Employment Mag is your one-stop resource for job search information and advice. Find professionally written employment articles that answer all of your job search questions: how to write a resume, crafting a stand-out cover letter, interview questions and answers, and more.
College Grads – Complete Recruiters Handbook
Posted on July 12, 2010
Filed Under Career | 1 Comment
So, you’re about to graduate and are in the process of sending your resume out to several jobs. Well, it just so happens that one of the ads you applied to is through a recruiter. Besides being an online media consultant, I run a recruiting firm who deals with executive level job seekers. That means our company only places jobs which are $100,000 base salary or above. For several reasons including ethics, we do not place recent college graduates.
Coming out of college, I strongly suggest that you do not use a recruiter for your first job. There are exceptions such as Heidrich and Struggles as well as ManPower, though there are not many. Actually, I wish most colleges would stop letting recruiters post 3rd party employment openings. If it is directly for that recruiting firm and the position offers compensation, then it is an exception. We’ll get into what it is like to work for a staffing firm later in this article.
Personally, before I graduated college, I had no idea what a recruiter was. That is, until I got staffed by one in a job which I would leave in 4 months to, ironically, start my own recruitment company.
How do recruiters get paid:
Recruiters get paid two different ways:
1. Contingency contracts – a contingency contract is when a company pays a recruiter (typically 15% – 25% of the base salary) to find them an employee. With a contingency contract, the recruiter only gets paid if they place somebody for that particular position.
Therefore, if your base salary is $35,000, then the recruiter would get $7,000 in commission once you officially became employed with the organization. Actually, the $7,000 would go to the recruiting company and, depending on what firm’s commission policies were, the recruiter would get a certain % of that money.
2. Retained contracts – these days, recruiters are less likely to obtain these contracts, however it is when a company pays a recruiting firm upfront or in stages regardless of if they make the placement. It is unlikely that a firm would be retained to get recent college graduates.
3. Guarantees – Many times recruiting companies offer a guarantee to their clients, which serve as a type of risk management so the employer does not have a job applicant leave and is left with a hefty bill. The industry standard guarantee is 90 days prorated on a 30/60/90 days basis. Prorated guarantee explained:
Let’s assume, to make it easy mathematically, that the recruiter is charging 20% of the base salary and is working on a 30/60/90 pro-rated guarantee. So, if your base salary is $30,000, then the total fee the recruiter would receive is $6,000. With the aforementioned guarantee, the payment schedule would be as follows: $2,000 after you were at the company for 30 days, the second $2,000 after you were at the company for 60 days, and the final $2,000 after you were at the company for 90 days.
Common sayings that recruiters use to manipulate recent college grads:
1. “Do this favor for me” – this is how recruiters will, in an indirect manner, tell you that if you go to a job interview, then they will still work with you. In return, ask them for a favor. Politely request that they listen to the dial tone for a while. If you say it in a dry manner, there is a chance that they will for a few seconds. Not a bad trick.
2. “This company is the best” – if the company was really the best, they would not be going through a recruiter for their recent college graduate hires. Companies like Google, Apple, Goldman Sachs never have to use recruiters for recent college graduates. Dig deeper with this statement, quickly go to hoovers.com and ask the recruiter what the company’s revenue was the past year.
3. “We have an exclusive on this job” – this means that they have a “retained contract.” This may or may not be true, however there is no reason to announce this to everybody. More likely than not, I would be skeptical. First, ask them if they have a “retained contract.” Then, to see if this is true, do your research. Look at all the career boards such as Monster or Hotjobs and see how many postings there are. Again, refer to the “What I should not do to a recruiter” section as, in every case (no exceptions) it is unethical to circumvent a recruiter.
Red lights:
1. Never use a recruiter who is going to charge you money. There is not one single exception to this rule. A recruiting firm should never sell resume services to you either. You should find your own resume writing service. If a recruiter asks you to pay any type of fee, promptly report that organization to your university.
2. The recruiter won’t tell you the company’s name. If a recruiter is hiding the company name from you, how much else are they hiding? Would you ever buy a car without knowing the brand? Remember, this is your career, you should be in the driver’s seat.
3. The recruiter wants to put things on your resume which you are uncomfortable with. If the recruiter is helping you with some formatting, then maybe you have a good recruiter, however if they want to put certain claims of knowledge on your resume which you are uncomfortable with, promptly tell your university.
4. The recruiter does not do a full interview with you. This means that the recruiter is “chucking resumes” at their client. “Chucking resumes” is a term which I coined as some recruiters will keep sending resumes regardless of background or interest in order to staff a position. If this happens, promptly tell your university.
5. The position they are filling does not pay a base salary. If you are ever approached by a recruiting firm to interview for a position which does not pay a base salary, tell your university because no reputable recruiting firms work on commission only positions.
I sent my resume into a recruiting firm but nobody answered:
This is par for course and does not reflect either positively or negatively on the recruiting firm or you qualifications. The reputable recruiters are paid by their clients to find someone very specific. Therefore, unless you happen to be in the right place at the right time, you probably will not receive a call. Don’t be discouraged and, again, these are waters you probably should not be treading.
