Wait, what?! I thought they wanted to find a new person to date! I quickly found out that their approach was pretty much the same if they wanted to find a recruiter or staffing agency to partner with for their Indianapolis based job search or a new person to spend their spare time with.
To start, they both hit the Internet: one was searching Indianapolis headhunters, recruiters and staffing firms. The other Match.com, eHarmony, and Yahoo singles. Once they set up their profile on the sites (CareerBuilder, Monster, Match.com, eHarmony, Yahoo) the calls started pouring in. They were both so excited and it felt good to be sought after by so many!
Then came the next quandary… should they accept a date with every suitor that came calling? Wasn’t that a little fickle? How would they find the time? What if they really liked one but not the others, was that just a waste of time and energy? How could they all get to know them well enough to really be focused on them and their future? As you can imagine, they quickly went from feeling excited and desired to feeling overwhelmed and confused.
When they started telling me about their situations, I gave them both the same advice:
It was time to take a step back and see which suitors would be worth their efforts.
- Start by having a phone conversation with each suitor or recruiter. By doing this they would be able to quickly tell if there was a connection with the person they would be meeting with.
- Go prepared with questions – if you are unsure about something ask, for referrals or recommendations!
- Be honest! – A relationship with a recruiter is the same as other relationships, if you don’t tell the truth then you set the relationship up for failure and that can have major ripple effects on your career.
- Stick with those who demonstrate a true interest in you. Do they ask questions about what you like, what you don’t or what you want to be when you grow up? Always steer away from those who talk more than they listen, as clearly their priority is NOT going to be you.
- The most important advice: Do not pay anyone for a date or for a job placement relationship! In both situations, this is never a good idea, even if you are desperate.
At That’s Good HR, we forge great long term relationships with our candidates every day. Remember, it is a two way street so don’t show up expecting your new date or your new recruiter to do all of the work in building a strong relationship. Start your search off right and make informed decisions along the path! Happy match making!
