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Tips For Tech Recruiters, From an Engineer

danrodriguez.me

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Re: Tips For Tech Recruiters, From an Engineer

#21

Post by amorphid »

aristus wrote: post #13

I've talked to experienced recruiters and hiring managers about this. The interesting thing is that the content of the email actually doesn't matter much at all. Personalization, mentioning mutual contacts, etc helps but not a lot. The single biggest determinant of a successful recruit is (drumroll, please) whether the candidate is currently looking for a job. I just went back to read the recruiting email that kicked…

As a recruiter my data supports this. I stopped being spammy and more thoughtful in my communication with candidates. The result? More replies thanking me for being thoughtful and no increase in candidates expressing interest. I've decided that recruiting is about being in the right place at the right time and offering amazing career opportunities.

Other things that make recruiting more effective:

* getting out of the office and meeting candidates in person

* building relationships with recruiters over time

* being educated about your target audience and making conversations about meaningful content

Re: Tips For Tech Recruiters, From an Engineer

#22

Post by mtrimpe »

aristus wrote: post #13

I've talked to experienced recruiters and hiring managers about this. The interesting thing is that the content of the email actually doesn't matter much at all. Personalization, mentioning mutual contacts, etc helps but not a lot. The single biggest determinant of a successful recruit is (drumroll, please) whether the candidate is currently looking for a job. I just went back to read the recruiting email that kicked…

It seems that someone could make a killing by building a service where you:

1) can invite a small group of recruiters who have gained your trust

2) keep an up-to-date record of what it would take for you to switch (whether it's Facebook offering a CTO position or any job that pays about the same)

3) make it easy to work with your selected recruiters to find a new job (accept/reject leads, plan job interviews, etc. etc.)

Re: Tips For Tech Recruiters, From an Engineer

#23

Post by berlinbrown »

I wanted to say something else. Recruiters aren't necessarily good or bad. They are just a natural phenomenon of the technical landscape.

Like I said earlier, a HR person at a big company normally deals with the HR things. They aren't pouring over technical resumes. The technical recruiter, their sole purpose is to match candidates with job openings. So they have the time and resources to match candidates. This is bad for the lone job seeker that is just trying to find a job and he sees an opening out there.

On the recruiters themselves, you want to look for big company technical recruiters of high-rated firms. E.g. ignore all the random emails from sys-inc-ez-find.com. You can search for the four or five top recruiter firms in your area.

You don't have to talk to the 20-something recruiter. Normally, there is an account manager or manager that may even have a technical background. He/she is the person that typically seals the deal and knows his stuff.

Re: Tips For Tech Recruiters, From an Engineer

#24

Post by berlinbrown »

aristus wrote: post #13

I've talked to experienced recruiters and hiring managers about this. The interesting thing is that the content of the email actually doesn't matter much at all. Personalization, mentioning mutual contacts, etc helps but not a lot. The single biggest determinant of a successful recruit is (drumroll, please) whether the candidate is currently looking for a job. I just went back to read the recruiting email that kicked…

What about if the candidate just doesn't match the job position?

Re: Tips For Tech Recruiters, From an Engineer

#25

Post by madaxe »

Don't work with recruiters, period. Why? From the hiring side of the table, here's why.

1) they misrepresent you and lie. "Kevin has 10+ years of experience with Ruby on Rails". I go "huh, Kevin's a lying shit. Bin."

2) 40% of your goddamned salary finders fee?! Fuck that shit I'll find someone else.

3) why would I be interested in employing you if you're not interested in us? The fact that you've gone to a recruiter just says "I have no idea what I'm doing or where I want to go, and I can't be bothered with research"

4) why would I hire someone that's already on myriad recruiter databases and therefore likely to be poached by the same shyster that placed you?

So, yeah, don't use recruiters. As an employer, I get 20+ emails per day from these animated coproliths, and they all get deleted. I don't have time to read 30 CVs for "javas php rubo on rales" developers.

I'll just hire the smart cookie who wants to work for us and approaches us directly.

Edit: also, the only reason recruiters exist is because they exist. They introduce artificial scarcity in the labour market and then exploit the deficit they created.

