Articles - Career / Personal Development

Some job seekers do not fully understand the role of the recruiter. They view recruiters as getting in the middle or in the way of their job search, preventing direct contact with the hiring manager(s) for available positions, well this is actually true and these job seekers are going to have a long and frustrating searching for their next job, because the vast majority of companies now use recruiters almost exclusively to facilitate the hiring process. Roles that recruiters play:

Corporate Representative

Gatekeeper

Educator

Negotiator

The Break Down Of Recruiter Identity and Responsibilities.

Corporate Representative

Whether you like it or not, the recruiter is the company's representative to the talents available. We are the "faces" of the company at events, job fairs, social networking, etc. The title “Recruiter” has changed and been given multilayer’s in order to promote the benefits and advantages of working for company they represent. This evolution of change is an effort to attract the best and brightest job candidates. Recruiter’s responsibility has grown tremendously and its importance of the role as the job market has become more and more competitive. Some industries where diverse talented candidates are difficult to find the recruiter's job has taken on many characteristics of a marketing professional, trying to "sell" the talent on the company and get them excited about working there regardless the reputation of the company. We as recruiters still have to do a song and dance!

Gatekeeper - Recruiter

The gatekeeper source screens and submits you, the talent. This is particularly important when you receive a phone call as the recruiter usually has the opportunity to speak with talent and learn a bit more about you and your interest. One of the biggest mistakes the talent make is to be dismissive or impatient when speaking with recruiters. This is a very poor choice, even if you aren’t interested as the recruiter will consider personal interactions with candidates as one factor in whether or not to grant an interview.

Educator - Recruiter

The Educator holds important information and knowledge of job opportunities. They can provide important details and insights about specific jobs and responsibilities, as well as provide a good overview of the company culture and what to expect when employed. The recruiter is also a source of information about benefits and other aspects of overall compensation, which can be very important indeed when considering more than one job offer. They are your advocate once you made the connection.

Negotiator - Recruiter

The negotiator often is in the position to negotiate the specifics of job offers, they partner with hiring managers to ensure salary ranges are appropriate based on internal and external facts, and may also act as the primary negotiating contact for salary issues. Many companies, the hiring manager has to gain the approval of the recruiter in order to extend an offer or alter the terms of the offer extended, bet you didn’t know that one.

Common Thread

The recruiter who plays each of these roles will vary from company to company. They may divide some of these responsibilities with fellow colleagues, hiring manager or HR partners. Either way, no candidate can afford to dismiss or ignore the role of the Gatekeeper, so if you hope to have a successful job search you may want to think twice being rude to a corporate recruiter.

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About the Author

Kay Kelison is a seasoned researcher and social media strategist; creative, strategic and passionate with 12+ years of exceptional experience with such companies as T-Mobile, Amazon, Wachovia, Saltmine, Start-Ups, and is a Principal Sourcer/Research for Bing/Online Division Services for Microsoft. Knowledge of web 2.0 technologies and social media platforms. Proven aptitude identifying opportunities, implementing solutions, and increasing visibility through video, blogs and social networks. Experience with international teams and diversity initiatives.

Responsible for strategy and development of marketing Internet-based social media / social networks communities, including the development of Mobile Recruiting, Blogs, MySpace, Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter and online video spaces such as Vimeo, YouTube. Accomplished Published/Speaker engagements which include executive round tables, business marketing and leadership teams, MBA, and SourcCon, etc She is a part of the Pacific Northwest Sourcing 7 SIG which is a sub-group of Pacific Northwest Recruiter Association, this group is to enhance our local strategic Talent Engagement community by leveraging expertise in the areas of Sourcing, Research and Social Media to attract the right talent to our organizations.

Kay Kelison CIR, ACIR, CDR | Talent Sourcer

Advertiser and Publisher Solutions Group (APS)
Office 425-707-2702/  kaykel@microsoft.com / advertising.microsoft.com

and her blog http://kaykel.posterous.com/

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