A Day In the Life

A colleague of mine called me this morning to ask for some insight as a Corporate Recruiter.  On what?  On LinkedIn and how we (corporate recruiters) see a candidate's profile.  She wanted my insight since she comes from the Agency Recruiting side -- a WHOLE different ballgame over there.

She asked.  I answered.


Q:  What do you look for in a candidate's profile?
A:  I am looking for completeness.  I want to see a full name, where you are located, what industry you're in.  I want to see accurate dates of employment, where you are/were employed, and what you did/do at your place of work.  I want to see a picture; I want to see a human face behind these words that are on their profile.  Above all, I want to see a story.  I want to know how they got to where they are today.

Q:  Anything else you look for?
A:  Oh yeah.  I want to see recommendations from colleagues, managers, people who have interacted with them.  If their LinkedIn network is small, I tend to second guess my reaching out to them - at least via that medium.  Their college degree(s).

Q:  What pet peeves do you have about some LinkedIn profiles?
A:  Where do I start?  Why do people think that by hiding their names, they're doing themselves any good?  I guess, unless they don't want to be found.  But professionally speaking, why wouldn't you want to be headhunted?  Also, I understand why one might refuse to disclose their current company's name, but why must all the companies in your profile be anonymous?  What is the point of that?  All job titles and no job duties.  This doesn't help me!  Help me, help you.

Q:  What do you think about LinkedIn Groups for networking?
A:  They're a GREAT networking tool.  I don't know why more people don't participate in them.  Not just to be members, but to be contributing members.  Engage with the folks in the group.  Ask questions.  "Networking" isn't just handshakes anymore!

Q:  How many resumes do you review daily that come in from your ATS (Applicant Tracking System)?
A:  30-ish per position, daily.

Q:  How many positions do you normally hire for at any given time?
A:  On average, anywhere between 8-15.

Q:  That's a lot of resumes.  How many profiles do you review on a daily basis via channels like LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, etc?
A:  I'll look at about 500 daily, in addition to whatever resumes came in that day.

Q:  How do you have time to read all those resumes??
A:  Read?  I skim.  I'm scanning for the most important pieces of information that I need to make this person qualified for the role.  If it's not on their profile/resume, I'm moving on.  Definitely under 30 seconds per profile/resume.  So, if they want to be "seen", they have to make sure they have the information we're (recruiters) are looking for.

Q:  Isn't that unfair?
A:  No, I don't think so.  Nature of the beast, I guess.  Dog eat dog world.  If you want it, make it happen.


I find that a lot of "job seekers" lackadaisically go about their job search.  They tirelessly send resumes and are upset when they don't hear back.  They want to be headhunted, but their online presence is minimal.  A little fine tuning will do wonders!  I have faith in you.

Good luck!  And as always... I'm all ears!

Social Recruiting

What is this new term, "social recruiting", anyway???

Most common definition says it is defined as the process in which recruiters source for candidates via social mediums.

Still, what does that mean?!

To Recruiters, "social recruiting" means:

• ... that we can connect with top talent faster and better than ever before
• ... that we can build relationships with that talent for current or future hiring needs
• ... that "we" (recruiter and/or company) have a real voice
• ... that we can learn more about a candidate than what is portrayed on their resume
• ... that we can network faster and better than ever before

To Candidates, "social recruiting" means:

• ... that you can make yourself "findable" across social mediums
• ... that you can give yourself a human voice
• ... that you can tell your story, instead of the recruiter assuming what your story actually is
• ... that you can engage with employees and recruiters at the company you are interested in
• ... that you can provide (your) industry specific knowledge to those seeking it - be a subject matter expert (SME)

There are so many avenues that we engage with candidates.  To name a few (not an extensive list), the most popular are: LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus. 

If you were to ask me how to start engaging in this new way of recruiting, I would tell you to network!  Go find recruiters from XYZ company on LinkedIn.  Connect with them, and engage with them.  Find the Facebook Page of XYZ company and engage with them - ask them questions, provide input on topics.  Start a Twitter account.  Post commentary on your industry, become a SME in it, provide your opinions on topics that are important to your industry, and don't forget to #hashtag.  

The best piece of advice I got when I asked about creating my "social profile" is to give myself a face.  If you look at my LinkedIn, Twitter and my blog, all my pictures are the same.  It makes me easily recognizable to those seeking me out.  

Good luck!  And as always, I'm all ears!