Just received a call today from an employee of a staffing agency who would like to discuss a position that they’re looking to fill for a client (sales assistant). Now I’ve never dealt with a placement agency ever before besides giving in a resume, so there are some things I’d like to know. 1) Do I treat this as I would a regular job interview? (ie: should I look snazzy?) 2) What kind of questions should/could I ask? I tried asking her the name of the hiring co. but she was rather scant in details (I guess that’s the norm with agencies). All she would divulge is that it is a ‘medium-sized firm’ that I definitely would have heard about. Would it be safe to assume that she would discuss these things when I meet with her, or would I only find out if I decide to move ahead and have an interview with them? Any help would be appreciated.
I have met with a few staffing firms or headhunters before. They tend to keep you in the dark until you actully interview with them. I have had mixed results with them. Try to find someone that has a more focused placement history. I looked at a larger firm and they called me about any job that listed finance in it. Most were jobs I would not be intersted in but they played up every role. I then met with a small shop ( 3 people in firm) who placed people in the type of jobs I wanted. They have been the most helpful in my search. They are paid for placing you so you can get one of two things. Either they call everyone in their database and hope to place one or they really focus on a few to see if you have the skill set to get job. I would dress like any other interview but be honest with the person. Tell them what you want and dont want. Just be honest with them. I was called from one guy and he went through his whole talk about how he could get me 10% using his database of contacts. I told him I was intersted in making 40% more… he went into this whole thing on how I was not setting reachable goals. I just sent his an email with my new offer that is almost 60% more… so listen but dont believe everything they tell you.
Assume you’ll maintain a long-term relationship with the recruiter – good ones can have a very positive influence on your career path.
SomewhatDamaged Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Just received a call today from an employee of a > staffing agency who would like to discuss a > position that they’re looking to fill for a client > (sales assistant). Now I’ve never dealt with a > placement agency ever before besides giving in a > resume, so there are some things I’d like to > know. > > 1) Do I treat this as I would a regular job > interview? (ie: should I look snazzy?) > > 2) What kind of questions should/could I ask? > > I tried asking her the name of the hiring co. but > she was rather scant in details (I guess that’s > the norm with agencies). All she would divulge is > that it is a ‘medium-sized firm’ that I definitely > would have heard about. Would it be safe to assume > that she would discuss these things when I meet > with her, or would I only find out if I decide to > move ahead and have an interview with them? > > Any help would be appreciated. I had the opportunity to meet with two headhunter/staffing agencies (Quad656 and RobertHalf) throughout my recent job search and talked with one over the phone (KForce). These interviews/meetings are always good. Starting off I was like you, I didn’t know what to expect, I thought it would be like a job interview and I couldn’t express my TRUE opinions on all issues. 1) I wore a suit to my “meetups” and one recruiter was in jeans and a polo- he said he should’ve told me it was dress down but I’m glad I dressed up b/c it showed him what type of person I am and you only get one opp for a first impression. Why does a first impression matter when meeting with a recruiter? Because if you make a good impression they’ll fight to put you in the best jobs they have. 2) Ask anything…think of them as a professional friend trying to help you get a job. They get paid based on if they place you in a job and you stick around- so feel free to ask and tell them what you’re looking for. I told one a recruiter at Robert Half that I was looking for jobs in Asset Management and they said I was really cutting myself short by being so closed minded as a recent grad. They thought I’d be perfect for an open financial analyst position in the budgeting/expense side of finance…I told them sure although I really wasn’t “hoo-rah” about it (I shouldn’t have). Luckily I found a job in Asset Management before I took the position that Robert Half was offering. You have to be careful with some headhunters b/c they’ll try to swindle you or persuade you into taking positions that weren’t originally in your career path b/c hey…they want to get paid and get these jobs filled. So when you go in, make sure you make it clear to what job opps you’re open to considering. Ask for a card, although they’ll prob give you one, and never lose it. These people want you to stay in touch w/ them and refer them to other people. My headhunter from Kforce emailed me yesterday about a job opening that she thought might be of interest. I only talked to her once in July and she remembered everything about me. Recruiters are definitely good to have on your side.
SomewhatDamaged Wrote: All she would divulge is > that it is a ‘medium-sized firm’ that I definitely > would have heard about. Would it be safe to assume > that she would discuss these things when I meet > with her, or would I only find out if I decide to > move ahead and have an interview with them? And yes, they usually avoid details over the phone b/c they want you to come into their office and meet them in person. If the company sucked then you’d prob write her off and wouldn’t be open to meetup. She’ll def give you the name, job details, at your interview. Recruiters first tell you about the position and then only submit your resume to the company if you give them the “green light.” Also all of the recruiters I dealt with made me write a list of all the companies that I applied to- they’re apparently not allowed to submit apps to comps that you’ve already applied to. Which sucks b/c I think a resume looks better coming from a recruiter…it shows that you’ve already been “screened” and weeded out as a decent candidate.
