Do You Know Where Your Resume Is?
By Diane Rifkin, Esq.
Summer time brings thoughts of fun vacations, warm weather and a slower pace altogether. It might surprise you to know that this is typically a very busy recruiting period, as candidates begin to reflect on previous months and often question their futures. Sometimes a candidate knows that a change is imminent and charges headlong into the submission process – either personally, through mass email web sites, or through a recruiter. A short time later is usually when I receive ‘THE CALL’…. “Can you help me?”
In the course of screening potential candidates and forming a professional relationship, RIFKIN CONSULTING has found it is crucial to be communicative and forthright with our candidates. Early in the process, we discuss the reasons why the candidate is looking to make a change, as well as what that candidate hopes to find. Additionally, full disclosure regarding a candidate’s prior (recent) submissions is essential. Why? The credibility of both the candidate and the recruiter is easily destroyed – and often irreparable – when duplicate submissions are made to a potential employer.
Duplicate submissions can occur for a number of reasons, including:
- · A candidate may pass his/her resume to a friend or colleague and instruct that person to “pass it around to anyone you know”, or
- · A candidate may offer his/her resume to a partner who may, inadvertently, never actually submit it or follow up on it…so the candidate decides to do so again based on uncertainty, or
- · You may discuss various employment opportunities with a recruiter who subsequently submits your resume to a potential employer. Frequently, candidates view these conversations as informational only – but the recruiter may think that approval to submit was granted. Assuming the best of intentions by both parties, this simple miscommunication can be devastating to your chances of getting the job! The employer may perceive you as disorganized or indecisive…or…you may end up putting your future in the hands of a recruiter who does not follow up appropriately on your behalf. You are thereafter precluded from re-submitting for (typically) six months, or
- · A candidate does not keep an accurate list of where and when he/she was submitted.
You can control each scenario above!!
- · Always keep a complete list of where you have been submitted, including dates, and
- · Always require that your recruiter get your written approval before submitting you (this way you KNOW you are both on the same page), and
- · Never give your resume to someone who will pass it along to person(s) unknown to you! It’s a surefire way for your current employer to discover your intention to leave – and can also make you look sloppy and desperate to a potential employer, and so…
My answer to ‘THE CALL’ when it comes…depends upon whether you know where your resume is. Please don’t assume that every recruiter will take the time necessary – or be inclined – to manage this aspect of your career with the attention to detail it deserves.
By Diane Rifkin, Esq. President
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RESPONSIVE ♦ RESOURCEFUL ♦ RESULTS
At Rifkin Consulting, personal service and uncompromised integrity are the foundation upon which we base our reputation. Visit www.rifkinconsulting.com to learn more about our services and read candidate’s testimonials.
