Understanding How HR Really Works
As you’re job searching, you’re becoming more and more familiar with Human Resources (HR). There’s no doubt that HR has a varied reputation and Keith Hammonds’ famous Fast Company article, Why We Hate HR from 2007, chronicled some of the ups and downs (more often downs) of the not-much-loved department.
As someone who has worked in corporate HR and HR consulting for over 12 years, I’ve seen HR in varied forms: small start-ups, high-growth, newly public and large, mature, Fortune 500 companies. There’s good. There’s bad. There’s ugly.
I’m not here to defend HR–everywhere is different. But if you’re a job seeker, you need to really understand how HR works from a recruiting perspective to really help you be successful in the process. This isn’t about how to make it better or worse. You’re not going to change the process as you job search. This is about understanding the why and how of HR so you can be a better job seeker. Note: in this post I am talking specifically about in-house recruiters (not headhunters or executive recruiters–you can read more about them here.)
Everything’s governed by the law.
Like it or not, the first order of recruiting business for most companies is compliance with the law. Some smaller companies with fewer than 50 (or 10) employees will be exempt from some laws and some start-ups may not have anyone in HR to guide them. But that aside, there are dozens of laws that cover the hiring process and companies have to follow them. This explains why you have to fill out an application (even for an executive position) and why you have to apply online for almost every job (even if you do it later in the process) so companies can track information they are required to track by law.
It also explains why companies shy away from visual and video resumes and photo ads (like what you’re seeing on Facebook these days). Because of certain EEO laws, companies want to be able to make a decision about whether they are interested in your candidacy based solely on your experience. Photos, video resumes and other creative photo ads make that harder explaining why the video resume fad hasn’t fully caught on. They certainly can be used, but companies have to have a process in place to ensure they are following the law.
Know where your resume is going.
Since Federal laws have driven the use of Applicant Tracking or Resume Tracking systems (often called ATS or RTS), companies rarely accept paper resumes anymore. This means when you apply online, your resume is scanned into a system. The resume is fed into the recruiter’s queue and the recruiter will review those resumes. If your resume scans poorly (see my advice in #1 here) it might be overlooked, or if the recruiter has an excessive amount of resumes that come in, he may not get to all of them. It all depends on what the queue looks like when the recruiter sits down to review. So if you send in your resume and sit back and wait, you’re doing yourself a huge disservice.
Understand the role of the recruiter.
Recruiters exist to spearhead the process for companies. Their success may be measured on a number of things: applicant flow (how many people apply), candidate success in the process, time to fill a position, yield (how successful a certain source was in yielding a hire), retention and performance of new hires. All of this depends on the company and their recruiting strategy. So help the recruiter. The easier it is for the recruiter to see you’re a fit for the job, the more likely it will be that he can make the case to the hiring manager. Help him help you!
With most of the resumes they receive online, they see the resume first before the cover letter (that’s just how they scan in). Make sure your resume makes the case and the cover letter supports it. The average time a recruiter will spend on your resume? 20-30 seconds. And you’re not there to explain it. Make sure someone who doesn’t know you at all can you look at your resume and think “this person will be successful.”
Be patient and own the process.
Recruiters are often really, really busy. In a good economy, they might have dozens of positions open with few applicants. In a bad economy, they may have one position open with thousands of applicants. Either way, they have their hands full. And while your job search is your priority, you may just be one of many fish in their sea. You’ve got to be patient. I don’t mean sit back and wait to see what happens. But don’t get frustrated if you don’t hear anything in a few days. You have to take control of your search and own it–especially in a down economy. It’s up to you to find the right balance of follow-up without being overly aggressive.
Make multiple contacts.
Because recruiters are so busy, it helps to have multiple contacts in a company you’re interested in. This does not mean to circumvent HR completely as addressed in this 2003 article that still rings true today. But having multiple contacts means you have several people looking at your resume. And if the recruiter misses it, or bypasses it, a contact can help get you in the door, or check in with the recruiter or hiring manager to see where you are in the process. Contacts can also provide inside information on the interview process, the company’s priorities, goals and vision as well as insight on who might be interviewing you.
Respect the process owner.
Respect the process and don’t bypass HR completely. You’ll need the support of the recruiter eventually–so be their friend. Many a recruiter has a say in the hiring process. Recruiters that know thier businesses well, or hire a large volume often make decisions on who the hiring manager gets to see or not to see. So respect their role, their talents and their knowledge of what the business needs in its’ next employee. Having other entry points in the organization helps, but bypassing HR to pester your contacts won’t get you an offer.
Use HR and your contacts wisely.
Take the case of one of my clients, Melanie. She had an SVP at a Fortune 500 company help her get her resume seen ultimately leading to an interview. Melanie answered about 15 minutes of questions before the hiring manager told Melanie he already had an internal candidate for the position and was meeting with her as a courtesy. It was a waste of Melanie’s time even though she got a foot in the door. The good news is that Melanie is now on the radar screen for future opportunities. But she spent hours preparing for an interview that she didn’t even have a chance of succeeding in.
There’s no doubt we’ve all had our ups and downs with HR. But it’s also the law of averages. From job seeker to employee, it is the function you’ll spend the most time with second only to your own. Don’t waste your energy letting the process frustrate you, think through how you can use HR to your advantage and that for the most part, they’re really trying to help.
Article by Career Coach and HR Executive, Susan D. Strayer, and courtesy of KaleidoBlog, career advice for a new generation.
