How smoking can aid your job search

Thursday, July 8th, 2010 - Recruiters, Recruitment

How smoking can aid your job search

I am often asked as a recruiter by job seekers, which are the best recruitment companies? Often that is followed by a “and hence, who should I place my Professional CV with” follow up.

That is a difficult question to answer fully, but the easy initial part to answer is: that’s not the role of the recruiter! Recruiters fill employers open positions, they do not tout job applicant CV’s. Just think, where does the money come from?

Secondly, always look to deal with members of a registered professional body who had been established for a while. Look at the information freely and easily available at REC, APSCo and APRC.

Thirdly, knowing the three recruiters and out rule, never place your CV with a recruiter who doesn’t have an immediate need for it, ie: they have a job vacancy on their books right now which you have all of the required skills, qualifications and experiences for. In other words, avoid the fishing adverts on job boards!

However, the problem is that finding the “best”  is not such a great answer, as finding the recruiter who has the vacancy that you would suit, and that meets your aspirations, right now.

Hot or cold?

Like any industry, particularly one based on relationships – which is more akin to an art than a science – recruiters go hot and cold. If their clients are recruiting, then they are busy; if not, then they need to be getting out there – or cold calling, yuck – to find new placements to fulfil. Hence although a recruiter may be good, they may not presently be right for you by not having the right vacancy open for you right now.

As I have said before and will keep saying, recruiters eat red meat. They live and die – or don’t get to spend as much – on how many successful placements they make. Hence, unless that recruiter has a vacancy right now that your skills, qualifications and experience could fulfil, you are of no interest to them. That’s for all recruiters, be they registered with a professional body established or otherwise.

So, how can smoking can aid your job search?

Smoking…!

Job adverts from recruiters are like little smoke signals that they are hot for your skill set. I am critical of job boards from the job seekers view point of actually getting employed, by responding to a job advert placed on a jobs board: only 12% of jobs are fulfilled from adverts placed on job boards. But, they are great compasses of both the state of the jobs market, and where to look for people who are searching for your skill set.

If you know the jobs or sector you next wish to work in, go to your favourite jobs board – you won’t find many recruiters if any on professional society jobs boards – and enter a search for your ideal jobs key words. Keep the search as open as possible, making as few restrictions on geography, pay and title. From the list of results, do any of the jobs appeal? Now apply the “member of a professional body/established” criteria, and you have a set of recruiters that you should at least be talking to on the telephone, if not meeting.

Recruitment is not a perfect science, as it should remain at its core and heart about people. People have up and down days, and ebb and flow over time – its is the nature of nature to do so. Accepting this as the truth means that you can use subtle little signs from both long term commitment (registration, establishment), as well as short term signs (placing job adverts looking for your SQE), as the guide to finding the right people to talk to.

Good Luck!

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One Response to “How smoking can aid your job search”

1. Tweets that mention How smoking can aid your job search | Professional CV -- Topsy.com Says:
   July 8th, 2010 at 5:21 pm

   [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Ian R McAllister. Ian R McAllister said: How smoking can aid your job search http://www.professional-cv.co.uk/how-smoking-can-aid-your-job-search/ [...]