| College Grads - Complete Recruiters Handbook | | | | you are uncomfortable with, promptly tell your |
| So, you're about to graduate and are in the process of | | | | university. |
| sending your resume out to several jobs. Well, it just | | | | 4. The recruiter does not do a full interview with you. |
| so happens that one of the ads you applied to is | | | | This means that the recruiter is "chucking resumes" at |
| through a recruiter. Besides being an online media | | | | their client. "Chucking resumes" is a term which I coined |
| consultant, I run a recruiting firm who deals with | | | | as some recruiters will keep sending resumes |
| executive level job seekers. That means our company | | | | regardless of background or interest in order to staff a |
| only places jobs which are $100,000 base salary or | | | | position. If this happens, promptly tell your university. |
| above. For several reasons including ethics, we do not | | | | 5. The position they are filling does not pay a base |
| place recent college graduates. | | | | salary. If you are ever approached by a recruiting firm |
| Coming out of college, I strongly suggest that you do | | | | to interview for a position which does not pay a base |
| not use a recruiter for your first job. There are | | | | salary, tell your university because no reputable |
| exceptions such as Heidrich and Struggles as well as | | | | recruiting firms work on commission only positions. |
| ManPower, though there are not many. Actually, I wish | | | | I sent my resume into a recruiting firm but nobody |
| most colleges would stop letting recruiters post 3rd | | | | answered: |
| party employment openings. If it is directly for that | | | | This is par for course and does not reflect either |
| recruiting firm and the position offers compensation, | | | | positively or negatively on the recruiting firm or you |
| then it is an exception. We'll get into what it is like to | | | | qualifications. The reputable recruiters are paid by their |
| work for a staffing firm later in this article. | | | | clients to find someone very specific. Therefore, unless |
| Personally, before I graduated college, I had no idea | | | | you happen to be in the right place at the right time, |
| what a recruiter was. That is, until I got staffed by one | | | | you probably will not receive a call. Don't be |
| in a job which I would leave in 4 months to, ironically, | | | | discouraged and, again, these are waters you probably |
| start my own recruitment company. | | | | should not be treading. |
| How do recruiters get paid: | | | | For instance, if my company is working on a |
| Recruiters get paid two different ways: | | | | biotechnology software sales job, we are not going to |
| 1. Contingency contracts - a contingency contract is | | | | call everybody who submits their website because we |
| when a company pays a recruiter (typically 15% - 25% | | | | have an obligation to find somebody specific. |
| of the base salary) to find them an employee. With a | | | | How do I get noticed by a recruiter? |
| contingency contract, the recruiter only gets paid if | | | | Again, I do not recommend recent college graduates |
| they place somebody for that particular position. | | | | using recruiters, but here is how to increase your odds: |
| Therefore, if your base salary is $35,000, then the | | | | The subject line of the email should be: Auburn |
| recruiter would get $7,000 in commission once you | | | | University '10 - Major: Physics New York, NY |
| officially became employed with the organization. | | | | As you can see, your college goes first, then your |
| Actually, the $7,000 would go to the recruiting | | | | graduation date, then your current location. The reason |
| company and, depending on what firm's commission | | | | this works is because recruiters receive so many |
| policies were, the recruiter would get a certain % of | | | | resumes per day which read "resume" that they don't |
| that money. | | | | have the time to look at them. I can't speak for every |
| 2. Retained contracts - these days, recruiters are less | | | | recruiter, though this is my personal recommendation. |
| likely to obtain these contracts, however it is when a | | | | Important: do not send your resume into a recruiting |
| company pays a recruiting firm upfront or in stages | | | | firm more than once a month. Also, do not do a mass |
| regardless of if they make the placement. It is unlikely | | | | email to a bunch of recruiters at once. |
| that a firm would be retained to get recent college | | | | Do I need a cover letter: |
| graduates. | | | | No. This is one of the biggest myths about resume |
| 3. Guarantees - recruiters almost always give their | | | | submission. Actually, it is quite annoying to receive a |
| clients guarantees. These guarantees, more or less, | | | | cover letter because you have to scroll down to see |
| are a form of risk management so the employer does | | | | the applicant's resume. When submitting a resume |
| not have a job applicant leave and is left with a hefty | | | | directly to a company, they are going to expect it, so |
| bill. The industry standard guarantee is 90 days | | | | make sure you do so. Though, most employers won't |
| prorated on a 30/60/90 days basis. Prorated | | | | read every cover letter sent. To increase your odds |
| guarantee explained: | | | | of having it read, do the cover letter in bullet points. |
| Let's assume, to make it easy mathematically, that the | | | | Ways to gauge whether a recruiter is worth speaking |
