The Undercover Recruiter

3 LinkedIn Networking Strategies That Work

Over 150 million users can’t be wrong, but they can do things differently. Whether you are a veteran or a novice on LinkedIn, a networking strategy is very useful. This article looks at the 3 major types of networkers on LinkedIn and what your options are. In case you want more information about Linkedin, check out the posts on the basics and how to maximize your profile.

The 3 types of networkers on LinkedIn:

LION

Stands for Linked In Open Networkers, or just open networkers. These users are totally open and will accept any invitation. The idea here is to connect to as many people as possible in order to reach out to more people. A larger network is particularly useful when prospecting for leads and doing research on people and companies.

An open networker will publicize their LinkedIn URL at any chance to entice others to send invitations. As a LION, you will be expected to accept invitation from complete randoms and usually their friends as well. If you are not comfortable with this, you will probably want to pick another strategy.

Open networkers will have the largest networks, usually well over a thousand first connections. As you cannot see how many connections people have beyond the 500 mark, we can only guess how large some of the true LIONs networks are. Ron Bates claims to have over 44,000 connections and if you are a prolific member of LinkedIn I would venture to guess he has invited you as well (not sure how he does it!).

Professional networker

This is what I believe LinkedIn was intended for, professionals connecting up to further each others’ careers. This would be the most typical LinkedIn user. A salesperson would connect to his or her clients, the client would connect to their suppliers etc. You don’t actually have to have met the other person but you will have dealt with them and deem there is a value being connected for both your careers. Professional networkers will normally have anything from 200 to one thousand connections.

Exclusive networker

This category of people will only ever connect to people they know well, trust and respect. This type of network is likely to be very selective and can be drawn upon for passing on introductions and recommendations. You could say that the exclusive networker is actually not increasing their connections, merely storing them digitally on LinkedIn. There can be several reasons for wanting to be an exclusive networker, keeping your connections and activities confidential is certainly a major one.

While most recruiters are open or professional networkers, some choose to stay exclusive for the simple reason that they don’t want their clients to know what other clients they speak to or they don’t want to bring attention to hot candidates in the market by connecting to them. Yes, you can change your settings more private but your connections can still see who you are connected to in common for instance. Exclusive networkers will rarely have more than 200 connections, remember that these are tight relationships formed over the years.

A few points

Whatever type of networker you choose to be will be dependent on what the purpose of your LinkedIn membership is. Some industries might favor one type, I wouldn’t expect anyone working for secretive government agencies to be open networkers for instance. I would however expect anyone that represents the “Canadian Pharmacy” we have all learned about in our webmail accounts to be a very open networker.

It’s worth bearing in mind that if you put your LinkedIn URL on your email signature, blog or business card, you are expected to accept invitiations from people you deal with. So in case you would like to be an exclusive networker, keep the URL to yourself. This goes for phone numbers, your primary email address as well. Even if you are an open networker, you will probably not want every random having your primary email and direct telephone number.

It’s also worth noting that as with most things, most people start out with the greatest intentions. They try and stick to exclusive networking at first. They then realize it takes time to build up a strong network this way and increasingly become professional and sometimes even open (LION) networkers over time. There is nothing wrong with any of the 3 strategies, as long as you know what the implications are.

My experience

I am definitely and open networker although I don’t tell the world by sticking LION on my profile, mainly because I don’t think it looks very pleasing on the eye. When I was in recruitment, LinkedIn was something of a goldmine for information and being connected to more people meant I could reach out to and find candidates with very specific skills. I continue to use LinkedIn daily and believe I get a lot of value out of my network in many ways.

As with all social media, it’s all about being helpful and doing things for others that will allow you to get the most out of it. So if you have any questions about LinkedIn, I am happy to assist. Do connect to here. I promise to accept!

What strategy do you use and why?

Image credit Vanjey Lego

Jorgen Sundberg

The original Undercover Recruiter, after 7 years in tech recruiting Jorgen now runs Link Humans, a social media marketing agency in London.

Filed Under: LinkedIn, Networking Tagged With: LinkedIn, Networking, Social Media

5 Tricks Recruiters Use to Find You

How many times have you been called up by headhunters in the last 12 months? Did you ever ask how the recruiter got hold of your details? This article lists some of the most common ways recruiters find you.

