Counter Intelligence! What Recruiters are Being Told (part 1)
Let us think of the job search and career path process as a game of strategy, involving precise timing, strategic positioning and occasionally defensive maneuvers to protect your own survival.
Then, we can identify the involved parties:
you, the job seeker, are on the offensive, trying to break down the impenetrable walls of the enemy fortress: your ultimate job within in a thriving company that protects its own resources fiercely.
me, the recruiter from an agency, is the strategic ally who plays both sides for the altruistic benefit of all involved.
and the hiring manager is the general of the army of corporate Human Resources and departmental henchman. They’re not really fighting against you, take this with a grain of salt please! They’re just trained to resist change, especially to personnel.
So here’s an article I found that is addressing recruiting practices for hiring managers (the generals) and what they should be utilizing to go about the process in the best possible way. This might help you, the job seeker, to understand what you’re up against, since most hiring managers are NOT doing these things.
Start at the top. Take a close look at the top performers in your organization and determine what the key characteristics are that enable them to succeed. Incorporate these into your job description.
If the hiring manager of your target needs to be told that this is important information, then you are ahead if you ask them when speaking with them. This is valuable for you to be able to assess your own fit as a team member, and for showing your intelligence and interest in the company and the team.
Look ahead. As you begin hiring for a position, consider what success will look like a year from now for the person you hire. What will the person need to have accomplished to be deemed a success? Which key stakeholders will play a role in this person’s career at the company? How will this person fit culturally with these stakeholders and the rest of hte core team?
If the hiring manager hasn’t included these items in the job description, then you have every right to ask these questions. And chances are they havent. And you should. All job descriptions start to sound the same after a long while, because companies outsource their recruiting, or in-house recruiters aren’t trained to know the nuances of each different role in a department and aren’t able to look beyond the quantifiable skills.
Clarity. Have a clearly defined job description at the onset. Avoid being generic….Quick turnover happens as a result of a lack of clarity around what a job truly requires.
Here’s where you should notice that many job descriptions are vague because no one puts time or energy into truly understanding what the day to day requirements are versus the long-term objectives. And you should be aware that your resume needs to be targeted. If you have the same catch phrases and generic format, you’re causing as much trouble as you’re experiencing. Again, the more information you can get about a job before sending your information, the more you can ensure that it’s perfectly relevant. When dealing with the landmines of unclear descriptions and missing pieces, you could be wasting your time and need to think about redirecting your efforts.
this is probably more than enough to read for today. keep your eyes peeled for part 2!
Technorati Tags: Counter Intelligence, Job search war, hiring manager generals, generic resume, interview questions
