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“No Phone Calls, Please” follows the position descriptions of many classified ads or web posted jobs. Job seekers take this to heart so they continue to apply on line and/or send emails with their resumes multiple times. Sometimes even applying for the same position repeatedly on a regular basis hoping their chances of being selected will increase. Research shows that only 1 interview will be gained for every 200 resumes that a job seeker submits. Research also shows that the person who reviews a resume will spend about 10 to 20 seconds per resume. If there is interest in those initial seconds then they will take another look at the candidate. If there is no interest in those few seconds the resume is discarded.
When responding to classifieds or web posted jobs where “No Phone Calls, Please” is indicated, you can pretty well assume the Human Resources or the Staffing Department is making the request. Another interesting research statistic is that 88% of HR managers are rely on the job boards for posting jobs and finding candidates. However 90% of hiring managers fill their positions through their own contacts. With these statistics, job seekers can deduce that HR and hiring managers are not operating on the same wave link.
So the recommendation becomes: job seekers should not make phone calls to HR. But it is perfectly okay to search out the hiring managers and call them directly. It is not hiring managers making the request of no phone calls.
In yet another survey, 70% of hiring managers felt that recruiters did not know the job so they could not be trusted to screen candidates effectively. Hiring managers did not think recruiters find enough good candidates. Many corporate staffing recruiters are only working with candidates who have their resumes posted on the web or candidates responding to posted or classified ads. Corporate staffing recruiters ethically can not call into other companies to woo candidates away so they are limited in the candidates they can present to hiring managers.
Taking all these statistics, job seekers have nothing to loose and everything to gain by making calls into companies with advertised jobs! Just make the calls to the right people at the company by passing HR and directly calling hiring managers.
Finding the hiring manager can take several calls. Take for example when I personally went to a major corporation’s web site, Ingersoll Rand, and found a position advertised for a project manager. The ad stated it was with the Hussman division. I researched the Hussman division on the web. First I read all the press releases for the division in hopes of obtaining an executive’s name mentioned in the article. The Vice President of Marketing was quoted within the text of the article. I called and asked for the VP. In a very brief conversation, he politely told me to contact HR.
Next I called the main number once again and asked the gatekeeper for the name and phone number of a sales person. The gatekeeper asked me from what region I was calling. I told her I was in Colorado. She responded that they had a sales office in Denver and immediately gave me that number. I called and no sales people were in the office so I left my name and number only. A sales person returned my call the next day. Immediately I told the sales person the reason for my call and read him the project manager job description. I asked him if he knew the hiring manager for this position. He not only told me the name of the hiring manager but also gave me the phone number of the hiring manager who happen to be located California. Keep in mind the job was for a St. Louis division of Ingersoll Rand. So the calls went from St. Louis, to Denver to California!
The hiring manager based in CA was very receptive however he told me that the job posted was not what he needed. HR had the wrong position posted! He promptly emailed me the position he really was trying to fill.
Remember who is requesting the “No Phone Calls, Please”. Make phone calls into companies contacting the hiring managers directly!
Too Much Time – Waiting to Hear
Many professionals spend too much time “waiting to hear” from companies as to their candidacy. Job seekers diligently apply on line for advertised jobs on job boards and jobs posted on individual company web sites. Then they dutiful wait. Complaints of job seekers using these methods are that they never hear back from the companies or anyone representing the companies. However job seekers continually scour the Internet for posted jobs, apply on line and wait.
Reverse the process and have success.
Discover companies not advertising jobs on job boards or their own company websites. To do this look up companies that are small to mid size companies and that are privately held. These are the companies that create 7 out of 10 jobs. They also tend not to advertise the jobs they create. Find the latest lists of small to mid size companies within your industry or geographic area that have high growth, winning awards, or attend major industry events.
At this point the procedure most job seekers follow is to email resumes and cover letters to HR. However the objective is to find one or more individuals within the company that can assist you in finding the hiring manager ultimately connecting directly with the hiring manager. Next make phone calls into the companies avoiding HR. 90% of hiring managers hire through their own connections. You can always start with asking for sales as the gate keeper will give you a specific individual. Then try marketing or customer service. If the company is small, try the CEO or President. Yet another alternative is tech support.
Recently I was calling into a company and pushed the key pad for tech support. I then asked for the person who would oversee the company’s software testing. The tech support individual just blurted out the software manager’s name and then asked me why. I told her I had a candidate for an advertised position. She immediately said that I needed HR and she would transfer me. I promptly hung up before connecting with HR. Then I dialed the main number asking for the manager of software by the name previously given to me. The manager answered his phone himself and I told him about my candidate. Then he requested the resume and my fee structure as a recruiter.
