Guy: How to Not Hire Someone Via Craigslist

This week, the ever-interesting Guy Kawasaki and his buddy Danny Kay take apart a job posting on New York City CraigsList for Sr. Web Designer/ Graphic Artist Position. The posting is typical – full of requirements, empty of selling the opportunity. But regardless of what the hiring manager/HR Rep/Recruiter want, nobody qualifies for the job. This might be because they’re asking for:

Proficiency with Photoshop, Illustrator, ImageReady, Dreamweaver, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, InDesign “and/or” QuarkExpress, and Flash.

Guy points out the problems with this requirement:

Only the kids of John Warnock who were suckled at the breast of Adobe could know all these applications.

Myths – Headhunters get jobs for candidates

Every few weeks I get a letter like this from a close or distant acquaintance:

I am not getting much traction in my job search. I’m wondering if it might be in my best interest to hook up with a good recruiter in the metro area who could help move things along. I’d be interested in your thoughts and if you have any recommendations.

The first time this happened to me, I was an IT Services headhunter, and the plea came from an attractive female thermal engineer. My “Rescue the Damsel in Distress” gene kicked in, and I burned some irretrievable hours trying to help. All I learned is that thermal engineering is a narrow discipline. Nobody would pay me for one.

Almost a year ago, Carl Chapman dealt with this topic in an excellent post that every job seeker should read: Recruiting Myths – Recruiters get jobs for candidates.

Today we deal with a long enduring misconception on the part of the job seeker, that recruiters are in business to get candidates jobs. THIS IS WRONG!

Carl’s article refers to 3rd party recruiters, a.k.a. headhunters, just like I was. Every candidate should read the whole article. The money ‘graph is this one:

What does this mean for the job seeker? Well, it means that you are no longer the client… you are now the product. The recruiter isn’t being paid by you, he is being paid by the company. The recruiter doesn’t earn money for finding you a job, he earns money for filling an open position with his client company. (boldface in original)

The other money quote isn’t in there, because Carl is too polite. It was Robert A. Heinlein who put this message in an acronym in “The Moon is a Harsh Mistress“: TANSTAAFL (Milton Friedman said it too): There Ain’t No Such Thing as a Free Lunch.

With that in mind, I’ll answer my friend’s question:

1. Yes. It is in your interest to hook up with a 3rd party recruiter a.k.a. headhunter. For best results, work with one who knows your industry and specialty.
2. You must realize that the headhunter won’t be working for you. S/he is working for the client. Set your expectations accordingly. Carl suggests remembering that “recruiters are working against your best interest, at times, because they are creating competition for you.”
3. Sorry to say, I don’t know a headhunter that specializes in your field and industry. I’m sure they are out there, but I’ve not had a chance to use them. You might find one through your personal network.
4. As Carl says, “This is a time when your mutual interests are perfectly aligned, so make sure to take advantage of that fact.” But don’t be the farm on the first call you make.

My snippets can’t do justice to Carl’s work. Check out the whole article.

How Not to Get a Job: Bad Cover Letter/Bad Presence

Last Thursday, a walk-in candidate drops into a Richmond ad agency:

He’s looking for a job and he’s got his untucked man blouse, pricey jeans and his product laden coif going. He looks like he’s had a facial and waxing prior to his visit and seems to take his physique very seriously. After he’s dropped a bunch of jargon on me that I – even after a mere year in branding and advertising – know he probably got from TV, he leaves with my card so that he can go home and send in his resume for consideration.

So what’s wrong with the cover letter that Mr. Candidate sent to the firm that Curtis works for? Here’s a snippet:

Instead of accepting their offer immediately, I wanted to reiterate my continued interest in Big Guns and to express my hope that we can come to terms on this matter and begin our happy association as soon as possible.

See the whole thing for the awful badness Mr. Candidate exhibits.

Bonus points if you recognized that the firm that employs Curtis is NOT named “Big Guns”.

Tips: Resume Pet Peeves!

