The Job Search through the Eyes of a Recruiter

By Lightness Mtaita ~ Senior Project Coordinator at Empower on 19 Apr 2020Recruitment

We as recruiters have the duty of matching talent to job opportunities given to us. I understand why in most people’s eyes this may seem as a rare privilege, which it is, some form of power, which we do have, and in most cases some form of job distributors, which we are absolutely not.

 

 

Now one must appreciate the fact that, a recruiter was a job seeker at some point, and therefore we understand how frustrating looking for a job must be.I would liken the job search to the hunt; you think you have all the skills required and all the experience needed, so you aim and fire, and to your surprise you miss. Now for a tenacious hunter, he/she tries again, and again, and again, and again, until finally they get the shot, and what joy fills their heart when they do.

 

 

This article is to let you know that we as recruiters get it, we get how frustrated and disappointed you become when you receive numerous regret emails, we understand how debilitating it is when you just cannot seem to find the right job, or even get called for at least one interview. When you tailor your Cv for the role as they say, when you write a killer cover letter, which most people do not even read, when you write heartfelt emails to employers and still nothing. You begin to ask yourself, how is it I am doing all they said I should do and I am getting nowhere, is there something wrong with me?

 

 

If it is any consolation, every employed person was at some point at the very same place you are. What differentiates people is what you do with the time you find yourself with when you are not employed. Do you better yourself, take an online course, learn a new skill, a new language, try out a small business venture, or do you sit back, relax and wait for a recruiter to find you a job (which is not how it works and I will explain shortly)? The beauty about life is that the most precious commodity is afforded to everyone in equal amount (24 hours each day), and that commodity is time. Ceteris paribus (all other things being equal), the only difference between you, the Accounting graduate, and the Chief Finance Officer, is time and dedication and hard work of course. What I am saying is quit the pity party and work on yourself, the right job will come if you will it.

 

 

The job search requires the patience of a suitor going after a potential mate, it most certainly does not happen overnight, it takes time. There is one misconception I would like to address and that is the notion that recruiters stand by with multiple jobs in their hand to give away to whomever they like or ‘know’. This is quite far from the truth. Every recruiter is assigned a role with a very specific job brief that spells out every detail that the employer is looking for, now our job is to ensure we find a person that matches all the skills, qualities and experience the employer requires. The fact that we are providing a service means we cannot present every profile we find in the market, we are also required to narrow it down to the best 3 or at most 5 candidates. The competition is therefore stiff, this is where what you have done with your time comes in and advocates for you on your behalf.

 

 

I have been speaking generally on behalf of recruiters, but now I would like to speak for myself. Some say recruiters must remove their emotions from their work, as you have a job to do. I am not that kind of recruiter yet, I still have emotions galore when I recruit, for example:

 

• My heart breaks for the unemployed,
• I am saddened when a candidate does not land the job they were extremely excited about and I know they needed
• I sometimes get angry when a candidate changes their mind at the very last minute and decides not to take the job. Did I say sometimes, I meant always!
• I get impatient when a client takes time to finalise the recruitment process
• I get very attached to my roles, to the point that I sometimes even dream about where to find potential candidates, or think about them while I am in conversation with other people, or while I shower or eat, or watch TV, basically all the time.

 

 

The list is endless, so whenever you find yourself having to undertake the hunt that is the job search, pull up your socks, quit the pity party, work on yourself, and be patient, the right job will come along, if not, the right business idea will. All you have to do is will it, go for it, and work hard towards it; there is a relief in knowing you have done all you can do. Lastly, contrary to what most may think, our process begins with the client, that is, we look for candidates for roles and not roles for candidates, perhaps the latter may be a great business idea or business unit for the future.

 

I hope this article has shed some light or at the very least has given you some sort of hope, I wish you all the very best the job market has to offer.

 

By Lightness Mtaita ~ Senior Project Coordinator at Empower