Last week I met with my neighbor who had been in a layoff with a Fortune 100 company. He was an IT manager with a MBA Management Information Systems and a BS Petroleum Engineering. After three months of apply on line, posting his resume and waiting for responses he had a few interviews but none resulting in employment. 85% of jobs are not advertised not even on company web sites. So his efforts had been exactly what most job seekers do: response to posted jobs and wait to hear something, anything!
At our meeting, I urged him to reverse the process and institute the “PeopleHirePeople” methods; find the companies and call for the hiring managers. I suggested that he research Oil and Gas Companies as they all need Information Systems Managers.
Using a search engineer with key words we found companies in the petroleum industry within the limits of Denver, Colorado. Logging onto one company, I handed him the phone and told him to call. He asked for the person in charge of information systems and the person who answered the phone transferred the call immediately. My neighbor became a little flustered and hung up the phone. I encourage him to call back and state the call had been disconnect and could he please be reconnected and to ask for the name of the person to whom he was being transferred.
Once reconnected again, my neighbor left a message. What he could not believe was how easy it had been to get hold of the potential hiring manage! At the conclusion of our meeting, his assignment was to go home research an additional 10 companies and make 10 calls into those companies. He left my presence at 11:30 am and by 3:45 pm his email revealed his success. No waiting any longer!
Sent: Thursday, November 01, 2007 3:42 PM
To: Kathleen Conners
Subject: RE: my report
Hi Kathleen!
I thought I'd give you a status report on my first 10 calls.
I've made 10 calls so far resulting in one significant conversation and one short email back from a CEO who asked me to send a resume.
It's hard, and I'm not so good at it, but I have gotten two leads that I would not have gotten today.
Thanks for the encouragement. Back to work for now!
.
Door Openers Reversed
Always send your resume and then follow up with a call to the hiring manager. This is the advice usually given to job seekers. It is all backwards! Job seekers are giving too much credit to opening a door for an interview using this method. Many assumptions are being made for this method to really work in order to gain any response from the emailed hiring manager.
First the job seeker is assuming that the email with their resume and cover letter gets past the company’s firewall and not automatically dumped in to junk mail. Second, it is assumed that the email will be opened. Third, another assumption is that the email will be read. Fourth, job seekers then assume that the message will be retained as well as the resume and cover letter reviewed. Lastly, the hiring manager will connect the email and resume to the job seeker at the time of the call. Not to mention that many hiring managers have their own policy to delete unsolicited emails. Others delete emails for virus purposes, lack of time or other personal reasons.
Most job seekers complain that their email never gets a response. And when they call leaving a message for the hiring manager there also is no response either. Job Seekers are not taking into account all assumptions they are making. No wonder there are no responses to the unsolicited emails.
Reverse this process to be much more effective! Contact the hiring manager first with a phone call. Get to the hiring manager directly and do not leave a voice message. Choosing to leave a voice message makes for very slim odds the hiring manager will be calling back. Hiring managers are busy with daily required duties and calls of this nature are not on the priority list of returns. Call the hiring manager at the times of the day when he will answer his phone directly.
While on the phone with the hiring manager, the job seeker can ask if he would like to review his resume. This technique is effective because the job seeker knows the resume will be reviewed right there and then. If he says the resume needs to be sent to HR, the job seeker should agree to oblige the request however requesting to CC him on it too. If the hiring manager is acceptable to receiving the resume, the job seeker can email it to him while continuing the phone conversation. Then the job seeker needs to give him a minute to review while remaining silent. Then a discussion can then be centered around the newly received resume.
As a recruiter I have often contacted hiring managers and after key probing questions about their current needs, have been able to come up with an ideal candidate immediately. Using this technique I will ask the hiring manager if he has a few moments to review a resume for a candidate that will fit his opening. Then I will email the resume during the conversation. To demonstrate the effectiveness of this technique, a hiring manager upon viewing a resume and in the middle of our conversation, said to me “I think I know this candidate!” After a brief discussion he confirmed that the candidate had once assisted him several years back by giving him some pertinent advice and contacts however he had not actually used services of this candidate’s company at the time. But the advice had been most helpful. Guess who the hiring manager hired immediately without looking at any other candidates for the position? Needless to say it was this candidate.
Another technique is to learn the hiring manager’s current needs or problems through the phone conversation. During the conversation the job seeker can indicate that he send his resume after the phone conversation. This gives the job seeker the opportunity to tweak the resume bringing the experience most pertinent and relevant to the job requirements at the top of the resume, thus customizing the resume. The cover letter can also be tailored to the phone conversation while offering solutions to the hiring manager’s current needs and putting the candidacy way ahead of all competition.
Sometimes standard advice needs to be reversed. It is much more effective to first phone then email. Personal contact whether by phone or in person is a better job search door opener than emailing a resume.Copyright 2006.
