We’re only halfway through January, and it’s still resolution time, baby!!! Every year, millions of Americans look forward to the new year and commit to themselves to “this year they are going to (blank)”.  When the clock strikes midnight, some resolve to lose 10 pounds while others are going to reconnect with loved ones or finally make that leap from the secure yet unfulfilling job they have had into a career that moves the needle in their heart.  Something that will scratch that itch they have every day on their commute home. After the champagne wears off and the New Year starts, many know that they want to make the change, but here we are, two weeks later, and they still don’t know how or where to start.

“16% of Americans resolve to find a new job.”

I have some great news if this sounds like you. You start here with a recruiter. I know that is the expected answer from a recruiter, but the reason why it is the expected answer is because it is the one that works! There are many placement specialists out there, and you should endeavor to contact one that is best connected to the industry that you want. Let them know that you are interested in making a change in the next year (not in the next month!).  It is important to make that point clear because that sets the tone for the relationship. Let them know that you are in for the long haul.

Next you have to make that relationship valuable to the recruiter. I know that this may be a little hard to hear, but you are not the only person that is looking for a new career. According to inc.com, 16% of Americans resolve to find a new job. That is many, many job-seekers, and recruiters are going to be serving the people that are looking most immediately first. That is not necessarily you, and the best way to be the person that gets the call when something comes up is to build a relationship with the recruiter. I know that sounds a little weird because they are their to help you, but the simple truth is recruiters are human. I have been in the industry for over a decade and have been very successful but the job seekers that I have gone the most out of the way for are the ones tried to be more than a resume to me.  

An example of this is — there was a posting that I had put up for a process engineer for a large food manufacturer. I had done the usual process and had some feelers out but then a received a call from an applicant that I spoken with a month ago. He was not interested in position but said that he knew a person that would be a great fit and knew that the company that he worked for was going to be downsizing. I wasn’t sure if the other person would be affected, but I felt it worth calling his friend. This is something that he totally did not have to do, and it made an impact on me.

By looking at the business relationship with me as something more than transactional, we were able to help fill a position that I was trying to fill. Going further, I always thought of that person when a new position came available. He was not just a file in an CRM but a real person that I wanted to help achieve his career goals. By achieving that, you are more likely to be one of the 8% that achieve their resolution (inc.com).

 

 

 


About the Author…

Austin Ackerman is a Staffing Specialist at 4M HR Logistics. He has more than a decade of marketing and recruiting experience in the industrial and technical industries, working with clients in such disciplines as military, construction, engineering, manufacturing, logistics, and technology. He currently specializes in recruitment, marketing, and employer branding. Follow Austin on LinkedIn!

 

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