Job Search Step 2: Recruiters
Last week, I shared how I jumpstarted my job search by freshening up my resume and LinkedIn profile. This week I am going to dive into recruiter phone screens.
Before things got tough, I used to tell product managers: Don’t worry about your phone screen it is a technicality. The game has changed and it matters now.
Before revamping my resume and LinkedIn, I used an old resume to apply for three different roles. Because that leaves Google at the top, I managed to get 3 recruiter responses. (I will dive into testing resume formats later. My very short test is indicating that recruiters care less about a two year gap. I get better responses from Google at the top than consulting at the top of my resume, but that is for another post.)
The top lessons from my calls:
AI Project. I need to complete an AI project as many roles require the experience.
Review Pitch. Prepare for the call by remembering why you applied and be ready to highlight your relevant experiences, not just your standard pitch.
General Application. Even if you prepare, they might have filled the role and like you for other roles.
Let’s dive into each one:
AI Project
We all know everyone is looking for AI experience. I had a role I was medium excited about. It was also my first recruiter call in nearly 6 months. I didn’t prepare. I thought, it is Gen AI, but they can see I don’t have the experience. They must like me generally. WRONG. I found out on the call they thought there was some hidden GenAI experience in my time at Google. (Either that or I was too senior for the role, but my gut says it was a GenAI deficit.)
To fix the problem, I need to work on a GenAI bot for my business so I can speak to having the experience. I also need to list out all the GenAI products I have tested and what I learned from that UX testing.
Review your Pitch
After screwing up the first recruiter call, I took about an hour to go through the job description and pick out anything they listed as of interest. I first took notes on key words and phrases. Then, I wrote down for myself the experiences that addressed each one. And I practiced small modifications to my introduction/Tell Me About Yourself pitch. That screen went much better. I decided it was my new required prep. Note: I didn’t obsess about everything, if I was missing something I thought was minor, I let it go. If it was major, I prepared to address it. If I felt I couldn’t address it, I was ready to be okay with not getting the role.
General Application
So, I repeated the process above before the next interview. When I got on the call, my nerves all aflutter, I found the role had been filled already, but the recruiter was interested in me generally. He wants to pitch me to several hiring managers. But the extra work aligning my experiences to the job description was still helpful. I was able to speak to my experiences with a fresh excitement. I also had the confidence to speak up when the recruiter discussed pitching me to a team I thought would not be a good fit. I took a positive approach, explaining my strengths to help guide the recruiter to the right higher managers.
Those were the core takeaways I hope help you as you prepare. Here are a few other things to keep in mind.
Asking the Recruiter for Advice
When I was told I would speak with the hiring manager, I asked for any advice or top concerns. They told me. In my case, no surprise they were worried about me being to experienced for a player-coach role. I am truly ok with that, so I am preparing mentally to show my excitement with the player-coach role.
Follow Up Email
I was told the scheduler would get back to me for one of the two positive experiences. When I heard nothing in 2 or 3 days, I followed up with a polite nudge expressing my excitement about the role.
Recruiter Calls Dried Up
I got super excited when 3 out of 15 applications resulted in a recruiter call. Then crickets. Nothing. I clearly hit the top pairing quickly and the rest were not great fits or already filled. I am not going to lie, it hit my confidence and ego. I know some coaches are discouraging applications because those rejections (3 already) and no-shows hurt my confidence. But each of us is different. For me, I need to get back into the swing of things. If it is hurting your confidence, don’t make a move yet. Sit back and learn from my search.
Failed Goal
My goal has been to apply daily to opportunities, but I haven’t seen anything I liked. I would be lying if I said that didn’t worry me. But it is what it is.
Tool Note
I am LOVING Huntr.co for my job search. It saves the job description and link to the original job. Makes it easy to pull up the job quickly and prepare before the call.
I need to start playing with custom resumes and because Huntr.co makes the job tracking easier, I want to give them more of my attention rather than use another tool