When called up by a recruiter, most people are baffled and have no idea how they were identified. The curious amongst us have to ask in order to avoid sleepless nights. When prompted, the headhunters are likely to say that you were recommended by somebody who “wants to remain anonymous but rest assured, they have only good things to say about you”. This is however rarely the case. Giving referrals of current colleagues without their permission is risky business and most people avoid doing this. Therefore the recruiter has most likely employed craftier techniques to find you.

The 5 main methods recruiters employ to find you:

1. Application

The obvious one, you send your resume out for a job you have seen posted on the recruiters website or a job board. The bad news is that in my 7 years experience of permanent recruitment, I rarely saw placements made from a direct application. Not sure whether this is because the wrong people apply or the recruiter not fully grasping what he or she is looking for.

2. Database

Recruiters will have your details on file if you have ever sprayed your CV out for whatever jobs (very easily done as most postings on job boards are from agencies). You will be on their database, thanks to their CRM software they should have a pretty good idea of what you do/did. But your contact details are likely to be out of date so it can take some time for a recruiter to track you down.

3. Social Media

LinkedIn and other networking sites are veritable goldmines for headhunters. Before the advent of such sites, they had to map out companies by slowly extracting information from every person they spoke to. Nowadays, most of your colleagues will be listed and all it takes for an industrious recruiter is to pick up the phone. Remember that by putting your details on LinkedIn, you have told the world what you do and you are fair game for headhunters.

4. Employee lists

This happens less nowadays but still very useful for the resourceful recruiter. Sometimes a disgruntled former employee will offer a list of their colleagues, complete with mobile numbers, email and even home address details to the highest bidding recruitment agency. I have seen instances where entire teams have been ripped out of one company and put into another through the use of employee lists. If you are a manager (and you want to keep your team) you will want to ensure vital information like this is not readily available to download from your intranet.

5. Cover story

This method is used when all else fails. The recruiter will call in to your company, pretending to be a client or a colleague from a different office and asking for the person that does your job. The sharp headhunter will single out a ‘soft target’ such as the IT support guy or the canteen lady and lay on a cock and bull story as to why they need the information ASAP. Sometimes they get lucky but most of the time this will be a very time consuming exercise and may not lead to anything.

Conclusion

Don’t be offended by a recruiter using ‘creative’ ways to find the right people. This practice is after all highly appreciated by their clients (who needs somebody to do their dirty work) as the CVs offered will be very different to that of their direct applicants. Remember that any recruiter can sift through applications from a job advertisement but only a few are good enough to pro-actively sniff out the best people in the market.

I would recommend you stay close to this recruiter as he or she is likely to be just as pro-active working with companies – thus ensuring they have the best vacancies for candidates like yourself.

How do recruiters get hold of you? Please share your story!

photo by: Mr. Theklan

Jorgen Sundberg

The original Undercover Recruiter, after 7 years in tech recruiting Jorgen now runs Link Humans, a social media marketing agency in London.

Filed Under: Job Search, Recruitment Tagged With: Job Hunting, Recruiter

Want a Job in Recruitment? 6 Must Have Skills

job in recruitment

Very few kids dream of one day being on the phone all day pitching jobs to strangers. Yet a great deal of people have tried their hand at recruitment at some stage in their career. Most people actually stumbled upon recruitment by accident and were tempted by the gold and glory.

The good news is that it’s relatively easy to be given a chance in recruitment, firms experience a big churn of recruitment hopefuls every year and most rookies do not make it beyond the first year. This is one of the reasons recruiters sometimes have a less than great reputation, a lot of juniors fighting for the same business will inevitably lead to dodgy tactics.

Don’t let this scare you off though, if you have decent sales skills and willing to put the hard work in you could be handsomely remunerated. As for salary, the rule is that working for a small company means a low basic, high commission and no benefits to write home about. The reverse ratios, high basic salary and low commission, apply for large companies and the benefits tend to be generous. The lower basic salary means the smaller firms tend to be more aggressive in taking gambles on juniors, the risk is only as high as the basic is low.

6 skills required to make it in recruitment:

1. Salesy nature

Can you sell ice to an eskimo? There are no fewer than three sales cycles in one recruitment process; getting the vacancy from the client, getting the interest from the candidate and finally bringing them together and making a placement. The ability to present opportunities and candidates in the best light is critical to success; placements do not happen by themselves and sales skills are the most important key to success.

2. Match maker

Ever set up blind dates for friends? To be successful at recruitment you have to be a good matchmaker. You have to be solution oriented and understand your marketplace. You should have the ability to spot opportunities for making placements before the client, candidate and competitors have realized it.