| recruiter is charging 20% of the base salary and is | | | | to: |
| working on a 30/60/90 pro-rated guarantee. So, if your | | | | How intelligent and knowledgeable do they sound? |
| base salary is $30,000, then the total fee the recruiter | | | | How many openings does the firm have? How good |
| would receive is $6,000. With the aforementioned | | | | are those postings? Most recruiting firms have their |
| guarantee, the payment schedule would be as follows: | | | | open jobs posted on their website. If you see a |
| $2,000 after you were at the company for 30 days, | | | | company taking every job available, then you may not |
| the second $2,000 after you were at the company for | | | | want to work with them. |
| 60 days, and the final $2,000 after you were at the | | | | Questions to ask a recruiter: |
| company for 90 days. | | | | Remember, be polite, but get your answers. If the |
| Common sayings that recruiters use to manipulate | | | | recruiter does not want to answer your inquiries or is |
| recent college grads: | | | | rude, report them to the university. |
| 1. "Do this favor for me" - this is how recruiters will, in | | | | 1. How long has this job been open for? |
| an indirect manner, tell you that if you go to a job | | | | 2. How many times has the recruiter worked with this |
| interview, then they will still work with you. In return, ask | | | | company? |
| them for a favor. Politely request that they listen to the | | | | 3. Do you know how many people are interviewing for |
| dial tone for a while. If you say it in a dry manner, there | | | | this job? |
| is a chance that they will for a few seconds. Not a | | | | 4. Do you have any tips for the interview? |
| bad trick. | | | | 5. Why would you be a good fit for the job? |
| 2. "This company is the best" - if the company was | | | | Remember, be polite. |
| really the best, they would not be going through a | | | | What you should not do to a recruiter: |
| recruiter for their recent college graduate hires. | | | | Recruiters are in business to staff individuals. By no |
| Companies like Google, Apple, Goldman Sachs never | | | | means, should you speak with a recruiter, then |
| have to use recruiters for recent college graduates. | | | | circumvent them and go directly to the company. Even |
| Dig deeper with this statement, quickly go to and ask | | | | though I don't love recruiters who work with recent |
| the recruiter what the company's revenue was the | | | | college graduates, this gives you no right to go directly |
| past year. | | | | to the company. Business ethics are not stressed |
| 3. "We have an exclusive on this job" - this means that | | | | enough in some classes, but if you want to be |
| they have a "retained contract." This may or may not | | | | successful, learn them quickly. |
| be true, however there is no reason to announce this | | | | Working at a recruiting firm: |
| to everybody. More likely than not, I would be skeptical. | | | | Just like any other industry, working at a recruiting firm |
| First, ask them if they have a "retained contract." Then, | | | | can be either rewarding or unchallenging and |
| to see if this is true, do your research. Look at all the | | | | uneventful. |
| career boards such as Monster or Hotjobs and see | | | | The typical day at a recruiting firm consists of doing |
| how many postings there are. Again, refer to the | | | | research on your clients, gathering pertinent resumes |
| "What I should not do to a recruiter" section as, in | | | | and interviewing candidates. If you decide to work at a |
| every case (no exceptions) it is unethical to circumvent | | | | recruiting firm, make sure that you are not staffing an |
| a recruiter. | | | | industry which you are not interested in. Also, if a |
| Red lights: | | | | recruiting firm wants you to cold-call potential |
| 1. Never use a recruiter who is going to charge you | | | | customers, decline the position. Nobody in a HR division |
| money. There is not one single exception to this rule. A | | | | has time for this. Make sure the recruiting firm has a |
| recruiting firm should never sell resume services to you | | | | good business plan. |
| either. You should find your own resume writing | | | | Recruiter Lingo: |
| service. If a recruiter asks you to pay any type of fee, | | | | CV - curriculum vitae - this is a fancy word for |
| promptly report that organization to your university. | | | | resume. |
| 2. The recruiter won't tell you the company's name. If a | | | | Placement - this is when a recruiter successfully staffs |
| recruiter is hiding the company name from you, how | | | | an employee at their client's company and receives |
| much else are they hiding? Would you ever buy a car | | | | the subsequent commission. |
| without knowing the brand? Remember, this is your | | | | Headhunter - another term for a recruiter, however as |
| career, you should be in the driver's seat. | | | | of late, recruiting firms have not used this term |
| 3. The recruiter wants to put things on your resume | | | | C-level recruiters - the term "C-level" refers to the titles |
| which you are uncomfortable with. If the recruiter is | | | | at firms which begin with a "C" - 95% of the time, |
| helping you with some formatting, then maybe you | | | | these are the executives at the company. So, CEO, |
| have a good recruiter, however if they want to put | | | | CFO, COO, CTO are all high-up titles in a company. |
| certain claims of knowledge on your resume which | | | | |