With the passing of the dot.com era, many job seekers are at a loss because recruiters have stopped calling. Just a few years ago, recruiters were bountiful and bidding for great candidates. Job seekers tracking down former recruiters find most recruiters have gone on to other professions since the supple did not match the demand. Puzzlement abounds job seekers, how to find a recruiter within their industry and specific industry related positions.
So how can a job candidate get a recruiter's attention in this tough job market? First, learn they types of recruiters. Second, underdstand their work procedures. And third, be aware of how they make their living.
There are corporate recruiters who are affectionately referred to as in-house staffing personnel and are employees of the company. They are sorters and deliverers of resumes that have been received by the company through advertisements, job fairs, referrals, etc. Prescreened candidates' resumes are given to hiring managers. Standard procedure is the decorum of the day with their advertised jobs stating "No Calls Please". Of course, staffing does not want to be inundated with phone calls!
Retained recruiters are contracted for a specific position with a company and no other recruiters have the ability to work on that position. Payment to retained recruiters is issued in three stages. A third of the payment is made at the start of the search, another third half way through the search and the final payment at the time of placement. Most often positions are for highly specialized candidates or upper level management.
Contingency recruiters have been the most plentiful. They too usually specialize in a specific industry and specific positions. They contract with companies for specific positions however several contingency recruiters can work on the same jobs. The recruiter of record receives payment for placement if and when his candidate has been selected. It is not uncommon for a candidate to be courted by several recruiters for the same position especially in a tough job market when there are few jobs.
Good retained and contingency recruiters hunt and find candidates. This is done on a personal referral basis not taking candidates whose resumes are posted on job boards. These candidates come highly recommended after the recruiter has spent many hours phoning for personal referrals. They are more likely to pull a candidate out of a specific company.
Recruiters make their living from placements of contracted positions. Recruiters work for companies not job candidates. Therefore anything else other than filling their contracted positions are nonproductive.
So how do you find a recruiter? To make your search time efficient remember recruiters specialize in a particular industry. It is virtually a waste of time for job seekers to send resumes to recruiters that are not industry specific or handle placements for the types of positions sought.
Start by researching executive search firms. You can find lists of executive search firms on the Internet or in reference books at the library. Most search firms will have multiple locations or franchised offices. Each office specializes in a particular industry or type of position. (Web sites: www.search-consult.com/directory ; www.kennedyinfo.com ; www.interniznet.com/hunt/exec.html; and www.rileyguide.com/firms.html).
Next contact several executive search firms' company headquarters. Ask for the office within their organization that specializes in your industry and the type of position to which you aspire. Call that particular office and request to speak to the most experienced recruiter on staff. Visit directly with this experienced recruiter in order to learn if he has a current position that would be a match. If there is a match be sure to ask the recruiter if he is working directly with the hiring manager. This is very important because the recruiter will have a working knowledge of the hiring managers needs in all realms such as professional, technical, and personal skills desired and more productive for your candidacy. Find several industry recruiters in this fashion.
If you do not fit into any of the recruiters' current jobs then ask for assistance by questioning the recruiter for company names and contacts where he previously has placed candidates. Pose questions to obtain the most current industry information that might facilitate job leads. Probe the recruiter for companies that are hiring that do not use recruiters.
In return, suggest that you can assist with referrals of industry candidates for the current positions he needs to fill. Make reference that you will be contacting him in the future to share information on companies that you uncover that are hiring. This will set you apart from other job seekers that have contacted the recruiter and when the recruiter obtains a new job potentially a match, you will be on the top of his contact list.
All Rights Reserved. These articles many not be reproduced, distributed or emailed.
Kathleen Conners is author of The Thrill of the Hunt: Get Real in Your Job Search. The book is available at www.authorhouse.com (ISBN 1-4107-8000-7)or Amazon and can be ordered from retailers. Methods created during the last recession coupled with today’s technology instruct job seekers in the “hunt, find & contact” aspect of job search. The book is based on Kathleen’s seminar and filled with success case scenarios Learn how to overcome the two main problems in a tough market: who to contact, where to find the companies to apply, how to get into those companies.
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Click here for comments from current seminar graduates: What Is Everyone Saying.
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| Letters of Successful Employment |
Letter from Chuck, a former Denver hiring manager at the director level turned job-seeking candidate when he was caught in a massive telecommunications layoffs in Denver. Chuck is a Colorado Springs resident who wanted to remain in the Springs and at the same salary level. All were accomplished.
