A true recruiter won’t blast your résumé

Paul found an “executive recruiter” that will charge him $10,000 to $15,000 to market him to hiring managers. He wants to know if this is a sound investment. Probably not. The company isn’t a recruiter – it’s a résumé blasting firm. Recruiters are paid by employers, not applicants.

Résumé blasters are the direct-mail advertisers of the job world. Using a database of business contacts, they mass email résumés. What they say: We will polish your cover letter and résumé and expose you to the hidden job market by mailing directly to hiring managers. If we send out 500 résumés, you should have 5 to 15 responses from hiring managers because statistics show that most direct mailings generate a 1 to 3 percent response rate.

The reality: I spoke with seven, non-HR hiring managers with a collective hiring

Jim Pawlak responsibility for 1,200 employees in a variety of industries; all regularly receive blast résumés and none have ever followed up on them. They can identify a blast because it’s not tailored to the company or the jobs in their area. Barbara said: “Blasts are the junk email of job search. I won’t waste time looking at an unsolicited, generic résumé.”

Note, blasting companies don’t guarantee responses. They hide behind “statistics show,” but if you don’t receive any responses, you still pay. Also, if other similarly-qualified job seekers

a non-HR hiring manger

‘Blasts are the junk email of job search. I won’t waste time looking at an unsolicited, generic résumé.’

are using the blasting service, too, employers are receiving information on your competition from the firm you hired.

To check a firm’s credentials, ask for a contact list: 10 people for whom it has done emailings in the previous calendar quarter. If they hide behind “client confidentiality”, flee. If you are given the list, call every one and ask about their experience. If you find that many on the list found jobs through the blasting firm, don’t be impressed; flee – you were set up.

If you want to locate a real recruiter, head for the reference section of the library and ask for “The Directory of Executive Recruiters”. It lists recruiters by industry and profession specialization, and geography. Most recruiters listed are ‘retained’; they exclusively represent the employer and receive some payment even if the search was unsuccessful. The listing has some ‘contingent’ recruiters, too; they have no employer-exclusives. If their candidate is hired, they get paid. Employers may use a number of them to make sure no candidate-stone goes unturned.

Retained recruiters typically deal with managerial-and-higher and hard-to-fill technical positions. Contingency recruitment generally tops out at lower-level management positions.

Legitimate recruiters maintain databases of candidates by industry, professional specialization and organizational rank. Once you’re in a database, it’s a case of “Don’t call us; we’ll call you.” The recruiters aren’t being rude; they don’t send unsolicited résumés (i.e. they do not market candidates) to their employer clients. If they have an assignment and you’re a ‘match,’ you will be called. When talking with a recruiter, remember they are working for an employer. Treat the conversation as an interview.

Recruiters usually purge a résumé after six months because they figure the job seeker has probably found a position. If you’re still in the market, send an updated résumé every four months to ensure yours remains active.

If their database doesn’t have matches to the employer’s requirements, recruiters do independent research within industries to locate candidates. If you receive a “Do you know anybody who…?” call from a recruiter, they believe the “who” is you and they are in phone-interview mode.

Despite what recruiters say, they do have a preference for employed candidates. Why? The unemployed may come with baggage which requires explanation.

Recruiters account for over 10 percent of new hires, so your job search should include them. If you opt to have a firm blast your résumé, buyer beware.

Retained recruiters typically deal with managerial-and-higher positions as well as hard-to-fill technical positions.