AGENCY SPOTLIGHT
A serious flaw, lying at the very heart of recruitment, is fundamentally damaging the industry's abilities at finding employment for the many people looking for work.
This fact has certainly become apparent for me, living in the UK, as I struggle to find suitable roles within the multi-faceted graphic design industry. It seems that the people-focussed industry has lost it's connection to those it professes to serve. Human interactions are being dropped and technological job matching measures along with virtual communications are being used instead to replace traditional industry defining practices of working.
An Age Old Problem
Gone are the days when an agent would have the inside knowledge of the profession and roles it fills. Gone also is the initial face-to-face meeting for getting to know the applicant. Recruiters are getting younger and measured more on their technological abilities plus their social media skills. Experience and knowledge are now further down the list of requirements for sourcing applicants, because a CV bot can do a lot of the vetting for suitable matches instead. This has resulted in junior agents being put in charge of finding suitable positions including more senior complex roles, when they themselves are barely out of university. It's a recent phenomena. The last ten years have seen a lot of technological changes and this has been hugely bolstered by advances in technology, especially concerning mobile and online connectivity.
We're all on the look out for quicker-fix solutions and cost saving measures to gain an advantage. There's been a drive to find technological solutions for complex challenges in almost everything we do. Connections on the go, have enabled far greater accessibility to all kinds of information. Relying on high volumes of applicants to provide recruitment information and software to manage it all, has shifted focus on the data and away from the individuals looking for jobs.
Subscriptions based online software, like Job Adder – a venture capitalist's cash cow and entrepreneur's wet dream. These tools are being implemented across many of the sectors where once there existed niche and specialist requirements to function and this is where we've gone so wrong.
Recruitment software is available for anyone wishing to become an agent and the tools for reeling in job hunters are both inexpensive and easy to use. Previously, the agent would have spent a lot more time in finding the right people by talking with job seekers and the client alike to better establish where the right fit could be made. This investment of time allowed agents to fully understand what the client and applicant wanted but also to express what they needed. Now, a lot of this time can be 'saved' through software, which can quickly find applicant suitability ratios. The craft is being overlooked and in this sense, people are becoming little more than data.
Trawling for Talent
Yes, the net has widened significantly enough to fish for a much larger haul of talent, but it's become a number's game for the real talent to be found in such a huge, virtual pool. Whereas before say 2007, the majority of industry roles were advertised in specific and specialist places, they are now online, accessible to all. That makes the task of finding any quality from amongst the rusty shopping trolleys and weeds – dragged up from the polluted online channels – job aggregators like CV Library and Indeed, very slim indeed. And in this lottery of job searching, the chances of success will be determined by the metaphorical plucking of a bingo ball, unless the arm doing the plucking is weighed in favour of your own lucky number 7. If the recruiter has no experience, has never met you and relying increasingly more on statistics to place their candidates, it's going to be a tough ride. That's why we need some leverage to increase the odds of being hooked out.
It's Good To Talk
For someone like myself, who's been in full-time employment over the last 10 years, emerging to this modern day environment of self-promotion, with all the social media posturing and bolstering at the forefront of job hunting, it's been a real shock adjusting to the new landscape.
No more first refusals on jobs for me – I’m lucky to get a poorly worded and curtly dismissive email from a nameless, faceless entity these days. In fact, simply getting a reply from an agent is the nicest thing to happen in the last three months and there's only been a few instances from my 2-3 job applications made every day, a very low returns percentage. Sure, I have been very lucky to be plucked out from the quagmire by a few rogue agents – blindly sifting for some gold, but they are quick to assess the likeliness of going further and the conversations usually go cold once they realise something affecting the match going any further, ie. a salary from the SME or start-up they are recruiting for is just a fraction of what my desired wage is. I've since learned not to mention money.
Don’t think about trying to compromise either. You've no position of power for any bargaining and no apologies are required from them why you're being removed from the list. The cruel reality is that they've discarded your application already and moved on to the next one before hanging up the phone. Agents blatantly fail at disguising their goal-focussed intentions and won't be interested in establishing future friendships unless there's another role you're being considered for. They'll waste little time on the niceties so they can get on with contacting the next applicants who may help them meet targets.
Deal or No Deal
So, what's happened to this people-first industry to make it so cut throat? Speaking with other friends/colleagues in the same boat and also with some decent agents who I know, it appears there are a few mitigating factors. High-volume, multi-channel job seeking aggregators and parasitic bedroom agents have generated so much noise, that it's become far too labour intensive to actually speak with anyone. Try ringing a recruiter (unless they are about to place you somewhere for a 20% kick-back fee) – they'll likely be in training, meetings, on holiday, on the phone, sick or away from their desk – for ever. They don't want to hear your rambles for 20 minutes – not when they can easily sift through 20+ CV's within that time (wasted) on the phone. And there’s only so much time in their day to find the right selection of candidates for a demanding client.