Bear in mind that a crappy recruiter (and there are quite a few out there!!!) can cost you a lot of time without the results you’re looking for. They’ll try and get you signed up with anything just for their fee. The good ones are really, really useful. They tend to have arrangements with the companies they work for so they have to provide them with good candidates to keep their good image. That means that if they send your cv out to a company, that company will look at it more seriously because they know you’ve already been through a screening process.
TPain88 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Also all of the recruiters I dealt with made me > write a list of all the companies that I applied > to- they’re apparently not allowed to submit apps > to comps that you’ve already applied to. Which > sucks b/c I think a resume looks better coming > from a recruiter…it shows that you’ve already > been “screened” and weeded out as a decent > candidate. I think this is the result of employers’ not wanting to get deluged with 10 copies of each candidate’s resume, so they give an exclusivity period (e.g., 6m or 1y; breadth might be narrow (current opening) to wide (entire firm)) to the first source of a given candidate’s resume. Hence the frenzy by recruiters to be the first to send your resume to an employer.
TPain88 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > 1) I wore a suit to my “meetups” and one recruiter > was in jeans and a polo- he said he should’ve told > me it was dress down but I’m glad I dressed up b/c > it showed him what type of person I am and you > only get one opp for a first impression. Why does > a first impression matter when meeting with a > recruiter? Because if you make a good impression > they’ll fight to put you in the best jobs they > have. imo i think all it shows is that you are a n00b. i’ve used a couple recruiters and usually you can tell that the overdressed ones wearing suits are either young kids straight out of college or older folks. wearing a suit to an informal meeting with a recruiter suggests that you are either a) inexperienced and don’t know the protocol or b) you’re kinda desperate. this is just my opinion though. i’ve gotten the best treatment from recruiters when i acted a little disinterested and not too eager to impress. obviously this only works if you are somewhat marketable and wouldn’t be advisable for a recent grad.
stylemog Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > TPain88 Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > 1) I wore a suit to my “meetups” and one > recruiter > > was in jeans and a polo- he said he should’ve > told > > me it was dress down but I’m glad I dressed up > b/c > > it showed him what type of person I am and you > > only get one opp for a first impression. Why > does > > a first impression matter when meeting with a > > recruiter? Because if you make a good > impression > > they’ll fight to put you in the best jobs they > > have. > > imo i think all it shows is that you are a n00b. > i’ve used a couple recruiters and usually you can > tell that the overdressed ones wearing suits are > either young kids straight out of college or older > folks. wearing a suit to an informal meeting with > a recruiter suggests that you are either a) > inexperienced and don’t know the protocol or b) > you’re kinda desperate. > this is just my opinion though. i’ve gotten the > best treatment from recruiters when i acted a > little disinterested and not too eager to impress. > obviously this only works if you are somewhat > marketable and wouldn’t be advisable for a recent > grad. I think it really depends what type of recruiter that you are working with – there are ones that are retained by the firms themeslves, and others that act on a contingency basis. There are recruiters that act on a retainer basis (i.e. generally ones that do hiring for investment banking, private equity, mega funds, etc.) and most people there wear business attire, including the recruiters themselves. The ones that are retained tend to be very knowledgeable about the industry and the positions, and many of them have previously worked in the industry. They also deal with the most qualified candidates and won’t bother meeting with you unless you fit into a certain candidate mold. If you dress sloppily to these interviews, they will not work with you as all candidates take these interviews seriously and they are also very particular about who they present to the firms that retain them (i.e. think of yourself as a hiring liability if you are not completely on point when meeting with these recruiters - they get plenty of candidates from the top sell-side firms that they wouldn’t want to risk the reputational damage of presenting a candidate who can’t present themselves properly). Also, recruiters that act on a retained basis tend to be given a lot of credibility by the hiring firms, as it is their job to screen out sub-par candidates rather than deluge the firm’s HR with tons of resumes (remember that there are quite a few firms out there that do their hiring exclusively through retained recruiters alone). The more “casual” recruiters act on a contingency basis, and rather than representing firms directly, they take your resume and just cold-call places. There are a couple of firms like this that are good but others that are annoying and not very knowledgeable. They might also try to pitch you for positions that are below your competency level, but I guess it’s really up to you to determine whether or not an opportunity is suitable or not.
