Ditch the Default: Mastering the Art of Getting Recruiter Attention in a Noisy Digital World
On an average day, a recruiter can receive tons of unsolicited outreach from people from all walks of life - from your long-lost primary school classmate whom you haven't seen for years to complete strangers who found you online and didn't even bother to send a LinkedIn connection request. These messages range from random text messages to cold emails and InMails. Oftentimes, it is a request for a referral, a (free) review of their resumes, or a plea for help in finding job opportunities or connecting them with XYZ. To this day, I am surprised that people feel we offer free help just because we are recruiters and help people find the right match for their careers.
Don't get me wrong; as a recruiter myself, I am more than happy to review profiles and refer the right talents to the organization. In fact, it is my job to find the right talents for the company I represent and work for. Just putting it out there: no fellow in-house recruiters will get a referral bonus for any successful hire made through a referral.
And here's the catch - do you really think you are worth the referral just by simply drafting a standard message template and sending it to X number of recruiters? Did you ever ask a random lawyer to provide free legal advice for you?
There is one thing about recruiters needing talents and another when you are crossing the boundaries and demanding the recruiters to refer you, hounding them for a referral, or getting connected with the right recruiter in charge of the role(s) you applied for repeatedly if they don't reply within 24 hours.
Recruiters are busy folks, and we are measured by our own OKR/KPIs just like any salaried workers. As much as we assume good intentions and want to help everyone who drops us a message, we actually have zero obligation to reply and refer you in any way. Our role is to focus on hiring for the roles we are in charge/assigned to do so.
And guess what? More than 90% of the people who reach out to us aren't even the right talents we are in charge of hiring. So, how can you help yourself by helping them?
Here are three tips to get on the right side of recruiters, the best side:
Build genuine two-way connections with your professional and social networks
When waves of layoffs happened, a huge number of recruiting teams across the globe were impacted. Did any of the folks who keep hounding and spamming every recruiter they know offer any form of support to those who got impacted? When there is a flood of recruiters in the market, did any of the folks offer to refer them to your current firm or link them up with suitable job opportunities?
You can see where I am coming from. The fact is the majority of professionals reaching out for a favor have very few interactions and are looking for very transactional gains in a one-way street. They probably may not even remember that the recruiters they approached might have helped them in one way or another.
By now, I hope you get my point. Start being more intentional, look at the recruiters' profiles closely, and connect with them more genuinely. Perhaps not a straight-out coffee chat or a call, but sharing what you like about their profile, their credentials, their content on the professional network, etc., are small steps to make genuine conversations and help you get a glimpse of what the recruiters are working on and how the recruiters can truly help you.
Personalised outreach and let us know what you really want
Make sure you are not sending canned responses and tailor your outreach to the specific company and role. Be unique, personable, state reasons, and share context that may not be reflected in your resume or job application. Proactively reaching out to a recruiter via LinkedIn may also come in handy when you don’t have a specific contact person and email of the recruiting team post-job application submission. For instance, if you know there may be concerns about your numerous short stints but couldn't find an appropriate channel to share more details, or you realized that you cannot edit a job application upon submission and that the mistake you made in your job application would be a dealbreaker for the role you applied for. By explaining more in an InMail outreach, you can catch the eyes of the recruiter, and they can help you along the way.
Again, just imagine the number of professionals reaching out to recruiters on a daily basis. (As I typed this, I already have received 2 cold outreaches for referrals on LinkedIn within 12 hours today).
By having a catchy outreach title, a personable message that acknowledges their time and effort (especially if it's a favor from someone you never met in real life), it can go a long way to increase the chances of the recruiters responding to you positively and influencing the recruiters in your network to go above and beyond.
AI tools such as Outreachwriter, Rytr and Personalize.cc are so prevalent and can enable you to write your next cold outreach effectively on a whim.
Be patient
If you have sent a message to the recruiter and hasn’t heard back in a week, just drop a chaser first. Don’t go and find the recruiter’s colleagues, managers and top management and perhaps even the hiring managers to highlight that the specific recruiter hasn’t got back to you. It can be perceived as demanding and a red flag and ultimately the initial person you have reached out to would still be handling your application. Basically, try avoiding bad blood. Keep in mind that the recruiters may have other competing priorities, have a high volume of roles to hire, or may be waiting for the hiring managers for a decision to be made. Being appreciative and having patience will help you focus on what you can control - i.e., continuing your energy and efforts with job search, upskilling yourself, and interviewing better for your next opportunity.
With all that is being said, good luck and hope you find the right recruiters to be on your side, always!