The relationship is only good while you are making agents some money. If you're helping them meet targets, they will be your friend. But the loyalty won't be there, because why just deal with a handful of people when you can now get greater reach by farming out a LinkedIn posting for a job position, for example? The agent doesn't even need to talk with the client much anymore either – an email of CVs sent with pretty pictures for a portfolio, will provide enough choice that the already busy client, who will lazily pluck one of the selections out of the bunch, without putting too much thought into their decision as perhaps they should have – likely because they believe the agent has already filtered them accordingly for the most suitable candidates.
It's easier to see why job hunting has become so tough. The recruitment agent isn’t totally to blame. The clients will be making deals with recruiters to get lower sourcing rates in exchange for exclusivity over a set time-frame. Some larger organisations will work in tandem with the recruitment agencies, often using their own HR ‘talent acquisition’ teams and so there’s an even greater urgency to find the right people before the client do.
To capitalise on even lower sourcing rates, the larger organisations are also securing deals with the major recruiters to manage their wider recruitment needs, which are putting a squeeze on the rates they charge for sourcing freelancers, in turn pushing down the freelance rates for contractors.
Because exclusivity deals stop other recruiters from being in the runnings with larger corporations, there’s even lower frequencies of higher-paid positions from the companies that can afford them and so far less well-paid roles to be found for experienced candidates to scrap over.
Tighter deals with bigger companies, means recruiters are themselves hiring younger, lower-paid agents to increase their profits. Lower rates means companies are having to take on younger, less experienced staff but also with lower pay expectations. Consequently, candidates like myself, who are used to being paid for their skill and experience are often being overlooked/priced/squeezed out from the runnings. The competition for these higher paid roles is fierce and likely the roles themselves will be more demanding as a result. Sure, it’s tough dropping down in salary for a job once well-paid, but the market dictates the rates, which have fallen considerably and noticeably so in the last 6 months. Stacking shelves is not an option. While a pay drop may mean less flashy holidays, it could also bring a better life/work balance and your pride is not a major factor when compared to the importance of retaining one's confidence and self-esteem by actually having a job! These traits are essential attributes for securing the next bread winner as well – nobody will want to hire you when you're depressed.
Baring Your Soul
It's one thing to be ignored when a crafted CV is sent out into the online ether – but to send a pdf of your hard work and get either no reply or informed you're not suitable with no explanation why – that's a soul eater. Explaining how great your achievements are to someone unknown, who's little idea about what it is you can do, in as brief an upbeat email as possible – all without flavouring the message with any 'tone' or bolshiness, is difficult to get right – but that's what I've been up against over recent months. A fruitless endeavour like this, is enough to dampen anyone’s confidence.
Luckily for me, I've managed to find some really good recruiters in amongst the charlatans, who have professionally given me the time of day to express my needs, divulge me expertise and even give me some work. Other than that, it's largely been my own hustling that's kept the wolf from the door.
And so, for anyone out there struggling for survival in this murky, over-farmed carp-pond, commonly known as the job market – here's a few pointers to consider when applying for roles and ideas for gaining an advantage in cyber space...
Be Bots Aware
Some of the laborious recruitment tasks are now being replaced with AI systems. You may not even be getting through to an agent because your CV isn't as good a match as the many others being picked up by the virtual agent’s selection parameters.
After an unsuccessful start in job seeking, I tried firing off my CV with a covering letter which included a reworked copy of the brief as the opening page. The text was adjusted accordingly to make it read as if I was making the statements for requirements. So instead of 'We are looking for blah blah' I replaced it with 'I am skilled/experienced/proficient in blah blah'. It was my first reply in six weeks and it came just a couple of days after my application was made. This was no coincidence.
Programs caller 'spider bots' are increasingly being utilised by agents to scan your CVs for buzz words which closely reflect the job brief. The closer you are to this brief, the more likely you are to be selected for the next stage. So using the same language, will make the match closer. This sly tactic has been a real revelation, helping me receive a steady influx of replies – mostly from what I term 'bedroom agents', but this method is a good way ‘in’ at the first stage and certainly gives us some hope that we're being seen and considered.
Keep it Simple
Make your CV idiot proof. Don't 'flower it up' too much as the agent will prefer to skim through in a few seconds to get an idea if you are a suitable match or not. A one pager is much better for them. Regardless of the many skills you wish to convey in your arsenal – very few of the agents are going to read through paragraphs of text and will instead be looking for key pointers and suitable skills which only match you to the job role - make it easy for them to spot.
Be Flexible
Carefully write your CV to include a bit of 'flex'. Increase your options by adding extra value to your offering. If you have additional skills which could be a valuable asset – list them, but be aware that too many skill options potentially makes you seem less of an 'expert' which is strangely off-putting for an agent and client looking for specific roles.
