessional email when you send us your résumé. CVs emailed to us with no cover letter (either in the email body or an attachment) are deleted. Cover letters or e-mails that use “u” instead of “you”, begin with “hey” or end with “call me ASAP” are unacceptable. The same goes for business communication with spelling mistakes.

- Request to re-schedule 24 hours or less prior to the interview with no solid reason. Unless you have a medical emergency or another strong reason to re-schedule our meeting, we would rather cancel the interview permanently. If you do need to re-schedule for reasons out of your control, we will be happy to accommodate you.

- Tardiness. Tardiness is unacceptable and is certainly in poor taste. If you encounter unexpected traffic due to an accident, get lost despite having mapped the directions or are unable to leave work at the time you expected, you need to call us immediately and explain the situation.

- Unprofessional demeanour. Over the years, we have heard candidates say: “I dressed this way for this interview, but of course would dress differently for the real interview.” “I wouldn’t say / do this in the real interview”. The reason that we conduct the in-depth interviews in our offices is to pre-select only the best of the best for our clients. It is very important that you dress and act in a way that will portray you in the best – and most professional – light.

On the other hand, you can fully expect that Pronexia’s consultant meeting with you will:

- Always communicate with you in a professional manner
- Will not ask to re-schedule the interview on short notice and without a solid & detailed explanation
- Meet with you shortly upon your arrival at our offices
- Treat you in an utmost professional manner throughout your dealings with us

Are we overly picky? Well, if asking you to be as professional and courteous with us as we are with you feels as though we are asking for too much, we are probably not the best headhunting firm for you. Fear not – there are lots of firms that work in ways opposite to ours!