How to Double the Chances an IT Recruiter Will Call You

There’s no question working with a recruiter can be a more effective way to find an IT job than simply sending off applications to jobs you’ve seen online. Especially to get that crucial first interview. After all, IT recruiting agencies generally have active jobs to fill, and they can ‘pre-sell’ you to potential employers better than a couple of paragraphs in a covering email ever could.

However, what happens when you reach out to recruiters and can’t get them to respond?

Recruiters are Your Target Market. The Product is You.

Successful sales and marketing people know that the first step to selling a product or service is understanding your target market. The more you know about your target market, the more you can create communications to get their attention and make them buy your product.

It’s useful to look at job hunting in the same way. Ultimately, you’re trying to ‘sell’ yourself to a new employer and IT recruiters are your primary target market at this first stage. And don’t forget, recruiters have to ‘sell’ you to the rest of the organization.  The more enthusiastic they are about you, the more successful they’ll be! So be bold.

Be Patient but Persistent with your IT Recruiter

When you’re looking for a new job, every day seems like an eternity, and there’s nothing more frustrating than doing all the right things – writing a fantastic resume, following online application instructions, coming up with smart cover emails, following up by phone or email without being a stalker, etc. – and still not hearing from recruiters – or aren’t hearing from them quickly.

It’s tempting to assume that IT recruiters must be jerks who don’t really care about people, but they’re not.  Ninety-nine percent of them chose recruiting as a profession because they genuinely do like people, like helping people find their dream jobs, and want job-seekers to be successful.  (I know this is how our staff feels.)

But like most of us, recruiters are busy:  It’s not unusual for the average recruiter to receive 200+ resumes, make 100 phone calls, and send 50+ emails per day. So don’t give up or get discouraged. Stay in the game.

Understand Your Target –  the IT Recruiter

The best way to understand your target is to put yourself in their position.

  • What does the recruiter’s average day look like?  (What’s it like to open up your email inbox in the morning to discover that you’ve received 234 emails from job-seekers?)
  • What kind of jobs are the recruiters working on right now?  Do they specialize in a particular role or industry, or do they recruit for many different positions?
  • Where do you (i.e. the individual job-seeker) fit into their workday?
  • What are the recruiter’s biggest challenges/pain points?
  • What is important to the recruiter in terms of his/her job?  Filling positions quickly? Finding only A-list candidates?  Making money?

Once you know the answers to these questions, your interactions with recruiters can be more effective – and improve the chances that IT recruiters will call you first

Cut Through the IT Job Search Clutter

Now that you know that the average recruiter receives hundreds of emails from job-seekers every day, it’s easier to understand why a cover email like:

“Dear Sir/Madam.  My resume is attached.”

will be less effective than a cover email like:

“Dear [recruiter’s name]:

I noticed you specialize in recruiting analysts in the financial services sector.  As an analyst with 10 years’ experience in several major Canadian banks, I might be a good candidate for intermediate analyst roles that you’re currently looking to fill.  I’ve attached my resume outlining my specific skills, experience and results – please don’t hesitate to call or email if you’d like more information.

I look forward to hearing from you.”

Email #1 goes to the bottom of the list (“I don’t have time to figure out which position this person is applying for – I’ll come back to it later”), while Email #2 goes to the top (“This person might be perfect for X job – I’ll get them in for an interview ASAP”).

We want to hear from you. If you’re looking for a new position in the IT space, now is your opportunity to get in touch with an IT Recruiting Firm who wants to help. Connect with us today!

Still gathering information for your next IT career move? Visit our Guide to Finding the Perfect Tech Job for more helpful articles like this one.