Re: Employment history low points

["Mike O." <obie1121 -at- yahoo -dot- com>]

Andrew Plato wrote:
> And recruiters don't take kindly to people going around 
> them. You can get yourself into trouble doing that. 
Of course. You still need to have integrity. If somebody gives
you information in confidence, you are obligated not to go
around them. I'm iron-clad about that, and they know it. 

In fact, my immediate market is kind of small, and I have met a
lot of the local recruiters in person. So when a local company
issues a req to four different recruiters in the morning, and
they all call me by the afternoon, none of us is under any
illusions about what is really going on. They are more annoyed
at being played by their client.  

> So, the tricks you're
> suggesting could do more harm than good. 
The recruiting industry and the national job boards have 
totally discredited themselves by over-using those types of
tricks over the last few years.

> And if you honestly believe that the hiring process is "fair"
It's not fair or unfair; it just is. People who use the system
should understand how it works and go into it with their eyes 
open. 

> Moreover, that study is nothing but a laughable outgrowth of
> late dot.com anger. There was this whole pissed off subculture
> of young folk
Matloff's study is based on interviews with corporate HR
departments and testimony by lobbyists, not alienated young
people. 

> Some of them went off on the H1Bs, others went after 
> the managers, and then some just became gun-nuts. 
But most of them just went out and got a job. Unemployment is
still offically around 6 percent. 

> You can't just start calling up people and pounding them 
> for info.
I disagree; cold-calling is one of the most basic sales
techniques there is. I'd do more of it if I was any good at it.
Besides, when you post to a job database they call you. 

> its not fair to use recruiters as your own personal marketing
> department and information gathering group. 
Not agreed. It's the Internet. Web-based recruiters are offering
a service. Anybody who doesn't like it can take down their
website. 

> Also, the entire recruiter infrastructure of the dot.com days
> has been largely dismantled. There are very few recruiters 
> left. 
Agreed. My recent projects have all been direct contracts. It's
been awhile since I actually signed on with a traditional
recruiter. The national job boards too are empty and I'd expect
some to go under. They all seem to have a few big-agency clients
and that's it. 

> Again, the best bet as has been mentioned many times is to
> network with decision makers and completely circumnavigate the
> entire recruiter/HR maze. 
Agreed... Job databases should be less than 5 percent of
anybody's search. 

On the other hand, it takes a few years to create a functioning
network like that. While you are doing that, it's also pretty
tempting to spend a lot of time on the web recruiting scene, and
for some people that might work. 

Mike O.






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