Unemployment

#1 Mistake People Make When Talking To Recruiters

Woman messages a recruiter on her phone
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This might be the most important lesson you ever learn about talking to recruiters.


I was in the recruiting industry before I flipped to the other side and became an advocate for you, the worker. So what I love to do is share the tips, tricks, secrets to working with a recruiter, and what it's like to be one, so that you can better communicate with them.

With that in mind, this is the biggest mistake I see job seekers make when trying to talk to recruiters...

Not Responding Quickly

@j.t.odonnell #1 Mistake People Make Talking With Recruiters #learnontiktok #interviewtips #recruiter #jobsearchtips #careertiktok #careermode #careeradvice #jobtok #jobsearch ♬ original sound - J.T. O'Donnell

You're probably checking your email every day for messages from recruiters, especially if you're in the middle of a proactive job search. But what you're not thinking about is that when that recruiter emails you and says, "Hey, do you have some slots available?" they messaged 20 to 30 other candidates as well, all with the same skill sets as you. So when you respond and they never message you back, it's easy to think that they ghosted you. But in reality, you just weren't one of the first people to get back to them.

The people who respond to recruiters that same day, usually that same hour, are the ones who get the phone screens. And as soon as recruiters have three to five viable candidates, they're done. So you need to check your email several times a day and you need to respond quickly if you want to get on that recruiter's list.

Remember this tip when trying to talk to recruiters in your job search. Because really, that's the biggest hurdle—starting a conversation with a recruiter. Once you start talking to the recruiter and they get you in front of the hiring manager, the rest is history and you can get a great new job.

But those recruiters are the gatekeepers. They're the people that screen you out before anyone can see you. So you have to learn how to get them to talk to you. And it starts with you responding quickly to their messages.

Need more help with your job search?

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