Pretty obvious that 2009 won't be a smashing economic year. Agencies are cutting staff by the boat load. Not a good scenario for the folks hoping to land their first job. You should know that as a recruiter, I still look at books and talk to candidates despite not having any open jobs. Recruiting doesn't stop in a recession.
Take advantage of this fact. Pursue agencies with the same fervor you would if there were 1,000 jobs to be had. Call up an agency recruiter and ask them for an informational interview. Get your face and work in front of the right people. Act like they do have an open job for you. Who knows, they might have someone quit tomorrow.
When I am not actively hiring, I work on a list I call "3-Deep". For every creative in our department, I identify the top 3 people I'd hire in their place. So the instant we have an opening, I have 3 people to bring in to interview. I do this for all levels of talent in all disciplines. First, it forces me to actively recruit all year long. Second, I can respond to an opening that much faster.
Don't be discouraged by this tight job market. I'm sure more recruiters besides me are making their own 3-deep lists; get yourself on them.
Friday, February 27, 2009
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3 comments:
Hi, Cecilia.
How many recruiters is too many have looking for you?
C.
Very good advice in this environment. Thanks.
Manners say one recruiter at a time.
But what you can do is find out if your recruiter works specifically in a certain market: NY, LA, West Coast. They only way it would be kosher to use more than one is if they don't conflict in the agencies they are placing for. So perhaps one is representing you in the LA area and another in NY. The major rule is to ASK your recruiter first before contacting another.
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