stylemog Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > TPain88 Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > 1) I wore a suit to my “meetups” and one > recruiter > > was in jeans and a polo- he said he should’ve > told > > me it was dress down but I’m glad I dressed up > b/c > > it showed him what type of person I am and you > > only get one opp for a first impression. Why > does > > a first impression matter when meeting with a > > recruiter? Because if you make a good > impression > > they’ll fight to put you in the best jobs they > > have. > > imo i think all it shows is that you are a n00b. > i’ve used a couple recruiters and usually you can > tell that the overdressed ones wearing suits are > either young kids straight out of college or older > folks. wearing a suit to an informal meeting with > a recruiter suggests that you are either a) > inexperienced and don’t know the protocol or b) > you’re kinda desperate. > this is just my opinion though. i’ve gotten the > best treatment from recruiters when i acted a > little disinterested and not too eager to impress. > obviously this only works if you are somewhat > marketable and wouldn’t be advisable for a recent > grad. Ha, true…I was a noob. Fresh out of college and had NO IDEA. When I met with the Robert Half recruiter everyone was in business formal attire. The casual guy was QUAD 656 and he was said, “uhh yeah, I’m sorry I forgot, I should’ve told you that this was an informal meeting.” I disagree with the fact that they’re bad for recent grads…if I didn’t get a gig on my own they would’ve gotten me an excellent opp- I was a fresh grad but I had multiple internships and a pretty nice resume. If you are recent grad w/ Bennigans on your resume then yeah…it is a waste.
I probably should have noted in my OP that the recruiter actually contacted ME after seeing my resume on a job bank site.
numi Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I think it really depends what type of recruiter > that you are working with – there are ones that > are retained by the firms themeslves, and others > that act on a contingency basis. There are > recruiters that act on a retainer basis (i.e. > generally ones that do hiring for investment > banking, private equity, mega funds, etc.) and > most people there wear business attire, including > the recruiters themselves. The ones that are > retained tend to be very knowledgeable about the > industry and the positions, and many of them have > previously worked in the industry. They also deal > with the most qualified candidates and won’t > bother meeting with you unless you fit into a > certain candidate mold. If you dress sloppily to > these interviews, they will not work with you as > all candidates take these interviews seriously and > they are also very particular about who they > present to the firms that retain them (i.e. think > of yourself as a hiring liability if you are not > completely on point when meeting with these > recruiters - they get plenty of candidates from > the top sell-side firms that they wouldn’t want to > risk the reputational damage of presenting a > candidate who can’t present themselves properly). > Also, recruiters that act on a retained basis tend > to be given a lot of credibility by the hiring > firms, as it is their job to screen out sub-par > candidates rather than deluge the firm’s HR with > tons of resumes (remember that there are quite a > few firms out there that do their hiring > exclusively through retained recruiters alone). > > The more “casual” recruiters act on a contingency > basis, and rather than representing firms > directly, they take your resume and just cold-call > places. There are a couple of firms like this that > are good but others that are annoying and not very > knowledgeable. They might also try to pitch you > for positions that are below your competency > level, but I guess it’s really up to you to > determine whether or not an opportunity is > suitable or not. interesting points… by not being overdressed, i did still mean show up in business attire… just minus jacket and tie.
“interesting points… by not being overdressed, i did still mean show up in business attire… just minus jacket and tie.” What is biz attire minus a jacket and tie?
Hmm. Sounds good. I’m in the mood to get myself a sweet black dress shirt and another pair of black dress pants. I’ve already got a nice pair of Allen Edmonds. As for the tie, it’ll depend on my mood that day. 
…or should i wear a full suit. Dammit.
biz casual
Should I bring a copy of my resume? I imagine she’ll have it already, but just in case.
Seriously SWD, print off 2 copies of your CV and bring them…how can it hurt?
Turkish Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Seriously SWD, print off 2 copies of your CV and > bring them…how can it hurt? Does no one ever think of the trees? 
SomewhatDamaged Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Hmm. Sounds good. I’m in the mood to get myself a > sweet black dress shirt and another pair of black > dress pants. I’ve already got a nice pair of Allen > Edmonds. > > As for the tie, it’ll depend on my mood that day. > > > …or should i wear a full suit. > > Dammit. Man I hope you’re joking with some of these follow-up posts. “Should I bring my resume?” Are you serious? And I don’t know if by talking about your recent purchases you were implying that you were going to wear both articles of clothing together but if so, I thought I’d let you know that it is a terrible idea. Black dress pants and a black dress shirt should never be worn together unless you’re working in a restaurant, or as stage crew in a play.
SomewhatDamaged Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Hmm. Sounds good. I’m in the mood to get myself a > sweet black dress shirt and another pair of black > dress pants. I’ve already got a nice pair of Allen > Edmonds. black shirt, black pants AND allen edmonds shoes? you sound unsure as to whether you want to dress conservatively or look like a club bouncer in chelsea (or maybe even the guy who moves props around between scenes in a broadway show) > As for the tie, it’ll depend on my mood that day. > > > …or should i wear a full suit. > > Dammit. depends who you meet with, but just know that dress shirt and dress pants only = business casual. business attire by definition means suit and tie by the way i don’t know if you are serious or joking but the all-black suggestion is a truly hideous outfit