Search Firm Rules of the Road:
Your resume shouldn't clone itself, again and again
If you get submitted to the same place twice, thrice or more the client will
begin to get the idea that you are trying to physically insert your resume down
his/her esophagus. Also, the client will not know which search firm to work with
if your resume is received from multiple search firms. Finally, the
unprofessionalism will make the clients and search firms leary of working with
you.
So, keep a list and check it:
Keep a list and check it and only send your resume to the same company once.
Keep a list of what company, the date, which search firm and the names of the
people you spoke with.
Make sure your search firms have the same professionalism:
There are search firms out there that prefer the shotgun approach. They throw
your resume everywhere in the marketplace and hope that someone will bite. This
makes you look bad not only because of the "double submittal" but it also makes
it look like you are applying to jobs you're not qualified for. Only work with
firms who call you for each and every position before they send your resume. If
a firm won't give you the name of the client, they don't trust you - why would
you trust them?
Don't stick your resume where it doesn't belong:
So you're good at what you do...but you don't do everything. There are
candidates out there that claim they can do "that" - "that" being anything we
ask. After a while, we begin not to trust those candidates can do anything.
Their reputation gets around, clients distrust them and it ends in a nasty
spiral where they can't get a job so they continue to say it out of sheer
frustration and lack of work. Stick to what you know and do it well. If you get
a call about a job you can't do, just say, that's not me. Eventually you'll get
that perfect job. And when you do say, "Yes, I can do that." Everyone will also
know you are the perfect candidate.
Be honest about your background:
When talking to recruiters, be honest about your background, salary, etc. If you
overshoot, you will miss the target in the same way as if you undershoot. It is
better, however, to underpromise and overdeliver than the alternative.