No better than ambulance-chasers.

Double edit: just to ram home how useless these people are, in the last seven years I've had recruiters try to sell me myself, no fewer than three times. Not a single thought between their immaculately preened ears.

Re: Tips For Tech Recruiters, From an Engineer

#26

Post by Avalaxy »

yummyfajitas wrote: post #4
MisterBastahrd wrote: post #3

You will never get technical recruiters to abandon calling candidates whenever they feel like it. They are competing against many other recruiters at their own firm, not to mention recruiting agencies, to place candidates in front of managers. Sure, you can demand that they not call you, but most would rather drop you from their database than miss closing a deal.

I've dramatically reduced the number of annoying calls I get simply by writing "please send me an email, I ignore unsolicited calls" on my linkedin/website.

I dramatically reduced it by simply removing my phone number from LinkedIn.

Re: Tips For Tech Recruiters, From an Engineer

#27

Post by Avalaxy »

lordlic wrote: post #17

> Most experienced engineers get several solicitations a day As an engineer who's just starting out, I get no solicitations at all. I've heard about people being constantly contacted about work, but that's just not happening to me. If I lost my job, I'd have no idea what to do. How do you get on these people's radar? I'd love to feel more in control of my career instead of like my whole life depends on the good grace…

Have an up-to-date LinkedIn profile that lists your skills and experience will do most of the work. Of course you can also create profiles on all different sorts of freelance/jobs sites, but that's only when you're really desperate.

Re: Tips For Tech Recruiters, From an Engineer

#28

Post by Nursie »

madaxe wrote: post #25

Don't work with recruiters, period. Why? From the hiring side of the table, here's why. 1) they misrepresent you and lie. "Kevin has 10+ years of experience with Ruby on Rails". I go "huh, Kevin's a lying shit. Bin." 2) 40% of your goddamned salary finders fee?! Fuck that shit I'll find someone else. 3) why would I be interested in employing you if you're not interested in us? The fact that you've gone to a recruiter…

I agree that agents are shysters but...

3) I'm a competent engineer and I could go anywhere. Why should I pretend you're the most awesome thing in the world or lie about how loyal I'm going to be?

Re: Tips For Tech Recruiters, From an Engineer

#29

Post by lifeisstillgood »

amorphid wrote: post #21
aristus wrote: post #13

I've talked to experienced recruiters and hiring managers about this. The interesting thing is that the content of the email actually doesn't matter much at all. Personalization, mentioning mutual contacts, etc helps but not a lot. The single biggest determinant of a successful recruit is (drumroll, please) whether the candidate is currently looking for a job. I just went back to read the recruiting email that kicked…

As a recruiter my data supports this. I stopped being spammy and more thoughtful in my communication with candidates. The result? More replies thanking me for being thoughtful and no increase in candidates expressing interest. I've decided that recruiting is about being in the right place at the right time and offering amazing career opportunities. Other things that make recruiting more effective: * getting out of th…

Totally agree with the personal relationships - recruiters whom I have met in person, shared coffee and they still bother keeping in touch - well I have got good opportunities from them, they have got recommendations from me. The faceless emails - nah.

Re: Tips For Tech Recruiters, From an Engineer

#30

Post by lifeisstillgood »

mtrimpe wrote: post #22
aristus wrote: post #13

I've talked to experienced recruiters and hiring managers about this. The interesting thing is that the content of the email actually doesn't matter much at all. Personalization, mentioning mutual contacts, etc helps but not a lot. The single biggest determinant of a successful recruit is (drumroll, please) whether the candidate is currently looking for a job. I just went back to read the recruiting email that kicked…

It seems that someone could make a killing by building a service where you: 1) can invite a small group of recruiters who have gained your trust 2) keep an up-to-date record of what it would take for you to switch (whether it's Facebook offering a CTO position or any job that pays about the same) 3) make it easy to work with your selected recruiters to find a new job (accept/reject leads, plan job interviews, etc. et…

How about a linked in plugin - I link to a recruiter and send a secret status update to them.

It feels like there ought to be a way to do it

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