

Questions from 'My experience as a Recruiter on Hacker News'  - Peroni
http://voltsteve.blogspot.com/2011/07/questions-from-my-experience-as.html

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raarky
Your posts are great. Keep up the good work :)

I work in a startup and have been fielding a lot of recruiter calls. Like many
other startups, recruitment costs are simply not something we can afford with
our tight budget.

One tactic I found to stop getting constant calls and emails from the same
recruiter is thru honesty and building awareness of our business position.

I let them know that we can't afford the costs now but we might be in a better
position in a couple of years. By that time, I'd like to select a recruiter
based on their professionalism, practices and ethics.

~~~
Peroni
Honesty works brilliantly both ways. If you are honest with recruiters and
inform them the budget doesn't exist to use agencies then hopefully the smell
of blood will dissipate!

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agilebyte
Do you reckon that when describing what you did on a CV the frame should be on
how my skills can help the new employer or describe your experiences and leave
the rest to a cover letter or a face to face? I would prefer the former but
from I am reading in your post you are suggesting the latter?

~~~
Peroni
If the focus is on highlighting how your relevant skills can help the employer
then you may have to adjust the CV every time you apply for a role. I suppose
my advice is geared more towards getting your foot in the door. There is
absolutely nothing wrong with following your CV with an email listing your
relevant skills and how they may help. The issue with cover letters is that
most people write exactly that, a letter. Employers don't want to read a
story, they want concise, easy to read facts that you can substantiate.

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skrebbel
You almost make recruiting sound like a fun job!

~~~
Peroni
Almost! You know what, I've worked in a variety of industries, Software
Development, Creative Advertising, Sales & Recruitment and I can honestly say
that none have given me the job satisfaction that this one delivers however it
can be equally frustrating.

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shailesh
Very well written.

For a portfolio, how much difference does an on-line video make?

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Peroni
Thanks.

Video: It depends on the context. For a creative role or Project Management
role I believe it would have a significant impact. For a back-end dev, I would
struggle to see the value. What context had you in mind?

~~~
shailesh
Leadership roles.

~~~
Peroni
Then go for it. Any role that involves delivering presentations or reports to
teams or stakeholders requires people with confidence and strong delivery
skills. Having a video that demonstrates these qualities will always be a
bonus.