3. Communication skills

Can you talk the hind legs off a donkey? You have to have great communication skills and speak with conviction when selling your services to clients and jobs to candidates. To be the tenth recruiter calling a client in one week is not a fantastic gig. It really requires you to stand out so that they take the time to hear you out. Your ability to create relationships with everyone in the market is crucial, just like in any service sales job.

4. Positivity

Are you a constant happy camper? A positive attitude is required to get you through those dark days when neither client nor candidate seem to be biting your hooks. Do not be afraid of rejection, you will notice that for every Yes you will get five No. This is a numbers game and the pay offs will come through sheer hard work.

5. IT literate

Know how to use the format painter? A good recruiter is always tech savvy. The world of recruitment is run on computer software, the Interwebs is the main source of information. The successful recruiter has to be comfortable with candidate tracking systems, job boards, online networking platforms and other technology. Clients have very sophisticated search and portal systems nowadays; candidates are all over LinkedIn so it’s about being one step ahead.

6. A bit bonkers

Chasing people that don’t want to speak with you day out and day in does require some degree of madness, no matter how positive you stay. There might be lots of cash to be made in recruitment but be under no illusions that it’s easy money, as my old boss used to say. As long as you know it’s a ‘special’ job and accept it for what it is, you will be fine.

Do you think you have what it takes?

Next time you speak to a recruiter, ask them about their job and see if they have any vacancies. Even if recruitment is not your calling, a spell in this weird and wonderful world can do your career a world of good as it is so multifaceted and challenging. Have a go and see what you think. In case you don’t like it you can always use your new recruiting skills to land yourself a new job or start a blog about it like some folks do…

What skills you would like to add?

Related: How Much Do Recruiters Earn?!

photo by: joo0ey

Jorgen Sundberg

The original Undercover Recruiter, after 7 years in tech recruiting Jorgen now runs Link Humans, a social media marketing agency in London.

Filed Under: Recruitment Tagged With: must-have, Recruiter, skills

Interview Tip: Use Examples to Demonstrate Your Experience

interviewing tips jobs

So you have sent off your documents, waited patiently and finally ou get summoned for an interview, well done! This is when the fun starts and you now have to think tactically to ensure you are offered the job after all interviews have been done.

You will now have to show that you are the right stuff for the job, by demonstrating you have what it takes to be an absolute success in the position you are now interviewing for.

The 4 step formula:

Strive to qualify and clarify the interviewer’s question, basically questioning the question without being rude.
Answer the question asked with confidence and by telling the manager that you possess the qualities, skills, character, staying power, discipline etc to perform in this role and to get the job done well.
Demonstrate that you have done it in the past by giving examples or even case studies. It’s all well and good to say you can do something but unless you have a real life experience to tell, you are not being very credible.
Check and make sure you have given a satisfactory answer and that the interviewer is comfortable with your reply. It is a common mistake to misunderstand a question and answer something completely different. In order to avoid this you have to verify that you answered correctly.

Example answer

“Right … you would like to know about X. This is a very good question and thanks for asking it. I can certainly perform Y tasks based on the fact that I have repeatedly done Z and excelled. For instance, in my previous role I ran into a challenging situation where I first did A and then turned to doing B because of my knowledge and experience of Y and Z. Was that a clear answer to your question? Hope you can see clearly how having the ability and experience of going through a challenge like that would make me a ideal addition to your team?”

Real life answer

“Right … you would like to know if I am able to manage and sell to key accounts. This is a very good question and thanks for asking it. I can manage and sell to key accounts based on the fact that I have repeatedly done managed some of the largest accounts at my last job and my sales figures were 130% on target overall. For instance, in my previous role I ran into a challenging situation with a client asking for our full attention. I first recruited 3 more consultants and then turned to outsourcing our technology activities because of my knowledge and experience of offshoring and international virtual organizations. Was that a clear answer to your question? Hope you can see clearly how having the ability and experience of going through a challenge like that would make me a ideal addition to your team?”

Conclusion

The words “for example” is one of the most vital phrases you can use in your job interview. Try to embed it to every answer you give and it should become second nature for you. Just like case studies are vital when pitching a client in the business world, the more examples you can give of specific situations where you have showed the qualities that the interviewer is looking for – the more likely you will be the one picked for the job offer.

photo by: See-ming Lee 李思明 SML

Jorgen Sundberg

The original Undercover Recruiter, after 7 years in tech recruiting Jorgen now runs Link Humans, a social media marketing agency in London.

Filed Under: Interview Tips Tagged With: Interviewing