Even if it’s not the right job – take the call…here’s why!
📢 Unpopular opinion for job seekers opentowork: Take the call with the recruiter – even if you don’t want the job they’re pitching.
Here’s why…. 👇
1: Networking (obviously). For all my introverts out there – this is the most passive way for you to build connections with people. You don’t have to show up, dress up or walk up to anyone – you just get to take a phone call and answer some questions and introduce yourself. Be nice – share a little bit about yourself so they can pipeline you for future opportunities and grab some contact information. Now you have a recruiter in your back pocket.
2: Recruiters (agency or corporate) often have a job description that they’re posting or sharing, but know that for the RIGHT candidate they can flex on things like title, pay, location etc. Don’t get caught up on these details TOO much and dismiss the opportunity to have a conversation. If you show up to impress, that recruiter will likely want to get you in front of the people who can easily make those changes. It happens ALL. THE. TIME.
3: Grow your fan base (more networking). Every recruiter that you talk to and make a good impression on will likely remember you. Maybe they or their current company even has a great CRM tool to actively flag you in for future jobs. Good recruiters have their own mechanisms for keeping in touch with great talent and they’ll carry that with them to other companies as well.
Disclaimer – I’m not suggesting you go into these conversations under false pretenses. Don’t lie about your interest level, or other expectations for a new opportunity. Don’t waste precious time for you or the recruiter. Be brief but make good use of your time by sharing your background and what you ARE looking for.
Taking these calls, is part of the reason so many applications go into the black hole of the ATS. It’s called pipelining. For every job req that a recruiter gets – they likely have a backlog of good talent to tap into from previous conversations – and they’re going to reach out to those people FIRST before they filter through those other submittals. So do yourself the favor of a little passive networking – and it might just catch up with you.
You got this!
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