Contacting recruiters on the job search. Cold Calling?

November 15, 2012 10:49 AM

Contacting recruiters on the job search: Should I be cold-calling them? If so, how should I go about it? Any other advice about this topic?

Some allow you to submit your resume in Word or PDF formats. Usually they don’t have a contact name to address a cover letter. Should I call and ask for a contact name if just to address the cover letter? Should I then send the resume direct to that person in leui if through their online resume submission processes?

Other times they have a form online to enter your information. The problem with this is my resume is not traditional with a lot of different consulting projects. I’ve spent a lot of time constructing this work on paper and the limitation of the forms won’t properly showcase my skills and experience.

There is other good info 1, 2, 3, 4

Does anybody have any further advice on going the recruiter route? I’m looking particularly for international positions and have found very few through more traditional job boards such as Monster.com and others. Hence the recruiter route.

Thanks!

posted by Che boludo! to Work & Money (2 answers total)

I have personally cold-called recruiting firms that I felt were in line with my skills and industry. It certainly can't hurt to call them up, tell them that you're on the market and you'd like to meet with them to see if they are the right firm for you to work with. They'll probably ask for an email with a copy of your resume and schedule a 30 minute sit down to talk and go over possibilities.

My experiences with this approach have all been positive.
posted by Jacob G at 11:33 AM on November 15, 2012 [1 favorite]

Recruiters make their money by selling your skills. Cold-calling them just means you've saved them some search time. Also, I get many emails from recruiters based on my LinkedIn profile. Make sure you have updated your skillset and write a personal statement that showcases your skills. Recruiters are searching for keywords, so make sure you list your skills in your industry jargon.
posted by kamikazegopher at 11:21 AM on November 16, 2012