Working with Recruiters to Find a Job

It is common to work with a recruiter or search firm to find your next job. Keep in mind that many published sources have indicated that only about 10% of job hunters find a new position using search firms. As a result, using recruiters as a resource should consume no more than 10% of your time. Keep these facts in mind so you optimize your use of a search firm as a productive job search resource:

Recruiters work for employers, not job hunters

A recruiter’s job is to find the best talent for the position their client employer is seeking to fill based on the employer's requirements. They work to find talented individuals who have done the job already for a prior employer, or people ready to move up to the next level in their same career path. While they help individuals whom they are able to place, it is not their primary responsibility to provide assistance or guidance for job seekers.

Different Types of Recruiters

• Contingency recruiting companies are paid only when their client company hires a candidate they submit. For each position, employers may offer multiple recruiting companies the opportunity to work on the same job posting. They only pay a fee to the recruiter who actually finds the right talent, and the process can be a very competitive. Contingency recruiting is the most common type.

• Retained Search recruiting companies are paid by a company to take on an exclusive role in a given search. They typically receive an up-front retainer fee. The remainder of the fee is paid on an installment basis as the search progresses. This is often used for high level executive searches.

• Corporate Recruiters are usually company employees seeking to fill internal positions.

Recruiters have limited time (like everyone)

Recruiters are likely to be very responsive to people they see as strong potential candidates for their clients' job orders. They are likely to be much less responsive to individuals who are not perceived as potential candidates. In addition, most recruiters don't have the time to respond to the many unsolicited resumes or phone calls that they receive virtually every week.

Recruiters help job hunters get the best compensation
Typically, recruiting fees are based as a percentage of a new hire's first year base salary. Therefore, the more you earn, the more they earn. Often recruiters have inside information about what the company is willing to pay, and are able to obtain the highest salary that the company is willing to offer for the position.

Working with a recruiter can be a great benefit in your job hunt, but only if you understand their role in the hiring process. Budget your time appropriately when working with recruiters to maximize your efforts and results.

David Schuchman

Proper Netiquette for Business

"Netiquette" is network etiquette: The do's and don'ts of online communication. While Netiquette covers both formal (professional) and the informal rules for communicating on line, we'll focus on the formal communication rules in this post.

Writing can be divided into many different categories. One of the main divides is between informal online and formal writing:

Informal online writing is seen in text messages (texting) and also in personal emails. For many people, personal emailing is being replaced by texting. In order to more quickly type what they are trying to say, many people use abbreviations and acronyms instead of words. The language created by these abbreviations is called "text speak".

Formal writing includes business writing, formal letters, and academic writing.

The vehicle for writing (text, email, paper) is not the distinction between informal and formal writing. The style of writing is.

Some people believe that using text speak is hindering the writing abilities of students, and the communication effectiveness of professionals. While this is a debate issue, the first thing to understand is that informal writing is not "wrong", nor is formal writing "right". Each is appropriate for certain circumstances. As an analogy, while it's perfectly acceptable to go out in jeans and a t-shirt, that may not be the best choice of what to wear when working in the office or going on a job interview.

When deciding whether your message should be written formally, consider who will be reading it and why. If your audience is just your friends and the purpose of your message is to let them know about where you will meet later in the day, you probably don't need to use the rules of formal writing. However, if you are presenting a proposal to your boss, writing a cover letter for job application, or writing a research paper for a teacher, the formal rules of writing typically apply.

Some Basic Rules of using Netiquette for Formal Writing

• Use a sophisticated vocabulary with terms that are accepted in the topic's field.
• Keep a serious tone with literal meanings.
• Organize the writing into paragraphs that fit together.
• Avoid contractions (i.e. can't, don't, etc.).
• Use standard spelling. No text speak or chat acronyms, such as "CUL8R" or "LOL".
• Use proper grammar and standard punctuations.

For more information about Netiquette and formal writing, here are some great resources:

"The Elements of Style", William Strunk & E.B. White: First published in 1959 and updated many times since, this is one of the most influential books on writing style. 

"Netiquette IQ: A Comprehensive Guide to Improve, Enhance and Add Power to Your Email", Paul Babicki. Paul Babicki is an email grammar, tone and content software subject matter expert, and developed an email IQ rating system called Netiquette IQ.

I encourage you to leave a comment by clicking on "...comments" below...

David Schuchman