Kathy,
Where and how do I start to thank you for your help these past few months. I found not just a job mind you, but one that I really like and fits in with my career goals. Career planning is very subtle. The hi-tech labor market was crushed this year and with your style of job searching it made the difference between working and not working. As you know, I had my resume on Monster.com and Dice.com and nothing really happened with those high profile services. What I did get was a lot of headhunters making empty promises just to get my resume in their resume pool. My resume had over 200 hits on Monster.com I only received two potential contacts.
I like the way you research, maintain contacts in the Rocky Mountain Region and nationwide. You have a Columbo-style talent for finding leads and positions that are not listed or even posted, and for creating positions if the timing is right. Without your advice, I’d still be looking. For this I am very grateful and a better person for knowing you over the past 2 years. Detective Columbo certainly would have met his match had he encountered you.
After working with you, I truly see the value a savvy recruiter can provide. It is the same as an actor working with an agent, no difference. There are some things that a person can do himself or herself but sometimes it takes a 3rd party to help represent you and broker the deal. The hardest part is the waiting and the callback from hiring managers. Learning when to sit back and wait, and when to throttle-up is always difficult when working with hiring managers. Your advice on how and when to do this really helped. Add to that your guidance on where to look and how to make contacts inside a company when it looks impossible was invaluable. You need to get what is in your head in a book and offer seminars nationwide on how to find, not just a job but also, the right job. No one that I have encountered does this process the way you do. It is unique and extremely valuable. Well, my flight is getting ready to board and I must be off. I wanted to take this time to say thank you and if I can ever help you in anyway, please do not hesitate to ask.
Warm regards,
Chuck
Letter from Steve, Woodland Park, Colorado who ended up finding a position just five minutes from his home. This ended years of commuting to Colorado Springs.
Dear Kathy,
After you contacted me about the first seminar to see if I could refer some individuals that were unemployed, I knew I needed to come myself. I needed to learn everything you knew about finding a job since the methods you gave me in October 2001 worked so well. As a software developer, I've had more than a half dozen positions in the past decade. Once again last October I was caught in a layoff. Your instructions gave me the tools to land a job and I sent you an email on November 1st that read:
Dear Kathy,
I just wanted to let you know that my job search was successful. I found a software company here in Woodland Park. Thanks again for your help and please let me know when I can buy your book.
Sincerely,
Steve
I am still with the same company. Your methods got me here! The seminar has given me many new ideas for the future in case I have to use them. Thanks again and please write the book.
Steve
Woodland Park | Letter from Susan Smith, Colorado Springs. She overcame some great odds and has succeeded to management.
Dear Kathy,
I just wanted to wish you great success with your new endeavor of you job search workshops. As I sit in my office in my tenth year with the company, I have you to thank after all these years. At the worst economic times in Colorado Springs and at one of the lowest points in my life, you gave me nothing but encouragement that I could and would find a good job. Despite the fact that I had an associates degree, I also had a couple of barriers to over come. Those barriers made it easy for employers to dismiss me as an eligible candidate.
Fortunately for me, I had a wise case manager who knew you were the only one who could help me. She talked you into giving me a private instructional session I needed to get a job. At a time when no one else in the system had answers, you with your creativity and examples, gave me the methods and the tools which enabled me to land a position on my own. You knew so much about job hunting then eventhough the economy was not good. Without you taking the time to share with me your knowledge, my life would not be what it is today. Thank you Kathy for believing in people. I also appreciate you keeping in contact with me through all these yeaers. Great catching up with you. Good luck and many more successes in helping others find their place in the working world. I am so grateful to have been a recipient of your unique talents.
Sincerely,
Susan Smith
Colorado Springs
Letter from the hiring manager of a facility that was closed by the company's headquarters.
Dear Kathy,
In over twenty years of hiring engineers, you were the very best when it came to presenting good qualified talent. Your work ethics and integrity are unsurpassed by anyone in the business. It is for these reasons, I hired more candidates from you than any other recruiter while setting up our company's facility.
Now after your presentation to my staff on job search methods, I understand why you are so successful in all facets of job placement whether it if from the employer's perspective or the candidate's perspective. You have shown us positive alternatives of which we had little knowledge. As engineers, we all appreciate the logical format of your presentation and we look forward to getting back to work using your successful methods and ideas.
Thanks again for all your help in finding this talented staff and for assisting us at this difficult time.
John
General Manager, Colorado Springs
Email from a Fort Collins Seminar Attendee 12/02 after receiving a job offer on 3/13/03
Kathy,
Thanks for the ongoing words of advice and encouragement. I’ve worked with other recruiters and your diligent persistence and willingness to go beyond the surface puts you in a whole different world. You give a great example of how that personal contact makes a difference in the job search effort, as well as in any role we fill. We’re always dealing with people as part of our business. Your example of sincere interest in others is a great inspiration!
Keep up the great work!
Bob
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