This is a guest post from Bill Boorman. Bill is an internationally recognized leader based in the UK with more than 27 years of industry experience. He is the Co-Founder of the #TRU Conferences, blogger at The Recruiting Unblog. and host of Ready For Liftoff, an international blog talk radio show. You can find Bill on Twitter @BillBoorman or on LinkedIn at http://uk.linkedin.com/in/billboorman
When someone guest blogs for me, I expect Corn On The Job to receive something unique, or at least a post that I wouldn’t have thought of. In his guest video blog, Bill has created a genius post that is exactly what I hope for from a guest. The video points out various ways a candidate can get the most from their recruiter and also explains what recruiters expect from candidates. In most unique fashion, Bill has made this video without once being in front of the camera himself. Check out the below genius from Bill, and stop by for some comments after.
First off, I’d like to thank Bill for calling me Mr. Corns. Every time I’m referenced as Corn, Corns, or Mr. Corns in the video I get a nice laugh out of it. Brilliant.
So, besides learning that my cousin has blue hair and is the worst candidate ever, what else have we learned? Here are a few of my comments:
- Always. Be. On. Time.
- Send resume before meeting your recruiter, and also bring a clean copy or two with you (Bill – how did you know I <3 peanut butter?)
- Recruiters can’t help if you don’t know what you would like to do.
- Clean up your Facebook profile
- Identify a salary that will work for you. This is important.
- You probably won’t be working as an assistant for Steve Jobs. Don’t ask for ridiculous shit.
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
I found that do be delightful and the computer voices with their little quirks, like the way it pronounced resume, was wonderful. Very nicely done.
Hey Brian – thanks for the comment! I loved this from Bill, such a clever way to do a guest post!
simple n straightforward video … something to be clear about specifically about a salary component…
one thing which buzzes me y so companies (big or small) follows the convention methods of hiring… i see the pattern , emphasis that has been followed in ages continue to carry on as a legacy… i agree its tested n proven but still does it not makes repetitive , monotonous … Also , y everyone should be looked under the same lens… It could be its my just personal view n HR experts do not find the same…!!
Hey Ajit – thanks for the comment. Conventional methods are used because most times they do work. Unconventional sourcing methods help bring in talent, but conventional has not only worked, but it also is proven to be legal. It isn’t always fun, but it does work
Thanks for stopping by!
Bill, Rich,
Interesting video and definitely some good points in there. I’d like to debate some more over the salary piece – I’m not a huge proponent of job seekers throwing out a number too early in the process – I think it really opens up the potential to either price you out of the job or sell yourself short before you have even had a good discussion about what you bring to the table, and what the company can offer. Timing is critical when talking salary, in my opinion.
Good stuff though, keep it coming!
Jason
Hey Jason – I tend to agree with you – but when first meeting an agency recruiter, sometimes they need to know where they can pitch your resume at. I think that is where Bill was going with this. The agency side, they sometimes want to know what range they can toss you in.
Thanks for the comment!
I am getting a Flyers Jersey with Mr. Corns on it!
Liar – no way will you do that
You are right… it will be better with “Corns” on it. AND that my friend sounds like a challenge!
Thanks for all your comments, and Mr.corn for hosting me.
Jason, with respect to salary, remember this is a recruiter interview not a hiring manager. A recruiter will always get you the highest possible salary because the higher the salary, the higher the fee. What a good recruiter will establish is the lowest affordable salary because that is the point where they can make a decision on wether to talk to you about a job or not. This needs to be explained to the candidate at the meeting.
In terms of hiring manager interviews, I’ve always advised my candidates to not get involved in auctions. If they feel short changed, they might take the job out of desperation and then be exiting fairly soon, which is no good for anyone. I advise candidates to have calculated their bottom line before the interview, based on their overheads and some left over. You also need to factor in what they believe is a reasonable reward expectation for the position that they would be happy with. I’ve see too many candidates short changed, or not really think through an offer because they had not prepared or really thought through what they could accept as well as what they wanted. Ill feeling on either side at the offer stage does not bode well.
Better to put your cards on the table if pushed, leave a little room for maneuvering and have prepared a few justification statements to explain why you are worth what you are asking for.
Hope this helps, be ambassadors for great recruiting,
Bill
yeh i agree. having a solid figure in mind is important before you start the process. If you drop your pants just to get the job, you will always be on the short side.
negotiations are usually more flexible when you are switching jobs, vs your yearly review raise. so getting the most you can from the start is super important.
Rich, Bill – okay, I agree with that – from an agency recruiter perspective, completely understandable. Corporate recruiters may have tendencies closer to hiring managers (with regard to saving the firm $$), even though they will likely be incentivized to close reqs as well, so they will still want the candidates to get the job, especially because it will improve their reputation if they are consistently getting hits and filling positions quickly.
Jason – I definitely agree. Being a corporate recruiter, I wasn’t happy about hearing what they wanted at the beginning of the process, although if they were out of range, and we found out early, then that saved us a bunch of time.
hahaha – note to self – don’t bring in any of Corns relatives/friends/colleagues/pets for an interview