Getting On A Recruiter’s Radar Screen

Although not at the top of most people’s game plan, for most currently employed and unemployed job seekers seeking out a retained or contingency search consultant has its place in your overall job search strategy.

More so for persons seeking jobs as a programmer or other IT professional or in an IT or related field.  

The most commonly asked question is “how do I get on these people’s radar screen and get them to with me.

So here are a few ideas, some are common sense and some a little bit more out of the box thinking on how to get yourself out in front of this core audience.

1: Ask around in your network and try to get personally introduced to a recruiter. Have your contact call ahead and arrange a phone or in-person meeting for you or at the very least have them forward your resume and tell the recruiter they will follow up on the referral in a few days.

2: Conduct a Linked-In search for recruiters in your field, look over their profiles, and based on their recommendations see which ones have gravitas. Then join a group they are part of and send them an invitation to connect and let them know how you found them, that you would like to talk to them about representing you and tell them you know people you can potentially refer to them now and in the future.

3: Scrutinize the jobs you are seeking and get some one to work with you to prepare a mock interview. You can also prepare Q&A session solo in a casual format, or prepare a1-to-1 session with a moderator. Then upload it on You-Tube, your website, Linked-In or some other online forum. Then send a nice intro letter with your resume to select recruiters and in the letter give them the link and tell them what to expect.

4. Giving speeches at industry events and trying to maintain a high profile is a time-tested way to get noticed by headhunters. If you are unemployed you may want to conduct occasional webinars and ask select recruiters if they would be interested in be a guest presenter or if they would like to be a co-sponsor and share the attendee list with you.

5: If none of the above appeals to you, use the old fashioned way and send them your resume and a cover letter and hope for the best.

If you want me to review your resume to make sure it is strong enough to send out email it to me at perry@perrynewman.com. There is no charge or obligation involved.