Conference 7.286::digital

731.0. "RECRUITER/PERSONALITY CLASH" by SPGBAS::LEVITAN () Fri Feb 24 1989 09:58

    If a recruiter doesn't like you personnally - she'll never pass
    your resume on.  I was a 5 1/2 year DEC employee - both as an exempt
    and also in a non-exempt role.  I left to start my own business.
    Less then a year later I was trying to come back - and decided to
    come back in a non-exempt role while others ran the business for
    me.  I saw a non-exempt recruiter - spent what I thought was a pleasant
    1/2 hour and expected my resume to be passed on.  After a week,
    I tried calling her to find out why I hadn't heard from anyone but
    she didn't return my calls.  At the time, I was a TAG - and I asked
    a recruiter to try to find out why I hadn't heard anything.  
    
    It took a few days for her call to be returned - and in a rather
    embarrassed way she said, "I'm sorry, she said she didn't like you."
    (It turned out that I wasn't subservient enough for her - she's
    used to dealing with people desperately trying to get into DEC.)
    
    I was furious - to say the least.  I then prepared a letter to be
    sent to her manager - when I spoke to one of her peers and told
    him the situation.  He asked me to hold off on the letter - and
    he spoke to her.  This took place on a Thursday afternoon.
    
    By 4:30 p.m. I received a call from the original non-exempt recruiter
    who didn't like me.  She was all apologies and said that the reason
    she didn't pass my resume on was because she thought I was looking
    for a non-exempt position.  I made it clear to her that after over
    five years in the corporation, I knew the difference between talking
    to a non-exempt recruiter and an exempt recruiter - and that I didn't
    care if she didn't like my personality - it was up to her to look
    at my business qualifications and send my resume off.  She said
    she would do so.
    
    She then went out to her secretary - who was about to leave for
    the day - and told her to send my resume out (she had a list of
    managers prepared).  Monday a.m. her secretary called me with two
    interviews lined up.  Tuesday her secretary called me with two
    more interviews.  Wednesday she had a fifth.  I was hired back in
    the Corporation - no problems with anyone re: my personality.
    
    I'm good at my job - I've got an impressive resume - I just didn't
    grovel - and if I wasn't assertive enough my resume wouldn't have
    been pulled out of the circular file.  Most of the recruiters in
    this Corporation have moved up from non-exempt positons.  They would
    do well to remember what it was like when they first came in - and
    when they wanted to advance their careers.
    

	About 5 years ago, I had an interview with personnel for a job 
	I had applied for.  I had already been with digital 5 years 
	(including part-time).   When I asked him the salary range of
	the job code - He replied "You should be more interested in
	the experience you can gain at Digital instead of how much
	you'll get paid".   I repeated my question again, he  hedged
	it again.   
	
	In talking to my then hiring manager, he told me that everyone
	I interviewed with in the group was very impressed, but personnel
	had an "unfavorable" impression.

	They hired me.

	/Robin

	

    I came back, but I think that if I hadn't been represented by a
    headhunter I would never have held my temper long enough to get
    past the (contract) recruiter.  
    
    The hiring group wanted me.  Their management wanted me.  I wanted
    them.  I was a completely known quantity, but the recruiter acted like
    I was some kind of shady sleazeball making unreasonable demands. 
    
    With the headhunter fronting for me, I got what I wanted, but without
    her I would have told DEC to stuff it.  Actually, if I'd thought it
    through, the headhunter wouldn't have even been involved since I was
    applying in a place where I was well known.  I'm glad she was there.