This comment (also pasted below) was posted in response to this post. I don’t want to hear them whining about how they have to deal with candidates. That comes across poorly and is not the message I think that they really want to send. Here’s my comment…
Jim, your comments go without saying. Seriously. If a job seeker is valuable, they will already know this stuff, and those are the only emails you’ll read anyway. Right?!
Well, I think that’s wrong. We all know that “you guys” get tons of email. That’s *your* problem and a problem with the way the system is setup, not the problem of the potential employee or other great candidate that’s out there, and may have ‘done it wrong’ for your tastes.
I previously worked with an employment agency. It was not the size or scope of what Microsoft deals with. I understand that. However, there were many times when a candidate was not clicking with one recruiter and ended up working with another recruiter and doing awesome in the new job.
I think the onus is on you! You should have ways to read through more resumes and more emails and you should also be able to find those valuable candidates who happen to forget a subject line, or happen to forget to attach a resume. We all make those mistakes. We all have tried to impress and maybe gone overboard with an overpowering subject or have included too many people in the To: line.
I think that you should be begging for better tools to do your job, not begging candidates to fit your ways. I’ve heard that too much, and it ain’t right! Candidates are extremely valuable, and deserve to be heard and given your attention – even if you get 300 or 1,000 emails a day. Microsoft, of all companies, should understand collaboration and listening to the customer. Well, in this case, the employee candidate is your customer.
Now you have $.02 more, and I’m down the same.
Respectfully,
~Toby Getsch
UPDATE: more comments (better perspective) Gretchen, thanks for your response. Listening adds trust, and I appreciate that.
Filed under: Blogging, Ideas, JobHunt, Leadership, Listening, Perspective, Rants, Writing
Toby: As a Microsoft technology recruiter, I can safely say that Jim was absolutely spot on. I don’t think he intended the email to come across as arrogant, simply as factual. If you want your resume to stand out in a crowd his tips are a great start. I too worked on the agency side prior to coming to Microsoft, and I too thought that I was incredibly busy and received a lot of email and even more resumes than I knew what to do with, but all of that paled in comparison to what was in store for me when I picked up my first client group and my first set of 50+ open requisitions with every hiring manager screaming for attention.
The volume of mail is incredible and the expectations that people (both internal to Microsoft and job seekers) is overwhelming.
Recruiting has never been rocket science and as you know a very large percentage of the interview day etc is chemistry, but before the interview and before the phone screen etc, your resume has to draw the attention of the recipient, and Jim’s advice and his tips are sound examples of what a job seeker can do to be noticed in a sea of chaff.
That’s my $0.02
Thanks.
Thanks Tim~
I am totally in agreement about how hard recruiters work. There is no doubt. I have witnessed it myself. I agree there.
I still do not agree with the volume of work that is constantly mentioned. Get more people! This isn’t a comment directly to you, but a more general comment. If you guys are truly that loaded with work and that many clamoring managers looking for your help, then you need more recruiters and you need better tools and technology.
If I am wrong here, please shine the light. I just have a really hard time letting it rest when I hear the same comments so often. I am listening. That’s what I hear.
~Toby
http://www.emicrosoftinterview.com – Guide/Tips for Microsoft Interview Questions