Cara at the Husky Career Blog (from the Career Center at the University of Washington) has a nice essay on how to avoid putting her pet peeves on your resume. Her pet peeves are some of my pet peeves, so I suggest checking it out. She’s aiming at the new college grad demographic, but the rest of us can pay attention too.

How Not to Get a Job: Location and Attitude

Sometimes, my job is a series of non-sequiturs. Here’s an e-mail that Mr. Candidate sent me in response to my letting him know that he’s in the wrong physical location for me to consider.

—–Original Message—–

Dear John -

Thank you for responding to our need for Marketing talent. At this time, we are pursuing several local candidates living in the greater Seattle, Washington area. If none of the local candidates work, we will begin to consider candidates outside of the Pacific Northwest. If you choose to relocate, please let us know when you are physically in the territory, and we can discuss if we have an opening that matches your skills and abilities.

Good luck in your search!

I’m doing my due diligence – trying to keep the applicants informed about the reason he’s not getting interviewed. At this point, 90% of the candidates will say thanks and good luck.

Not John. John decides to cop an attitude.

—–Original Message—–

Hi Troy,

Actually, I would not relocate to the Pacific NW unless a firm was willing to provide relocation assistance. I’m sure you would not move to Austin, TX for a job unless the employer was willing to provide assistance.

If this is not the case, I would recommend only looking at local candidates.

The firms I’m speaking with all provide relocation assistance, which is a normal cost of doing business to get qualified candidates.

Regards,

John

Of course, we’re advertising this opportunity as a junior level job, and specifically note that no relocation is provided. We already state that we’re only considering local candidates.

Lecturing is always the best way to build rapport with the decision-makers. [NOT]

How Not to Get a Job: sry, ur 2 1337

Scotty at the Palousitics blog reports on the interesting e-mail that his HR department received when seeking to fill an opening. This prompts him to offer some Job Seeker Advice.

Job Seeker Advice

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We received this E-mail from a Job Seeker:

FROM: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
SENT: Wednesday, March 22, 2005 10:36 AM
TO: Jobs NU
SUBJECT:regarding a job
ATTACHMENTS: XXXXXXXXXXX.doc

hai
i saw ur ad in nwjobs.com
iam looking for a job in seattle.
i have attached my resume here with for ur referral.
looking forward for ur reply
thanks
XXXXXXXXXXXX

My company did not waste time with a reply at all. Do people actually believe an E-mail like that will get them anywhere?

I suggested we respond with the following:
sry, ur 2 1337

Scotty – the only thing I can say is, “Yes, people do actually believe an e-mail like that will get them somewhere.”

As far as I know, I’ve never hired anyone fluent in Leet.

How Not to Get a Job: Bad, bad, bad cover letters

Martin Burns at the good to know blog has some sterling examples of bad, bad, bad cover letters he has received. His suggestion?

What I need is to see some effort at communicating with me about why you’re a great fit here – no generic cover letters, no one liners, etc. Put some effort in, and check your spelling people – these things are your absolute first impression with a potential employer, and often a deal killer.

I AGREE! I’ve received the two examples he quotes from many different people. Go check them out.

Yes – Martin is the ZoomInfo guy.

For Fun: Super Villain Personality Quiz

Bwahahahahaha! For those who tagged me in the last round, I challenge them to take the Super Villain Personality Quiz (That means you, Moises!).

My results:
You are Apocalypse

You believe in survival of the fittest and you believe that you are the fittest.

Click here to take the Super Villain Personality Test

Why should someone choose you over your competiton?

Patrick Lefler at the Intrepid ideas…and other musings blog writes about some research into why some banks have problems in a post titled: Why should someone choose you over your competition?:

He revealed that his researchers always ask bank employees a simple question: “Why should I choose your bank over the competition?” Two-thirds of front-line employees have no answer – they simply make something up on the fly.

Patrick is writing about getting customers, but we recruiters should look at this as advice about getting candidates. “Why should I work for your company over the competition?” is a question recruiters and hiring managers must address.

I’ve not met Patrick, but he looks like a good guy – a mountaineer, not a golfer. I’m going to read more of his work. Check out his thoughts and sources.