5 Easy Ways to Win Recruiters’ Hearts and Minds

Here are 5 ways to stand out from the crowd, written by Abby Kohut, with a few of our tips sprinkled in! Win the hearts, minds, and attention of top recruiters. You got this friend! 

1. Be ‘Highly Searchable’ for Busy Recruiters:

Recruiters start by running searches for candidates, and they can only find you by the skills you’ve listed. Being concise is good, but not at the expense of completeness.

You can find the appropriate keywords from the job descriptions that you apply for. Make sure you mention them.  Some repetition is fine, even helpful - especially if multiple positions have involved similar skills and duties - but remember that a human will be reading your profile at some point. Avoid obvious ‘keyword stuffing,’ as it will undermine your credibility.

Here is an example of how to incorporate words artfully:

“Developed PowerPoint presentations for the Board of Directors”

vs.

“Responsible for creating PowerPoint decks”

2. Give Them a Consistent Picture Across Your LinkedIn & Resume:

Your LinkedIn profile will likely be viewed, reviewed, and compared with your resume. Don’t get tripped up by creating confusion or mistrust in a recruiter’s busy mind.

Here’s a simple rule: Be sure that the titles and dates match. If they don’t, you may fail to meet expectations on the core requirement of integrity. Recruiters hate having to withdraw offers from candidates when everyone in the company has fallen in love with them.

It’s true that many job search experts encourage job seekers to create different versions of their resumes. If you opt for that strategy, ensure the basic facts are consistent. Adding emphasis on certain roles, or certain dimensions of your skillset, can be totally appropriate, but be  transparent. 

If you have a title that doesn’t match the standard titles in your industry or your actual responsibilities, add an explanation in parentheses.

For Example:

Vice President, Marketing (Acting in Marketing Manager role)

Director of Finance (independent contributor)

Office Manager (also responsible for Human Resources)

3. Skip the Entitled Language:

Asking recruiters to connect with you on LinkedIn via cold message is a great strategy however, really work on ending the message by letting the recruiter off the hook from responding to you. I've found that it encourages them to respond quicker!

Even if they don't have an open position that matches your background, skipping the entitlement often gets you a "sorry, but no" message or "I'll keep you in mind for something else."

That's huge for your overall long-term strategy because if you come across another role at the company, they will be open to hearing from you again!

Here are some example responses you can use:

If you reach out asking them to review your resume for a role, end the message saying something to the point of:

"I don't expect to hear back from you, but I appreciate the consideration anyway!"

or

"I understand how busy you are and look forward to being considered; however, if I don't hear back from you, please have a beautiful end to your week."

4. Match Your Profile Picture to the Title You're Targeting:

Bias is real.

So, if you're targeting director-level roles, having a selfie (even if it is a good one!) or a highly pixelated photo will not cut it. Invest in a LinkedIn photoshoot. Major cities have them daily for as little as $60 a shoot.

Having an unprofessional picture won’t necessarily put you in the “no” pile, but it may leave a recruiter concerned about sharing your resume with a hiring manager.

A professional photo will give the impression that you are a serious candidate worth evaluating, and your LinkedIn profile is 7 times more likely to be viewed if you have a photo.

5. Follow Up Once, Then Move On:

If you send the recruiter a connection request (in addition to an application) and they accept the connection request, then write back thanking them for connecting and sharing that you're looking forward to being considered for the role. If they don't respond inviting you to interview but they saw your profile, please move on to the next role. 

You got this, friend.

You shouldn't be on the job market for longer than 3 months.

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