• There are two types of recruiters:
  • Agency
    • Primarily commission-based recruiters that appear like Beetlejuice when you say Ruby on Rails three times
      • Pros: Wide knowledge of the job market from working with multiple companies; filling lots of positions at once; can be used as a tool to improve your resume, interviewing skills, etc.
      • Cons: You have to constantly keep in touch with them; they’re juggling lots of different applicants; they might forget your name that ONE TIME…
        • If you’ve applied for a job and haven’t heard back from us just copy and paste this into an email:
          • Hey [name], I haven’t heard from you in the past week. I understand that I may not be a good fit for the role. Could you please let me know if this is the case so I can move on with my job search?
  • Corporate
    • These are the internal recruiters hired by companies. They have a deep understanding of their specific company's qualifications and needs. Like the troll you have to talk to before crossing a bridge… (don’t take that too personally, there are lots of beautiful trolls out there)
      • Pros: Not commission based, so they function as both a recruiting and HR type role for the company; they will be invested in the specific company they work for; they have a slightly outside perspective in the recruiting world as they’re not usually filling tons of positions at once
      • Cons: They’re not as informed or as involved with the job market as a larger whole; they’re not a buffer, sounding board or advice giver to help you better land the job

Tips on how to use recruiters to your advantage:

• Networking Tip
  • Find 3-10 recruiters in your area, connect with them on LinkedIn and send them a note.
    • Most recruiters will be willing to help you if you engage with them. Whether it’s an intro email, a quick polishing of your resume or a tip to improve your Linkedin
    • Do this BEFORE you start slapping your resume on job postings. It’s free.
• BCC Trick
  • If you’re interested in a specific job posting, pick 5-10 of your favorite local agency recruiters
  • BCC them all in one email
  • Pull up the job posting you’re interested in and write a seemingly personal message
    • For example: Hey! I came across this job posting on the internet. Are you working with this company or know anyone there?
  • Now you have a multitude of potential connections all from one email
• Communication
  • Don’t call recruiters.
    • We’re probably in a meeting anyway. Instead, just send us a text or email
  • Check in with us.
    • We talk to a lot of people. Help us make sure you’re one we talk to regularly