Get the Job by Minimizing the Chaos

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Great news! Remember when you entered your résumé into Melvin Motor Company's (MelMoCo) database for that dream job? You were so excited! The position practically had your name on it!

The recruiter at MelMoCo agrees! She's calling you now - and you're so excited when you answer the phone!

You're with Fido at the dog park. And all around you dogs are barking. And peeing. And chasing other dogs around. And performing other unspeakable doggie acts.

Yeah, that background noise is going to be fun to explain.  Please feel free to reapply with MelMoCo sometime next decade, when the H.R. department has completely turned over.

As a recruiter, I called candidates to conduct initial interview screens for jobs. And, more often than not, I've learned that people with a cell phone will pick up a call just about anywhere. To wit:

• In the drive-through at McDonald's, while confirming their order with the register;
• While attending a meeting;
• Grocery shopping, with the kids loudly demanding Cap'n Crunch;
• In a car, driving, with the windows open;
• Boarding an airplane;
• At the hairdresser, under one of those big dryer thingys;
• Watching television;
• Playing on the Xbox; and my number one all-time favorite...
• In the bathroom (yes, really)

Side note: It drives me bananas if I'm in a public restroom and somebody comes in talking on their cell phone. It's damn rude. So, I will flush the toilet - repeatedly - to make sure that whoever is on the other end of that phone call knows where it's originating. I suppose this makes me a sociopath, but I can live with that. :)

Anyway... the most remarkable aspect is that the CANDIDATE USUALLY TOLD ME WHERE THEY WERE WHEN THEY ANSWERED. I didn't even have to guess.

Sometimes, calls are unexpected - people aren't even looking for a job, and they get a cold call, so they answer the phone call like any other. For those of you whom this description fits, I hope the call goes well.

For those individuals who are actively looking for a job, consider doing the following:

• When an unfamiliar number pops up on your phone, unless you are somewhere quiet, let it roll to voicemail. Listen to the message immediately. Then call back from a quiet room.
• If you absolutely need to answer the call (and are somewhere socially acceptable to do so), tell the caller you are currently occupied, and set a time to call them back from a quiet room.
• If you are at home, and want to answer the phone, make sure the dogs are put away, the kids are quiet, and the television is off.

Your resume is probably one of several the recruiter has chosen to call for a particular job. Don't make it so easy for her to move you to the "no" pile.

Scott Singer is the President and Founder of Insider Career Strategies Resume Writing & Career Coaching, a firm dedicated to guiding job seekers and companies through the job search and hiring process. He is a Human Resources professional and staffing expert with almost two decades of in-house corporate HR and staffing firm experience, and is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) and Certified Professional Career Coach (CPCC).

Insider Career Strategies provides resume writing, LinkedIn profile development, and career coaching services, including a free resume review. You can email Scott Singer at scott.singer@insidercs.com, or via the website, www.insidercs.com.

How do Recruiters use LinkedIn to find Candidates? And How do I get noticed?

LinkedIn has become the most prolific tool in the recruiter's arsenal.  There's something like 300 million users now, and if you're a professional anything, it's likely you have a LinkedIn profile. Other than just putting up job postings, how do Recruiters use LinkedIn to find candidates for jobs?

• Companies pay for it. With real money. Your subscription as an individual is free unless you opt to upgrade it. You may think that your visibility is limited to just those individuals to whom you're connected - wrong, Bubba. Companies pay some serious coin to buy a Corporate Subscription seat that allows them to find almost anybody with a LinkedIn page.

• The Corporate seat gives the company the ability to perform complex searches, for things on your page, including:

  • Keywords

  • Job Title

  • Geography within x miles of a zip code

  • Level of Individual (Manager, Director, Vice President, etc.)

  • And many, many other things

  • The Recruiter then searches through the results and builds a list of people to contact about a job. They then can create a form letter to send to the people on the list to gauge interest in a position and to request a resume. LinkedIn users can turn off the ability to receive messages, but most people don't.

  • The Corporate LinkedIn seat system then tracks any communications that they may have made with you through LinkedIn. Recruiters within a company can share their seat, so that the other recruiters can see what's shaking with your candidacy. I should note, this is confidential only to the company who has the seat, and can't be seen by other companies.

The bad news is that there isn't much privacy out there.  The good news is, if you are a passive candidate, and you've got a marketable background, it's not too difficult for recruiters to find you.  Here's some tips for getting noticed by Recruiters using LinkedIn.

• Take the text from your resume and copy the details into your LinkedIn profile. It will make you more searchable through keywords. It's a socially acceptable way to put your resume out on the internet without making your current employer panic (too much).

• Approach your LinkedIn profile as you would your resume:

  • Highlight accomplishments, not just duties

  • Front-load the most important information, including a compelling "Summary" section with a clear summary of who you are professionally

  • You can solicit professional recommendations for each job from peers and managers.  If people are willing to give them, ask for them. You can always decide whether or not to make the recommendation public.  This helps lend some credibility.

  • Make sure your skill keywords are reflected in your profile somewhere.  Are you an expert in Microsoft Project?  Include it.  Have experience in Compensation and Benefits? Include it.

  • How many connections you have doesn't matter to companies who buy a Corporate subscription. They can still find you. But there are some companies out there who don't pay for it, but still want to find you. In this case, the more connections you have increases your visibility.  Definitely an incentive to keep building your LinkedIn network.

Scott Singer is the President and Founder of Insider Career Strategies Resume Writing & Career Coaching, a firm dedicated to guiding job seekers and companies through the job search and hiring process. He is a Human Resources professional and staffing expert with almost two decades of in-house corporate HR and staffing firm experience, and is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) and Certified Professional Career Coach (CPCC).

Insider Career Strategies provides resume writing, LinkedIn profile development, and career coaching services, including a free resume review. You can email Scott Singer at scott.singer@insidercs.com, or via the website, www.insidercs.com.