Revered & Reviled - The Insider Guide To Working With Employment Agencies

Sometimes seen as a necessary evil or a professional marriage of convenience, the recruitment industry is viewed with antipathy and appreciation in equal measure.

In part, the ill-feeling generated in some job seekers toward the industry has been cultivated by a negative personal experience when dealing directly with “agencies”, or in some cases due to a lack of understanding as to how employment agencies actually work.

So how do they work?  The employment agency will charge the employer a fee to recruit the job seeker.  Fees can range from as little as 5% of the annual salary in tight-margin industries, and range up to 30% for senior and executive level placements.

What should you expect?  Needless to say that every job seeker should be treated with the utmost respect, unfortunately that doesn’t always happen.  There are countless instances of recruiters abandoning a job seeker if there isn’t a realistic prospect of making money out of placing them, and although such behaviour is self serving and short-sighted, it is a reality. 

Generally speaking, recruiters have targets to meet that include a number of monthly placements, employers visited, job seekers interviewed, and cold calls made.  Many job seekers who have had dealings with high-volume, target-oriented agencies and come away from a meeting thinking that the recruiter didn’t actually have a job for them, were probably right.  Some firms call this “the numbers game”! Is it any wonder some job seekers feel just like a number?

Employment agencies often work on a “contingency” basis which means that they only get paid if they find the job seeker the employer hires.  Executive recruitment firms usually work on a “retained” basis and are usually paid 1/3 of their fee in advance, and the remaining 2/3 at the end of the assignment or at previously agreed timeframes over the course of the search.

So how should you interact with recruiters? Choose two or three respected firms and make contact with the recruiter in your field to discuss the job market, how they operate, and what they could do for you. If you are satisfied that the recruiter knows what he/she is talking about, submit your resume.  Be clear about what you want, what you will accept, and in which circumstances your information should be shared.  Leverage the expertise of the recruiter to work in your favour, and do not feel compelled to take the first job that is offered to you.  Do your homework, know your worth and act accordingly.

If you’re left feeling like nothing more than a number or another notch on their weekly target sheet, sever ties with that particular firm, withdraw your consent for them to act on your behalf, and move on.

Be assured that there are very good recruiters out there worthy of your time and attention and they can be a tremendous help and resource if you find yourself in a “transitional phase”.  All you have to do is find them! 

Full-Time Professional - V - Part-Time Hobbyist

I recently had the pleasure of working on a resume project with a talented manager, who had sent in his document for review after he had booked his consultation.  His resume looked like every other document I see, perhaps marginally worse than your typical D.I.Y. resume with spelling errors, poor use of language, no real selling features etc.

Imagine my shock when he told me that he had actually paid someone to do it for him!  Luckily, he didn't spend too much money on the first incarnation of his "professional resume".  My client had found a "resume writer" on a well known online free classified advertisement service.  The "resume writer" had a poor command of English, and produced a document that had several spelling errors and was to all intents and purposes virtually useless.

There are other operators that only offer late night or weekend appointments.  This is the calling card of someone who writes resumes "on the side" for some extra pocket money - and it usually shows.

I write resumes and perform interview coaching sessions on a full-time basis.  It's what I do, and it's what I do best!  Every project I work on, I treat as if I were compiling my own document to send off to an employer. Resume writing for me is a serious business - not something to be trivialized by amateurs and part-time pocket money pretenders!

Interview Preparation 101

Ok, so the skillful presentation of your skills and expertise on your resume has won you the interview.  What next?

1) Research the company!  Visit the website, read about their history, founders, products/services and corporate values.  Many companies will perform an additional screen of shortlisted candidates to identify those individuals with similar values to themselves.  For example, if a company is active in the community, they'll want to see that you're someone who values community service / giving time up for charitable pursuits.

2) Become an expert on yourself!  Sounds 100% obvious but believe me, one of the most fundamental questions that many people cannot answer satisfactorily is "Tell about you, your strengths and weaknesses".  In actuality, this question is a gift.  It's a license to talk about yourself.  If you're not comfortable doing that then get comfortable!  If you can't tell a company why they should hire you, they probably won't.

3) Arrive on time and go prepared!  Get there early, relax, read the literature they have at reception or study the certificates they have on the wall - it could make for conversation at some point in the interview.  Bring at least 3 copies of your resume with you along with your reference sheet.  It would surprise you the number of times I've heard of a poorly prepared hiring manager attempt to interview a candidate without having the resume in front of them.

4) Greeting & Parting!  When meeting your interviewer for the first time, smile broadly and shake their hand firmly.  When you leave, thank them for their time and state your interest in the role (if you're interested).  Employers notice these things, and sometimes actually award points for them if you're being scored.

My 2HR  interview coaching package begins with a 30 minute mock interview.  After reviewing your resume, I'll construct an angle based around the perceived weaknesses / shortcomings of your documents/career history.  I then construct your coaching session around the weaknesses in your mock interview, and finish the session with additional questions/concerns that you have about the interview process.