Be Honest
There's many new ways for software to check what qualifications you have and even ways to investigate where you've worked before. Never use anyone else's work examples as your own and be as honest as you can about what your input has been on a job.
Tailor It
Make sure the covering letter matches the brief requirements – and amend your CV too if necessary. This used to be something the agent would prepare. Creating an agent's profile version, more fitting for the brief, would be a useful method for getting cut-through with the client. Nowadays the agent will have access to many more applicants, so is likely caught up with assessing these candidates, to find the perfect match from their CV’s instead, so a little amendment made yourself could be worthwhile. Unfortunately, this tactic could backfire if you have multiple CVs floating around which contradict each other in some way, so if this is a tactic that could get you through the door – make a profile CV which reads as if a 3rd party assessed and prepared this profile for you.
Hold Something Back
Hook in the agent with the CV and an enthusiastic but fairly brief covering letter – requesting a chat on the phone before sending over the relevant work examples. Getting an agent on the phone – or better still, in person, is a sure way to make a connection with someone. Being a friendly voice/face, will get you a lot further along the chain than an email possibly will. If you can talk through the work examples too, you've made an even better opportunity for yourself, as people will generally remember your face or how you presented yourself. Understanding your capabilities a lot better will help them 'shoe-horn' you in to a company where you're maybe not the most perfect match on paper, but other attractive attributes you have (which would have been overlooked), can be put forward as a client consideration.
Bribery
No joke. If you get a chance to meet in person – take in some offerings. Gifts like food, drink, cut-price tickets or some referrals for a cool new restaurant/bar/film – anything to associate a good time or deal/freebie with your meeting/name can be offered. It's shamefully underhand but it works.
Stay Confident
When the efforts from of all the job hunting are bringing no results, It can be really demoralising and demotivating, especially when there's rejection to deal with too. The job market is saturated with so many people in the same position as you and all are trying really hard to find a positive outcome. What we have to do is to keep looking at ways at improving our chances for success. Frustrating as it may seem at times, we need to treat the job hunt as a challenge and always look for opportunities or ways to get a CV to the top of the stack.
Stay positive and only write emails or job applications when you're feeling in an upbeat mood. If it were easy getting a great job, it wouldn't be as valuable to us, so bare that in mind. The harder you try, the greater the reward when it comes good!
Another Perspective
Put yourself in the agent's shoes for a moment. What do they want to see? Try writing the application text in a separate file, go away for a bit, then re-assess everything as if you were an agent. Bizarrely, your rushed reply, arrogance, frustration and irritation may come across in the 'flavour' of your writing and by looking at all this from a third person perspective, it can help you to see better ways of answering job applications via email etc.
Supply & Demand
Anyone can become a recruiter these days, it seems. There's certain skills that a good recruiter will have and potential to make a decent career out of it. There's a lot more people trying to make the big bucks, but it takes a lot of hard work to get there. The established recruiters will fair better than most at getting their clients on both sides, bigger and better paid roles. It's just someone else trying to make a living at the end of the day and they'll work to whatever means for optimising their income. There are some really good agents out there – find them and make them your friends.
The role of recruiter has evolved somewhat because the market has changed. Whereas in the past, there seemed to be more emphasis on finding a suitable job for an applicant, it now focuses a lot more on finding a perfect applicant for the job. It's a buyers market. When supply outstrips demand, there is always a drop in the value of the product as the competition increases. So, the agent will have a glut of product – ie. applicants, ready at their disposal. This doesn't mean you're not special anymore, just not as special compared to the many other people vying for attention all at the same time. Adjust your rates to stay competitive.
Selling Ice To The Eskimoos
In order to gain an agent's attention, we need to make them aware of how special we are. We require more time devoted by them to learn our powers and to explain the value we offer in greater detail. Firing off a CV and portfolio into the ether, without knowing anything about the person or recruitment agency it's going to, won't tell us how effective, connected or dedicated they are. Too many of us have been doing this for far too long. We need to address this issue and take some power back.
Become a better sales person and offer some scope, deals and viable solutions for employment which the agent will have difficulty ignoring. Consider lower rates for longer bookings or a drop in salaries in exchange for other perks. Offer free trial time/days as a freelancer or temp-perm options for full-time positions etc.
Stay Current
It's essential to keep the CV current and the portfolio updated regularly as this could negatively show the time out of work or positively where you've been contracting. Newer positions may add extra layers of diversity and suitability when applying for a multitude of roles.
Ultimately, you have to keep integrity at all times – and regardless if feels like you're banging your head against the wall, stay true to yourself, keep persevering and eventually, as I've discovered, the right opportunity will come............eventually.
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