Recruiters have secrets. Ones that my colleagues probably don’t want me sharing. But guess what? I’m going to spill the beans anyway and let you into our exclusive club.
Here’s what we aren’t telling you.
We network like crazy. And the bigger our networks, the better! We never decline connection requests on LinkedIn – even when we don’t know the individual – and we never, ever, miss a chance to meet people (virtually or otherwise). You can network even if you are an introvert. Networking has always been hard for me, but you know what, it’s easy when I get the chance to talk about what I am the most passionate about…resumes. That’s the secret. Passion! As long as you have passion, making connections isn’t too hard. Every single interaction you have should communicate this. And it doesn’t matter if your passion is logistics, customer experience, or widget manufacturing. Passion is key. (If you are not passionate about your career goal, then this will be really tricky. I’d suggest taking a hard look at your goals to align your passion with what you truly care about.) We invest time in every conversation we have. I never know when a relationship could come in handy, so I take the time to get to know everyone I meet. Over the years, those connections have proven invaluable. I’ve been able to introduce a young author to a publisher, an expert telecom engineer to an amazing networking startup, a mortician to a funeral director, and too many other precipitous relationships to count. At least some of the time these introductions don’t benefit me or my company at all, but I’m a firm believer that putting positivity out into the universe will return twofold. We do our homework. While you are spending countless hours filling out online job applications, we have found the hiring manager’s name, email, and contact information – and emailed them directly. Bypass the job application whenever possible! And finally, we’re fans of the phone call. Before email, we all had to actually talk with one another. At this point, calling a hiring manager at work is so unorthodox that it works wonders. (Refer to the previous paragraph about doing your homework and finding contact information.)I’ve got other tips on what we (as recruiters) look for and the best ways to work with us if you are a business owner. As always, reach out to me directly if you have questions!
Krista Morris is the founder of Virtuoso Resumes and a two-time TORI Award winner who has helped more than 3,000 professionals land jobs faster with strategic, high-impact resumes. Known for bold storytelling and interview-based information gathering, she blends recruiting insight with clear positioning to turn complex careers into compelling brands. Before launching Virtuoso, she spent nearly a decade in workforce development with the State of Arizona and Maximus, helping job seekers move from unemployed to unstoppable. Today, her four-writer team serves clients across the United States and supports career transitions at every level.