Ask a Recruiter...Anything!

I've been contacted by so many recruiters only for them to disappear on me. Either on the phone, in person, or video they tell me what a wonderful resume I have, they think they can help, blah, blah, blah, then I don't hear squat. It makes so angry that recruiters put you through all of this then leave you hanging. I'm unemployed. I'm not going through this process for fun. I need a job so why they heck are you contacting me and wasting my time if you're not going to do anything?

New member Debbie Cruz raises some pretty serious concerns in her recent post Seeking advice on resume and frank discussion on age !.

"will anyone be interested in hiring me at my rather advanced age?"

Extended lapse in employment to care for ailing parents and/or Loved ones, re-entering the workforce in a new profession at an advanced age, finding work life or manageable work/life balance are a series of concerns affecting job seekers of all ages today.

How do qualified candidates like Debbie attract employer attention and remain competitive in todays impersonal and highly automated employment community?

Your suggestions, comments, and tips are greatly appreciated! Thanks in Advance!

Interviews can be nerve racking, plain and simple. It can feel awkward to talk about yourself for 3 hours with complete strangers, and it can be extra stressful if you really need the job. I've pulled together a short list of "Definitely Do's" that are sure to get your interview off on the right foot. It doesn't matter if you're going for a CEO or a line cook position, these tactics work across the board!

1. Be early...don't be on time, be early. This will give you time to center yourself before the interview and also will protect you from any unforeseen issues like bad traffic or getting lost in a large building.

2. Bring a few questions about the company ready to go. This will show the interviewers that you've given serious thought to working at the company and will allow you to get to know them better; every interviewer is looking for at least 1-2 follow up questions. If you don't know what to ask, something as simple as, "what do you really like about working here?" will be a great jumping off point.

3. Everyone gets nervous, some of us more than others. Deep breathing exercises while you are sitting in the waiting room before your name is called will help lower your heart rate and center your mind. 5 count in through your nose, 5 count out through your mouth and repeat. You will be amazed at what 2 minutes of this will do before you walk into your next interview!

4. Eye contact is key when you are in an interview, try to avoid letting your eyes wander...sometimes it's hard to stay focused but in an interview you should always give the person you are speaking with your full attention. One trick is instead of looking directly at their eyes focus on their nose instead, it's less awkward than locking eyes and from the interviewer's perspective it will look the same!

5. Similar to #2 but a bit different, Ask ask ASK your recruiter or point of contact for the job any and all questions you have BEFORE you go onsite to interview. It's their job to prep you and get you set up for success, some recruiters are more thorough than others, but all should be willing to hop on a 5-10 minute call to walk you through what to expect and answer any questions you have. It not only will get you more prepared but it will show the recruiter/HR Manager that you have seriously thought about this position and want to be as prepared as possible.

What are some other Interview 101 tips that have worked for you in the past?

I'd like to say a few words about online job recruiting sites. JOBCASE not being one of them. When I first tried reaching out to online job recruiting sites, I thought, "hey, that could be an avenue to find jobs, great!" But it has become a bone of contention, a harrassment, if you will. And I must say I'm angry and regret even getting involved with most of them. I took time and filled out all the information they asked for and though filling out one only led to filling out more, since one site just moved me "conveyor belt" fashion on to other sites.....I eventually had to stop. Then when I began receiving job offers, I got excited. They sent me notices like, "we got your request, here's a great surgical tech job at a local hospital for you." But when I clicked on it, it was a truck driver job hauling lumber." What? Where's my surgical tech job? This happened multiple times...I've never seen any surgical tech jobs yet. AND my personal information has been ferreted out to umpteen million other sites like taro card readers, auto insurance, life insurance, and even weirdo sites I can't mention. BE WARY OF JOB SITES ONLINE. Only two, and JOBCASE is one, gave me real opportunities and a place to talk about my experiences with others and even resources to get help. BRAVO, JOBCASE!! thank you. Pat C.

I'm at the point of no return for myself. I've been unemployed for three months and have no income at all. My bills are just piling up. I'm going to loose my home. The MVA has even suspended my driver's license because I'm a diabetic. I haven't even had any insulin reactions in the last eight months. I've even tried to find work on-line, but still haven't been able to find anything.

There are a lot of "best practices" when it comes to interviewing, but one in particular I have found to be very valuable (and often overlooked) is for the candidate to do a bit of research on the company prior to the interview.

A simple 5-10 minute internet search will usually give you enough insight into the company and that insight will help the conversation flow more naturally. It will show the recruiter/interviewer that you did your research and are taking this opportunity seriously.

As a recruiter, it's one of my biggest pet peeves when I'm talking to a candidate who hasn't bothered to learn anything about the company I'm working for...yes that's my job to an extent, but it's the responsibility of the interviewer to set themselves up for success and know who they are talking to.

Before your next interview take 5 minutes to research the company, I guarantee it will help get the interview off on the right foot!

I am in dire need of help, I'm going on my third month of unemployment had 4 interviews, which is better than a lot of people, but have been turned down for all of them. I am at a point of giving up . I just wanted to see if a recruiter could let me know what i am doing wrong

I enjoyed this quick read and agree with a lot of the advice listed in how to explain a gap in your work experience. One thing to remember, it's quite common to have a gap in your resume...life happens to everyone...but it's how you frame it to a recruiter or hiring manager that determines how quickly you can get back to work.

https://www.fastcompany.com/90331751/how-to-address-employment-gaps-in-your-resume