No, I Don’t Get People Jobs – I’m a Recruiter.

People are constantly asking me to “get them a job”. Just yesterday I got a text from someone who heard I was recruiting for openings in Chicago. It literally read “Sh!t! Get me a job!” (stay classy, ex-husband).

But wait, you say. You’re a recruiter. Your whole professional existence revolves around getting people jobs… right?

Not exactly. A very smart boss once put it to me this way. “I know you care a lot about getting people jobs. That’s admirable. But the reality is you’re the recruiter. You facilitate the introduction. The hiring manager gives someone a job”.

Wait… really?

Yes. So if I’m not getting people jobs… just what exactly DO I do all day?

Read the hiring manager’s mind. We all know that job descriptions have little, if anything, to do with what the job actually entails. I have to get inside the head a bit of the person who actually does the job giving – what problem are they trying to solve? What skills and abilities does a candidate need to possess to adequately solve that problem?

Find people. We call that sourcing. Some recruiters still do the old post and pray, some tweet, some inmail, some search resume databases, some even actually pick up the phone.

Probe and influence. Ok, I’ve got the people. Now I have to read their minds. What would make them consider an opportunity with my company? Where’s their salary threshold? Do they have what it takes to be successful in this circus? At the same time, I have to influence my hiring managers to give my (qualified) people an interview.

Close, close, close. Move the hiring manager towards an offer. Close them high. Move the candidate towards offer acceptance and resignation of their current job. Close them low. Meet in the middle and make everyone happy. Then make sure the candidate not only shows up on day 1 but that his new boss has arranged for a desk for him to sit at.

At the end of the day, I don’t “get” anyone a job. I set the stage for job getting. I bring the players together, ideally for the end result of an accepted job offer. Candidate, you still have to interview for it and Hiring Manager, you still have to make it worthwhile. But if you’re expecting your recruiter to wrap up a job like a birthday gift and hand it to you, forget about it.

Comment by Lee Ann Cornelison on October 6, 2011 at 3:50pm: Loved reading this and tweeted a link on my pages as well!

Comment by Amy Ala Miller on October 6, 2011 at 4:16pm: thanks everyone for the comments and sharing with your networks! If I save ONE fellow recruiter from just one of these obnoxious calls/emails/texts it will be time well spent. :)

Comment by Samantha Lacey on October 7, 2011 at 4:29am: Brilliant. People I haven't spoken to in years are forever wriggling out of the woodwork to ask me if I "have any jobs for them". I understand the confusion, but it's not how it works, especially now that I'm in business development/marketing rather than doing any actual recruiting.

Comment by Melanie Benwell on October 7, 2011 at 10:46am: Amy, you nailed it!

Comment by Charles Rein on October 9, 2011 at 6:10am: WE can't help our neighbor unless they fit our exact specialty! it's like playing chess by yourself, analyzing every move from both sides of the board. Checkmate is placement and check deposited. Nothing else matter, because you didn't win the game

Comment by Ivan Stojanovic on October 11, 2011 at 6:33am: Well you have to admit on thing. A short message
SMS opening with a curse will most likely be read. Especially if coming from a
known contact in your phone. The continuation of the message isn’t that bad as
well. It is really short, direct and down to the pint. There is a clear call to
action as well. :)

Comment by Amy Ala Miller on October 11, 2011 at 10:32am: Thanks Ivan - messages from that contact starting with a bad word usually involves our teenagers in some way :)

Comment by Amy Ala Miller on October 11, 2011 at 1:56pm: Morgan - your direct reports? If not, please share...

Comment by Amy Wallace on October 11, 2011 at 2:40pm: The question is, how can we relay this message to our candidates in an appropriate way?

Comment by Paul Alfred on October 11, 2011 at 3:31pm: Congrats Amy - your blog made it on the LinkedIN Career and Recruting Industry most shared news List.