I recently had lunch with an old colleague of mine who is in the front lines of the job search market.  He also has a recruiting background and was telling me of his woeful and harried efforts to find a job.  Sharp guy, leader, knows his stuff and could work circles around most newbies in a heartbeat.  Trouble is, there just aren’t many jobs out there for seasoned professionals.

To add insult to injury, a Corporate Recruiter called him last week on a job he’d applied to last year and was told it was put on “hold”.  He found out later on LinkedIn, they did hire someone and maybe he didn’t want that job anyway – the HR function was not very mature and many of their processes needed tweaking, to put it mildly.  He was flattered but somewhat surprised when the Recruiter from the company left him three messages within two days.

When he finally connected, here is how the phone conversation went after the initial small talk–

Corporate Recruiter:  I wanted to ask you some questions about your experience.

Guy: Sure.

Corporate Recruiter:  Why do you want to work for us?

Guy: Well, as I told the other Recruiter last year…

Corporate Recruiter:  Wait, last year?  You talked to someone from ABC Company last year?

Guy: Yes, I actually went through three phone interviews and two in-person interviews.  When I followed up after the last interview, they told me the position was put on hold. 

Corporate Recruiter: Well, that is not exactly true.  We hired a person and they didn’t work out.  You say you went through how many interviews?  Who did you speak with?

Guy: Five total and I spoke with {list of names he graciously glossed over}.

Corporate Recruiter:  Ummm…can I get back to you? 

Guy: Sure (rolls eyes – been there, done that).  When can I expect your call?

Corporate Recruiter:  Ummmm, sometime this week.  Thanks.  [click]

Wow.  I mean, this gentleman is a respected mentor in the local HR community – he is not a convicted felon with a communicable disease.  The Recruiter couldn’t wait to get off the phone with him and this poor guy is feeling just awful wondering what in the world happened? 

This all could have been avoided if the Recruiter would have taken 30 seconds to look this person up in the ATS and read the notes.  He was most likely overqualified and not the best fit among the qualified applicants – and he deserves to be treated like a human being.  For all that Recruiter knows, he could be a customer (or her BOSS) someday.

It doesn’t matter if you have been at it for six years or this is your first day of corporate recruiting – be prepared before you make yourself look like an ass.  Do your homework, read the resume, make some notes before you dial that number.  This is key for ALL Recruiters but most of all, Corporate Recruiters.  It is imperative that you portray a professional image because to that person on the other end, you ARE the company.  Since 2009, Recruiting Departments have been cut to the bone and many Recruiters in this market are entry-level employees with no background in HR but so what?  Be professional and personable – that doesn’t take experience, just emotional intelligence.  One bad apple…