Are recruitment consultants for real?

by K B , updated on November 8, 2020

Recruitment Consultants FAQ

Scott Black is a construction recruiter in Sydney and the founder of Black & Co. I asked him to comment on my post about whether recruitment consultants will work hard for you if you’re registered with other agencies. He’s done more than that. He’s also answered some of the most common questions I’m asked from job seekers. My main take out of his comments is that you as a job seeker have to remember that you have power in the recruitment process. You can choose who represents you. You have to “man up,” to use a slightly sexist term ;-).

But enough from me, let’s put Scott under the spotlight.

When does a recruiter actually represent you?

I’m always surprised when people assume that just because they have submitted a resume or have met with a recruitment consultant that they are automatically represented by this person. I meet with potential candidates every day who tell me they have never met the recruiter or provided references but that recruiter is out in the market place talking to potential employers on their behalf. The fact the recruiter is not meeting with the person or checking the details of a resume amazes me but that’s another blog post all together. You have every right to decline their representation at any stage if you are not comfortable with that person.

Do all the jobs recruiters advertise, actually exist?

I also constantly hear negative comments about the reputation of recruiters. One major question I’m asked is whether the jobs they post on various job boards actually exist. My advice to jobseekers is to interview the recruiter before they interview you. Ask them about their background and details of the job posted. In my experience it is normally a very good sign if the person you speak to has worked in the industry they now recruit in. They have a deeper understanding of the role, but more importantly are generally more passionate about the industry they chose to spend a major part of their life in. I find recruiters that come from a sales background tend to think they are selling people as a commodity and not trying to make intelligent matches for the benefit of you and the client.

What can you do when recruiters will not tell you the name of the company?

When you call a recruiter you may find that most recruiters do not want to give you details of the company or location of a role. You can still ask about the core competencies the company requires so you can get a feel for the legitimacy of both the position and the recruiter. If you are happy to be represented for that role it does not mean you are fair game for anything else they feel you are suited for. Always ask to be informed of any potential employer’s details prior to your resume being sent there.

What does it mean if the recruiter does not want to meet with you?

If a recruiter does not want to meet you in person but is willing to send your details to potential employers it is a very bad sign. I estimate that about 70% of people that come to see me that are registered with another recruiter have never met them. My question to those recruiters is how can they be effective in their job if they fail to perform the fundamental processes of recruitment?

Overall my advice is to find someone you are comfortable with and let them work with you for a positive outcome. Maybe give them a 2-3 week period of exclusivity before you seek further representation.  Remember that being with poor recruiters actually negates what the good ones can do for you.

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Social Media Thanks to Social Media Women

by K B , updated on November 8, 2020

Tonight, I was lucky enough to be able to present on how to write a killer LinkedIn profile for Social Media Women.

SMW is  a wonderful networking initiative from Catriona Pollard founder of CP Communications, a marketing and PR agency in Sydney, and Retail Strategist, Nancy Georges. They’ve brought together a diverse bunch of women, forging new territory in Sydney in social media. A big advantage of this group is that it provides a safe public forum for any questions you may have, where you get the benefit of a room full of brains.

There were a few questions that came up on LinkedIn etiquette, particularly around how to politely reject an invitation to connect. And how to write an invite to connect that gets results.

I’ll be posting some answers in my next few blog posts.

Stay tuned……

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How to get a job when you don’t know where to start

by K B , updated on November 8, 2020

Why not use a careers counsellor?

OK, I’m saying from the outset that I’m not a careers counsellor.

But in the work I do, I have spoken many people who’ve changed their career. And I’ve received hundreds of emails over the years from people who are confused, angry, uncertain or depressed. They don’t like their jobs. They’ve worked in them for years. The want to change. But they don’t have the first clue about where to start.

Sound like you? Sounds like everyone at some point in their life.

So how do you find a job when you don’t know where to start?

I would strongly recommend to start with career counselling.  In fact, I seriously believe that some decent career advice in school could save a whole heap of job-heartache down the track. Here’s what a career counsellor can help you identify:

– Your innate strengths

– Your preferred working style

– Your preferred work environments

– The way you like to be managed

– People whom you like working with

– Any barriers you have to achieving your goals

From there, you could look at industries or businesses that are growing, and study you may need to do. Part of that process could be talking to people who are employed in the areas you have identified as being of interest. Ask them how they got their first job, what study is recommended and what are the exciting and not so exciting bits about what they do.

The reason I say this is that many people who successfully change careers have started from seeing a counsellor and talking to others. They have gained a level of self awareness. This has helped them in the job hunt when they’ve been grilled by an interviewer asking them about their career change. They can say with conviction, I asked an expert, and this is why I know this new career is the right choice for me.

This site has a list of career counsellors in Australia.

When you choose a counsellor you might want to ask their experience, the journey they take you on, what you can expect at the end, and their experience in helping people in your area.

The last thing to think about, is that a change is often a journey not a leap. Rarely do you hear of people who’ve gone straight from being acrobats to astronauts. That’s much too much of a jump.

(Lame joke, I’m sorry)

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Do you want a legitimate work at home job?

by K B , updated on November 8, 2020

If you’re looking to work from home, here are two great resources for work at home jobs

If I asked for a dollar for every time I was asked “do you know where I could find a work at home job” I’d give up my day job in a flash.

Then I met Leah Gibbs, and that put paid to my little money making idea.