For instance, if my company is working on a biotechnology software sales job, we are not going to call everybody who submits their website because we have an obligation to find somebody specific.
How do I get noticed by a recruiter?
Again, I do not recommend recent college graduates using recruiters, but here is how to increase your odds:
The subject line of the email should be: Auburn University ’10 – Major: Physics New York, NY
As you can see, your college goes first, then your graduation date, then your current location. The reason this works is because recruiters receive so many resumes per day which read “resume” that they don’t have the time to look at them. I can’t speak for every recruiter, though this is my personal recommendation.
Important: do not send your resume into a recruiting firm more than once a month. Also, do not do a mass email to a bunch of recruiters at once.
Do I need a cover letter:
No. This is one of the biggest myths about resume submission. Actually, it is quite annoying to receive a cover letter because you have to scroll down to see the applicant’s resume. When submitting a resume directly to a company, they are going to expect it, so make sure you do so. Though, most employers won’t read every cover letter sent. To increase your odds of having it read, do the cover letter in bullet points.
Ways to gauge whether a recruiter is worth speaking to:
How intelligent and knowledgeable do they sound?
How many openings does the firm have? How good are those postings? Most recruiting firms have their open jobs posted on their website. If you see a company taking every job available, then you may not want to work with them.
Questions to ask a recruiter:
Remember, be polite, but get your answers. If the recruiter does not want to answer your inquiries or is rude, report them to the university.
1. How long has this job been open for?
2. How many times has the recruiter worked with this company?
3. Do you know how many people are interviewing for this job?
4. Do you have any tips for the interview?
5. Why would you be a good fit for the job?
Remember, be polite.
What you should not do to a recruiter:
Recruiters are in business to staff individuals. By no means, should you speak with a recruiter, then circumvent them and go directly to the company. Even though I don’t love recruiters who work with recent college graduates, this gives you no right to go directly to the company. Business ethics are not stressed enough in some classes, but if you want to be successful, learn them quickly.
Working at a recruiting firm:
Just like any other industry, working at a recruiting firm can be either rewarding or unchallenging and uneventful.
The typical day at a recruiting firm consists of doing research on your clients, gathering pertinent resumes and interviewing candidates. If you decide to work at a recruiting firm, make sure that you are not staffing an industry which you are not interested in. Also, if a recruiting firm wants you to cold-call potential customers, decline the position. Nobody in a HR division has time for this. Make sure the recruiting firm has a good business plan.
Recruiter Lingo:
CV – curriculum vitae – this is a fancy word for resume.
Placement – this is when a recruiter successfully staffs an employee at their client’s company and receives the subsequent commission.
Headhunter – another term for a recruiter, however as of late, recruiting firms have not used this term
C-level recruiters – the term “C-level” refers to the titles at firms which begin with a “C” – 95% of the time, these are the executives at the company. So, CEO, CFO, COO, CTO are all high-up titles in a company.
CEO – Chief Executive Officer
CFO – Chief Financial Officer
COO – Chief Operations Officer
HR – human resources department of an organization
Ken Sundheim runs a New York executive sales employment agency and executive marketing staffing agency
Job Descriptions For Human Resources Job Positions
Posted on May 17, 2010
Filed Under Career | 2 Comments
Knowing the job descriptions of positions is important in job applications. It is through job descriptions that you, as an applicant, know the things that are expected from you by the employers. It is also through the job description that the employers are able to relay the qualifications that they are looking for in a particular job position.
Job descriptions are typically included in job postings in the internet or in the newspaper or job posters looking for people to fill a vacant position. If the job position is not included in the job postings, calling the company to inquire would be the best thing to do. Searching online for job descriptions of a position similar to the position you are looking for can also be done although calling in should still be preferred.
One of the most sought after jobs today are job positions in the human resource department. There are three possible job positions available in companies today when it comes to the HR department. These three include the HR person, HR manager or simply a position looking for a career in the human resources.
A HR person is someone who is responsible in coordinating the activities of the various departments in the company and also coordinating people when it comes to special projects or events. Coordination also includes making sure that the events or activities are done with the best quality possible and that they stay strict on following a schedule set by the company as well. He, along with his officemates, is also responsible in supervising the other employees from the other departments if they are following the policies or procedures of the company. They are also responsible in evaluating each department and recommending changes about making the employees follow the company policies among other things.
On one hand, a HR manager’s primary responsibilities include interviewing and hiring employees in a company. He has one of the most important jobs since the people that he would hire will determine the productivity and performance of the company. Thus, he must be able to immediately assess the efficiency of an individual through interviews or a series of tests that he should administer. To be able to fulfill his duty well, he must learn how to strategize and analyze the kinds of people that the company needs.
Lastly, any career in the human resources department is all about being in between the company and the other employees and ensuring a harmonious relationship between the two to also achieve a working environment which is successful in all aspects. The primary responsibility of someone in HR includes recruitment and training of the employees for them to suit the company’s goals and objectives. As someone with a career in HR, he should have skills on relating with different types of people and also skills in resolving conflict since they should also ensure a harmonious working relationship among the employees. He should also be computer literate and must know a lot about informational systems.
