A tale of three recruiters

As so many others, I keep abreast of openings in my field, and apply when I see something relevant and interesting with an employer I might want to work for. These are my experiences with three such applications and the recruiters managing them (all of which, I might add, were external to the company recruiting for the position).

1: The OK

As I usually do, I found the listing on line, wrote an application, tweaked my resume to fit the position, and sent in the application. I received an automated confirmation that my application had been received. Some time went by, and I was notified that they had gone with someone else.

There is nothing particularly wrong about this, and I am happy to even get a response beyond the automated confirmation; I know they have seen my application, but decided not to hire me for whatever reason. Not excellent, and certainly not actionable on my part, but it’s fine.

2: The black mark

Like the first example, I sent in an application and resume, and received an automated confirmation. I was then called in for a chat with the recruiter, and left with the promise that I would hear something within a week or two. Then nothing.

Two weeks go by, and I call the recruiter to follow up. No response. A few more days go by, and I call them again, following up with an email. Again, no response. At this point, I am figuring I didn’t get the position, but want to follow up with their assistant, too, in case the recruiter was hit by a bus or something.

At that point, I was called back by the recruiter, telling me that the client had gone with someone else, hadn’t seen any other candidates, and that they had forgotten to keep me informed. Let me be clear; this is an instant black mark in my book against a recruiter and their firm.

If you promise to follow up with me, you had better keep that promise. I honestly think that you should at least let everyone who aren’t called in for interviews know that they won’t be, but if you call someone in for an interview, you should follow up, and in a timely manner.

3: The very good

As before, I sent in my application and resume, and received an automated response. Like in the first example, I got an email that I had not been selected, and saying that I should drop them a line if I had any questions about the recruitment.

Since they opened the door, I replied that I would like to know what I could do to be successful in future applications, to which I got a good and believable answer, which gave me some food for thought and feedback on which I could take action.

This is outstanding performance from a recruiter; they show that they take me seriously, they invest a little time in giving me feedback, and they ensure that I feel like I’ve been seen.