Leah runs two sites, both hosting legitimate work at home jobs.

Take a look at Lifestyle Careers which has part-time jobs, work at home jobs and jobs offering flexibility. Then there’s Work at Home Mums. Leah’s built a community and a resource of legitimate work at home job opportunities.

There are really some great benefits to working from home, but it’s not for everyone.

So I am going to cover things you’ll need to think about, if you’re thinking about a work from home job.

Should you do a work at home job?

If you do want to work at home then there are a whole host of things to think about. I’m speaking from experience here as I work at home a lot.

The perks are terrific.

Take summer for example. It’s been scorching in Sydney so I decided to take a swim in the pool every time my attention wavered.

I can set my own time and my own pace, and work to that.

The non perks are, for me at least, that it takes discipline and confidence to stop working. Running my own company it’s hard to shake the feeling that my current customer is my last customer, even if I am frantically busy.

The other thing I’ve found is that as soon as you say you are working from home, friends and family who are working from work, seem to think that it is down time for you.

I’ve offended quite a few people when I’ve said I’m not up for a chat. My home time is working time. I get paid for the hours I work. There’s no down time on company time for me.

Then there’s social time.

Apparently you need a lot of it to stop you going nuts. Read this study from Gallup that suggests that people need up to six hours a day of social time. You can kiss that goodbye if you work at home alone.

While Gallup suggest social media can help with that, I have my doubts. Tweets can’t make up for real conversation, as amusing as it might be to exchange weather reports from sunny Sydney to colder places around the globe.

The last thing to think about when you work at home for yourself, is that you always need to be “on” and prepared to talk about yourself. If you’re like me you need help with that, so I suggest you try myPitch.

We  developed this app to help you come up with a compelling way to answer that tricky question “what do you do?”

Check it out. It’s only 99 cents. I’d really love to get your feedback.

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Will your recruitment consultant work hard for you, if you are registered with other agencies?

by K B , updated on November 8, 2020

Q&A: Recruitment Consultants

I received these questions on my blog.

I thought I would answer with a post.

They’re good questions.

“Hi Karalyn,

I have now registered with several recruitment agencies when applying for positions advertised on the Seek website.

I have two questions please, I have heard that if you register with many recruitment agencies, and these recruitment agencies are aware of this fact, they don’t work as hard for you. Is this true?

Secondly, I have done skill testing in Microsoft applications such as Excel and Word, as well as Data Entry and typing tests, with the first recruitment agency I registered with. Is it above board to offer these test results to other recruitment agencies, to avoid the necessity of repeating them?

Thanks for your help!”

OK, here goes.

A recruitment agency will work had for you if you have skills in demand (that they can place), or are immediately up for a job they have on their books.

If you have registered with many other recruitment agencies, and are about to sign for a job, then the consultant may leave it there with you, and wish you luck.

Good recruitment consultants will ask you qualifying questions about what you’ve been up to in your job hunt so far, other recruitment agencies you are registered with, and how serious you are about securing another role.

If you’re a “gun” applicant a recruiter may ask you to work with them exclusively for a time. You should think carefully about this – for many reasons.

If you are not so hot as a candidate, or it is unlikely that the agency will be able to place you, a good recruitment consultant would encourage you to look elsewhere and make some recommendations about who may be better placed to help.

When I worked in recruitment I would consider how many places a candidate had registered with as an indicator of how keen they were to move, or even how bad they were as an applicant – it really depended on the scenario.

As a candidate you have every right to ask the recruitment consultant for some honesty in the process.

If you’ve registered with a few agencies, and worry about how that may impact your relationship with a consultant, there’s nothing wrong with the question

“Are you likely to be able to place me?” If their answer is yes, you can tell the consultant that you are happy to work with just them for a while.

Two provisos apply to this answer.

* This scenario applies for more junior candidates. If you’re at the executive level your relationship with a recruitment agency will be different.

** I use the qualifying term “good” recruitment consultant. If you are with a bad or an inexperienced consultant, all bets are off.

On your second question on testing – you can always offer to show your results. Some recruitment agencies use the same testing systems.

Some don’t.

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Two more embarrassing things about blogging

by K B , updated on February 1, 2011

Last week I wrote a post about how blogging can help your career. Last night I was going back through some old posts and thought, “oh-dear”. So I have to add points 4 and 5 to the ledger on the down side.

4. Your writing style will change

Some of my old posts are cringe-worthy. The content is there, but the expression is a bit clumsy. I’m tempted to move into “how-to mode” here on how to improve this, but I seriously think it just comes with practice and time. Plus picking up tips from other blogs you enjoy.

5. People are not always positive. In fact, some can and will say nasty things

I got really excited when a comment landed on the first post I wrote. But it turned out to be someone pointing out a typo.Then someone else commented and the two of them competed publicly to find as many typos as they could. I took the posts down and did a complete re-write. That was all I could do.

I’ve also written a post in another forum where the commenting crowd turned to attack me – big time! That hurt for two days. (If you’d like to see me punched up publicly visit the Punch) Then I moved on. I can’t put a positive spin on that feeling. Ultimately, I guess, it’s for the readers who decide whom they’ll support.

I have to say though, that the support for InterviewIQ has inspired me. I’d like to thank everyone who has contributed to this blog over the past year.

You’ve helped in more ways than you know.

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