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September 18, 2005

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Michelle Reese
Scottsdale (9/18) & East Valley (10/2) Tribunes

Recruiters keep watch for 'perfect' candidates

If you're looknig for a job and sitting by the phone waiting for a recruiter to call, you're probably going to wait awhile.

Recruiters exist in all types of industries. A Company seeking the best candidates to fill a position will hire a recruiter to do the legwork.

There are different types of recruiting firms: temporary contract placement and executive placement. They are paid one of three ways: for a quick assignment, contingent on finding a candidate or retained to find a candidate, said Kathy Sweeney, a certified professional resume writer and owner of East Valley-based The Write Resume.

"Building relationships over time with recruiters is the key to being sccessful with them. If the candidate is not ni constant contact with the recruiter - at least once a month - then the recruiter will froget about him," she said. "In addition, a job search candidate needs to understand that recruiters are hired to look for candidates with specific qualifications."

Pamela Roe Ehlers, vice president of American Career Executives, agrees.

"The recruiter is looking for the 100 percent perfect fit, usually from a competitor company; even though you as a professional or executive have excellent 'transferable skills' don't expect the recruiter to try and sell the company on you. A good rule of thumb is to rely on only 10 to 15 percent on recruiters, about 4 percent on the Internet, and more than 70 percent on a strong self-marketing plan based on networking to find the job you want."

Scott Carr is owner and president of Accounting Choices LLC, and recruits for Valley companies seeking financial and accounting professionals. Someone wanting his attention should have a resume with job consistency, first and foremost, he said.

"If someone's got a nice career direction and they've shown progress in responsibilities at their careers and they have job stability, that's someone I can help," he said.

Carr said he finds potential employees in a variety of ways: Those who answer advertisements, belong to associations or are involved in the community.

Like Carr, John SPencer recruits for financial and accounting employees through his Scottsdale firm, Fountainhead Staffing. He agrees that a solid career path is a major factor in helping a job candidate.

"We encourage candidates to sit down and work with us to get a better understanding of where they've been, what they've done and where their skills are. Then we try to put together a three-to-five-year plan of where they want to be," Spencer said.

Spencer said he asks, "How would you define success?" and "Complete this idea, 'I would consider myself successful in five years if I was doing...'"

That information gives Spencer a better idea of where the candidate will be a good fit.

Photo caption: Cultivating a relationship with a recruiter may lead to an interview opportunity - if you have all the skills and experiences required.

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