Loren Yadeski, author of this article is also interested in job descriptions and recommends you to please check out best job descriptions if you liked reading this information.
Finding a Nursing Job After Graduation
Posted on May 16, 2010
Filed Under Career | 1 Comment
Congratulations on your great accomplishment on graduating nursing school. As a recent graduate you have several choices when it comes to nursing jobs. Many nursing schools offer a job placement service once you successfully graduate. Some may even hold a job fair for nursing jobs. Once you graduate, jobs are not difficult to find. There is a high demand for nurses all across the United States. As communities build new medical facilities and hospitals or expand the size of existing medical facilities to accommodate the growing population, jobs become available. As experienced nurses switch to a different nursing positions, this also creates jobs that are available once you graduate.
There are several ways that a recent graduate can go about finding great nursing jobs. Some medical facilities and hospitals will post nurse jobs that are available in a local newspaper. A recent graduate can also find nurse jobs online. There are hundreds of job directories that are dedicated to nurse jobs. You can narrow your search for nurse jobs by selecting a location, nurse job type, full-time or part-time, as well as other search functions.
For a recent graduate, job directories that post nurse jobs are a great tool, especially if you live in a large city or you are interested in relocating. With today’s technology, most all hospitals and medical facilities have a website. If you are a recent graduate visit the websites of the employer that interests you to view their nurse jobs that are available.
Visiting the websites of potential employers is also a great way to learn more about the facility and the type of environment that you may work in. You can also get a good sense of long term career opportunities while on their website. Once you graduate nursing school, it is important that you start your search for nurse jobs shorty after you graduate. Choosing not to delay your search for nurse jobs shows potential employers that you are excited and motivated in starting your career as a nurse. It is also beneficial because everything that you learned is still fresh in your mind.
The fact that there are shortages of nurses all across the United States makes finding nursing jobs a breeze, once you graduate. Because of the shortages of nurses, there are times that a medical facility will offer incentives to new nurse jobs. Sometimes the incentives will be a large sign-on bonus or they will cover the cost of relocating and in some cases, they will offer both in order to fill their nursing jobs.
Once you graduate, the doors are wide open with great career opportunities. As a recent graduate, it is important to remember that you may not get your dream nursing job the first time out. You may need to be flexible as accept a nursing job that wasn’t your first choice. This gets you in the field and allows you to move toward your preferred nursing job. Taking time to decide on what you want as your long term nursing career goal is very important for a graduate. You will also want to look at your personality and interests. There are so many nurse jobs that are in different environments, making it easier to choose a nursing job that fits your personality and interests.
If you’re ready to start your CNA Training & Certification, we have more great tools and resources on our website http://www.yourcnatrainingguide.com
Nursing Jobs for the Long Term
Posted on May 16, 2010
Filed Under Career | Leave a Comment
Choosing a career as a nurse opens up a wide range of great opportunities for those who have a passion to help others. When most people think of nursing jobs, they think of the nurses that work at a doctors office or care for patients in a hospital setting. This goes far beyond the typical environments that we associate with these type’s of jobs. These jobs are one of the few careers that allow a person to choose which nursing environment and nursing duties will best fit their personality and interests. The environment for nursing jobs vary from patient care in hospitals to providing care at the patients home. The nursing field is huge with many great opportunities for the right individual.
As with any career, you must consider your options so that you can choose the right job that will be a right match for your personality and interests. When you apply for a job you need to be persistent, yet flexible during the hiring process. Keep an open mind that you may need to accept an alternate nursing position rather than the position that you set your mind on. Accepting the alternate nursing job will get your foot in the door, allowing to move up to that nursing job that you originally had your mind set on. When choosing one of the many available jobs in this field, you should choose a nursing position that fits into your long term career plan.
Ultimately, hospitals offer the most prospective nursing jobs that fit into long term career plans. Hospitals provide a large network of nurses, doctors, surgeons and specialists. Once you are inside this network, you have many key contacts that will assist you with your nursing career. Nurses with a long term nursing career plan like the hospital environment because jobs vary from caring for newborn infants to the elderly. As a nurse gains skills and experience, hospitals offer plenty of room for changing nursing jobs without having to switch employers. If a fast pace environment is your choice, the emergency room and trauma centers are not only fast paced but very exciting, though it isn’t for everyone. Unit or floor nurses, emergency room nurses, surgical nurses, pediatric nurses, trauma nurse and respiratory nurse are just a few of the several exciting nursing jobs that you can find in a hospital.
If a hospital environment is not right for you, there are still several positions that are a great choice. Family medical clinics, urgent care facilities and long-term health care facilities all offer great nursing jobs. When trying to choose between the several types of jobs and who will be your employer, it is important to consider your personality, interests and nursing career goal. Many new nurses make the mistake of moving from one nursing job to another without any rhyme or reason. This can ultimately hurt you down the road when potential employers notice that you do not stay at one place for long. Try to make appropriate decisions about your career so that the only time that you switch employers or nursing position is further your long term nursing career goal. Employers that offer nursing jobs are attracted to those individuals that are career driven.
If you’re ready to start your CNA Training & Certification, we have more great tools and resources on our website http://www.yourcnatrainingguide.com
keep looking »
