Susan Boyle: Recruiters...What Advice Would You Give?

By J.T. O'Donnell Last week, I published the 10 things a recruiter won't tell you. The article got some interesting reactions from a few recruiters who weren't too happy with me. Yet, others agreed to the validity of what I was trying to point out (read the Recruiting Animal's response in the post's comments). I can see how some recruiters would take offense. Honestly, it hadn't been my intention to criticize them. Having been in the staffing industry for many years, I know how tough their jobs are. I had only meant to point out to job seekers why they need to take their professional development (a.k.a. their personal brand) into their own hands. And then, Susan Boyle came on the scene and I realized I had a way to prove my point. For those of you who don't know about Susan, I'll recap: She's a 47-year old woman from England who is currently on a show called Brittain's Got Talent. In the interview before she begins to perform, she shares she is unemployed, has dreams of being a huge singing star, but for some reason, can't get hired. If you watch this video clip, you can assess potential reasons why. WATCH VIDEO HERE (they've disabled the ability to embed the video on a site because of the number of viewers) What is most amazing about Susan is her voice. It is heart-warmingly, eye-tearingly beautiful. Not to mention, her song selection couldn't be anymore spot on. And yet again, as she explains in her on camera interview, she can't get a singing gig - anywhere. So recruiters, here's the challenge... In the comments below, write how you would explain to Susan what she needs to do to be more marketable to employers. Show us how you can coach this woman to leverage her singing strengths and land a job in her profession. While Susan may now be lucky enough to have everyone under the sun wanting to help her, thousands more job seekers won't be so lucky. How did she get to middle-age and not land a gig with that beautiful voice? Share your opinions and suggestions below. And then, let's all watch Susan and see what happens!
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