Like everything else - preparation is key.  If you prepare well, take the interview seriously, you'll be more likely to do yourself justice in the actual interview, and those pre-interview nerves are never as bad if you're confident in your ability to deliver strong, well rounded, strategic answers.

Who Are You Anyway?

It's a question many clients have told me they asked the selection of resume writers they canvassed when deciding who to select for their project.  Anyone visiting my website will be greeted by, among other things, my 'mugshot', and links to my biography which outlines my experience and expertise.

My background is unique in this industry. I believe that my skills, expertise and experience of recruiting, preparing, and 'selling-in' resumes to some of the most respected corporations on two continents gives me an unparalleled level of insight that I can bring to your project.

Many of my competitors cover their websites with stock photos, don't display a biography or resume samples, and prefer to hide behind a 6-week online course as the only evidence they have handled a resume other than their own.  The question I'd have and many of my clients have had is -  "Who are you anyway?".

I've come across "resume writers" who ranged from students, to the long term unemployed, "ghost-writers", and those doing it anonymously "on-the-side" so that their day-job employer can't identify them.  If you were to engage one of these anonymous firms, would you be dealing with a student, ghost writer or unemployed truck-driver turned resume writer?  You just don't know!  Either way, it's not too difficult to identify someone reticent to share details about their professional expertise.  If a writer is on the up-and-up, with expertise and experience to be proud of, they'll show you!

My clients appreciate the fact that I take this profession seriously.  This IS my day-job and I prepare each resume and cover letter as if it were my own.  It pains me that this profession is frowned upon in certain quarters, and at times, that skepticism is justified.  To that end, I have positioned my firm as the industry trailblazer, leading the way in open, honest disclosure, up-front pricing, and 100% satisfaction guarantees.

Beware - The Job Guarantee

I was speaking with a prospective client recently who asked about our "guarantee".  Our policy, per our website, is that we will work with any client for a period of two weeks post consultation in order to ensure that they are satisfied with their documents.  The fact that I've never actually had to do that is testament to the quality of product we produce.

Apparently, there is a company out there offering a cast iron guarantee that they will get you the job you're after!  I find such a statement absolutely incredible!  It wouldn't take too long a thought process to appreciate the fact that it is not credibly possible to guarantee your resume will get you the job you want, unless the resume writer was also the hiring manager!!

A hiring manager will select a candidate based on specific criteria.  If you're not even close, you won't get the job, no matter how good your resume looks!

I'd recommend being careful when dealing with any company making seemingly outlandish guarantees - at the very least - ask them specifically, how they plan to "guarantee" that another human being, in a different industry, working to set criteria, reviewing multiple resumes is guaranteed to give YOU the job!

The Screen Out

Having screened over 24,000 resumes in over a decade of recruiting and executive recruiting, I've mastered the art of (very) quickly determining the viability of any given job application.  When I was assessing an application against a specific job specification, I was looking for reasons NOT to bring you in for an interview.  

I'm still surprised by the number of clients who hadn't actually looked at the screening process through this lens.  After reviewing countless applications, with each resume blurring into the next, hiring managers become adept at finding reasons NOT to interview you.

This becomes the starting bloc for all of my resume clients.  Why wouldn't I want to interview you for this role?  At what point would I lose interest in your document and what you had to say about yourself?  How easy would it be for me to consign your resume to the shredder?  

Once we uncover the likely objections to your application, we can start to construct an outline of our strategy to take your project forward.  If we deal with this early, and build our project to address these issues head on, we start to tread the path toward securing you the all-important interview.

The reason so many job applicants fall at the first hurdle, is because they've all made it far too easy for the hiring manager to hit the delete button.

End-to-End

I received a delightful email from a former client informing me that he had secured his dream job!  His new employer is located 10 minutes from his home, are a major player in his field of specialty, and the role offers a significant increase in scope, responsibility and of course money!

The client first approached me with a job specification and requirements portfolio issued to him by an international executive recruitment firm.  The data set outlining the position requirements and ideal candidate specification was thorough, complex and demanded a candidate of the very highest caliber.  The brief went on to detail part of the recruiting strategy which sought to attract local, national and international candidates for the position.

I accepted the request  to work with my client on the project and immediately began the consultation process which was structured around the requirements of the role.  My client's resume was in need of a complete re-design and re-structure due to the fact that it didn't reflect at least 40% of his actual professional skills and experience, which upon discovery, became crucial to the overall success of his application.

Phase one focused entirely on the resume and cover letter creation, which won him an interview with the executive recruiter leading the international search.  As soon as he was notified that his application had won him an interview with the President of the hiring firm, we proceeded to phase 2 - the interview coaching session.  This proved to be invaluable, as although my client was a highly capable, intelligent and forthright individual, he had not been in an interview situation for almost a decade, and it showed!  After the mock interview we conduct as part of our 2 hour coaching session, we discussed method, structure, interviewer strategy, and what they're looking for as well as the errors made during our mock interview.

I was delighted to hear that he had dazzled the President and associates, as well as receiving his gratitude for the part Vancouver Resume Writing & Interview Coaching had played in his preparation and execution of the process.

He was a great guy to work with and I wish him well in his new role!