Have you gotten that call lately? Someone you know, respect, admire, used to work with, contacts you to let you know they are in transition and was hoping they could submit their resume to you. Of course, we are used to getting those calls. As recruiters, it’s common, everyday business to receive unsolicited resumes. In the past, we were much more able to help, and at times, some resumes that came our way were absolutely great matches to some of our searches.
But things are different now. The openings are few and the calls from candidates are multiplying. We are now hearing from our own friends, co-workers, relatives, neighbors, people we really care about. How can we help when there aren’t any openings? It’s a new game out there, but we still can make a difference, if we take a bit of time. Even though we cannot directly hire these people there are still many things we can do to help tip the scales in their favor with their search.
- First off, try to respond to each person you hear from, if not by phone, at least send an email. Being ignored is the worst part of being in transition.
- Ask the candidate if it would be all right if you sent their resume out to your contacts. Most people are happy you can do this, but it’s best to get permission first. Send out a bcc email to those you know and introduce the candidate to them. I believe most hiring that will happen now will be ‘quiet hiring’ — not necessarily openings blasted over the job boards, but careful, and quiet gathering of candidates for a search. Helping those you know can get their resume into the hands of those hiring, even if they aren’t going public with their search.
- Send resumes to hiring managers in and out of your company if it makes sense. Most managers know long before HR does if they will have a need, and they may welcome the resumes from you.
- When giving leads to a candidate, suggest they use your name in their cover letter. If they are networking with someone who knows you well, their letter and resume has a better chance of being read, with your name as the introduction.
- Write a recommendation for the candidate on their LinkedIn page, and if they aren’t yet on LinkedIn, send an invite. Adding a recommendation as a co-worker, a co-member of a group, or as a client/ vendor will help the person to complete their profile, and can add valuable information. Be generous with your comments.
- Invite the candidate in transition to group meetings that you are part of. Most often they can come as a guest, and you can introduce them to others. This will also work with virtual groups, blogs, and online networking.
- Give the candidate a list of your favorite agencies you have worked with in the past, or forward their resume to the agencies that know you. They will appreciate the recommendations, both ways. Remember too, when agencies call to get your business, tell them about the people you know in transition and see if they will accept a referral.
- Put the candidates in transition in touch with each other. Many informal groups are created this way, and sharing leads and information is very helpful to the candidates. They don’t have to be searching in the same field either to be a help to each other.
- Forward articles and blogs; sharing information is a great way to help. Some people who have left their company and thus have left behind their company email address lose the link to information we get everyday. Forward it over so they can start getting connected again.
There are so many things we can do to help, even if we can’t directly hire those who come to us. This list of ideas cost nothing but a bit of time, and can make a world of difference. All the help we give others will come back to us someday, so build the bridges, make the connections, and help if you can. Today’s candidate could just be tomorrow’s hiring manager. It will always be appreciated and never forgotten.
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Christopher Young Feb 4, 2009 at 11:18 am
“Write a recommendation for the candidate on their LinkedIn page, and if they aren’t yet on LinkedIn, send an invite.”
To this it has been helpful for some I have interacted with to mention that the Jobs Insider Tool can jump start they’re professional networking.
http://www.linkedin.com/static?key=jobsinsider_download&trk=hb_ft_jobsins
It can be scary and daunting for those that are not used to interoperability in the tapestry of services.
Chris Young
Brian Pruitt Feb 4, 2009 at 1:35 pm
Thanks for your article this morning about ways we can all pitch in to help one another during the slow economy. I’d like to share something we’re doing to help those who are in transition.
When it comes to finding a new job, the hardest part for many people is knowing how to develop an effective job search strategy. We’ve put together a quick reference guide to help people in transition jump start their job search. We are forwarding the document to Talent Acquisition professionals to share with people in their networks who are in transition and looking for new career options. The document is on our website, and I’ve included a link to it:
http://www.searchwizards.net/news/jobseeker.php
Let’s keep paying it forward.
Brian Pruitt
Search Wizards
How do you help unemployed friends/family? | RPO Consulting Feb 4, 2009 at 3:02 pm
[...] This is some solid advice from Nancy Anton over on ERE.net about how to help out when you get those calls from downsized friends and family seeking your help finding a new job opportunity. I’ve always wondered what other folks do with this situation and this seems like a good list of ideas to start to help out the displaced workers in your personal life. If the person seeking advice/networking/leads is in my inner circle I would also add a meeting with them to do a gutcheck/career assessment to help them clarify their goals and develop a more focused search plan. When faced with an unexpected job search, many people over focus on the breadth of their skill set rather than the depth of their core strengths. It seems counterintuitive, but it is easier to look for a few narrowly targeted opportunities than it is to cast a wide net for “any job”. The narrower search is also a hell of a lot more likely to result in a longer lasting change than the scattershot approach. As a recruiter, I know this is true, but it is so hard to tell your friend that their rudimentary knowledge of Microsoft Access doesn’t mean they should pursue that SQL Server DBA position you are working to fill. [...]
William York Feb 5, 2009 at 11:50 am
Nice job on the recent article. One additional point I would suggest is to offer your contacts to those in transition. Let me explain. First, I tell those in transition to not chase open jobs. If they know about a job, so does thousands of other recently layed-off workers. I suggest they look for companies that might recognize and take advantage of their talents and skills. These same companies are those that the prospect respects and admires. I then tell candidates to call me or give me the target list of companies whereby I try to connect them to warm contacts that may be able to help them find jobs at the target companies. My LinkedIn database is very large with lots of very talented folks. I try to connect those in transition with those in my database that could potentially help them. I have found that this approach works well and is well received by those in transition. No doubt that others may have better or different contacts so trying this approach with a couple of people could be the secret to job hunting success.
Career Transition Help | Career Advice Talk Feb 7, 2009 at 1:32 pm
[...] hands do much work” can be applied to those who are in need of career transition help. As Nancy Anton noted in her article “Can You Help Me? I’m in [...]