For more, see http://www.asktheheadhunter.com/newsletter/OE20070109.htm

I had very poor luck with recruiters and similar folks working for firms which I like to call “body shops” – basically they build up a library of resumes, then try to submit you for jobs based on matching some keywords. Not far removed from what people trolling Monster, Careerbuilder, etc. do. Usually they have contract positions, not permanent (what I was after).

In almost 3 years of searching for a new job, I got maybe 3 decent leads out of having my resume on the job sites. The one that turned into the job I ultimately took was very good – they were explicitly NOT looking to spam my resume all over (like some do), they took the time to make sure that they felt I was a good match for the position before submitting.

Networking really is the key. I joined LinkedIn a few weeks ago and hopefully it will lead me to my next job, when I’m ready to change jobs.

My scenario/situation might give heart to some who read this article, so here was my experience:

- I am now in my 2nd job outside of college. My first job — Technical Support Specialist for ~100 person telecom company, where we were treated like technical consultants with a wider range of responsibilities than what the title implies — lasted for ~7 years. The company was bought, I changed to Quality Assurance on Unix-based platforms, did this for nearly 2 years before deciding the company was no longer a good fit for me.

- It took me about a year to find my current job. I also have gone through several dozen interviews, of which less than a handful ever got to secondary/tertiary interviews. Of all of these interviews, I only ever once took a personality test — even though that particular company suggested that these are becoming more popular…

- My experience has shown me that in the technical field, headhunters tend to be recruiting for (a) very technical and/or very menial positions and/or (b) contract/temp-to-perm-based positions. I specifically interviewed with 2 headhunter firms.

- My experience has shown me that I only ever interviewed with an employer after talking with their internal recruiter — a full-time HR person — or a third-party specifically working for that company — technically, a head hunter by any other name!

- I developed a Gmail email account that corresponded with the job title/general position for which I was looking. Turns out my new position has nothing to do with the main impetus of my job search!

- My best company candidates came from Monster.com, CareerBuilder.com, jobsearch.com, craigslist.com (where I got the lead for my current position) and, at times, dice.com. ComputerJobs.com tends to be more focused on contractor-type positions.

- This may be anathema to some of you corporate-types out there, but I never once wore a full-fledged suit-and-tie to a single interview! I always wore a button-up shirt and some form of khakhi/slacks with dark socks and dock sider shoes. I always asked about dress code both on the job and for the interview.

- I now work in a completely different industry — hospitality (read: hotel) — doing Quality Assurance work with ~25 employees as an Application Service Provider (ASP). Who’da thunk it?? I’m glad I took a shot at their job description on craig’s list! Speaking of…

- Always submit a resume to any job posting that puts you in the ballpark — even if it’s in the nose-bleed section! You can always say “no”.

- My current employer liked my cover letter and resume. It contained zero grammar, punctuation or spelling errors. My resume entailed great use of bulleted points that showed results without going into paragraphs of everything I knew. My cover letter takes no more than 30 seconds to go through and explicitly asks for an interview “at your earliest convenience”. Also, very important: my cover letter has a P.S. line that states my salary and/or other expectations.

- Always follow up with the recruiter/decision maker/whomever it is you’re supposed to communicate with. I did this after every interview and if it seemed like an event was open-ended as far as when they’d get back with me, I always asked when I could expect an answer from them. I also wouldn’t let a week go by to follow up if I hadn’t heard anything before.

- Never think about celebrating or getting hopes up until they ask you some rendition of, “What would it take to get you to come on board?” Even then, get an offer in hand before celebrating the fact that someone thinks you’re special. Then, ask for time before you make your decision (sleeping on the offer is always good). The offer won’t be going away until you say “yes” or “no” within a reasonable time period– if it were, they weren’t worth your time to begin with.

Yikes! This is going on forever! I’ll stop the post now!

-Phil