Why am I suddenly a hot job prospect?
October 5, 2018 9:01 AM Subscribe
Over the years I’d gotten used to a steady drumbeat (say one every two weeks) of recruiters mailing or calling to say they’d found my resume, blah, blah, blah. Ten months ago I disabled all (I think) of my job site accounts, and contacts slowed to a trickle. Two weeks ago, it all went nuts.
I’m suddenly getting two contacts a day from a mix of corporate and independent recruiters. All of it is for technology I trained on last year (so basically the last resume I produced). It really is quite out of the blue.
Is this a hiring cycle thing? People trying to fill seats while they’ve got the budgets? Or is there some master clearinghouse of resumes mine ended up in?
If anyone can provide some insight I’d be happy to receive it.
I’m suddenly getting two contacts a day from a mix of corporate and independent recruiters. All of it is for technology I trained on last year (so basically the last resume I produced). It really is quite out of the blue.
Is this a hiring cycle thing? People trying to fill seats while they’ve got the budgets? Or is there some master clearinghouse of resumes mine ended up in?
If anyone can provide some insight I’d be happy to receive it.
Is this via LinkedIn? I'm seeing an uptick in contact in recruiter contacts through them, but the % of mismatches has also increased. It's like LI somehow is giving recruiters more results on a search, but the search criteria has been widened or, in some cases, completely ignored.
My other view is that the tech job market is red hot but wages aren't sliding upward - so candidates are staying put. Recruiters are casting the net father than usual to find bodies.
posted by JoeZydeco at 9:22 AM on October 5, 2018 [5 favorites]
My other view is that the tech job market is red hot but wages aren't sliding upward - so candidates are staying put. Recruiters are casting the net father than usual to find bodies.
posted by JoeZydeco at 9:22 AM on October 5, 2018 [5 favorites]
Many companies will work with contract recruiters who work on a per-job filled payment. Multiple recruiters are given the same requisition and the first one that fills it gets paid. Hence, it's relatively common to get contacted by multiple recruiters for exactly the same job. Perhaps a company is hiring for this skill set and many recruiters want to fill the requisition?
posted by saeculorum at 9:29 AM on October 5, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by saeculorum at 9:29 AM on October 5, 2018 [5 favorites]
Are these for jobs with companies that have federal contracts? The fiscal year started October 1, so federal agencies sometimes have to award contracts in September or risk losing funds. It means more work for contractors, and more money for hiring.
posted by specialagentwebb at 9:40 AM on October 5, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by specialagentwebb at 9:40 AM on October 5, 2018 [7 favorites]
Every time this happens to me, I figure some WSJ/Bloomberg/whatever article came out that said "it's a great time to spend shit loads of money on new hires!".
My Stackoverflow/LinkedIn resumes are public, so I'm constantly getting stuff anyway. But I have noticed a lot more "Director/VP of Engineering" type jobs in the last 2 months. My guess is that's because I'm now about 10 months away from "20 years experience building web applications" and recruiters are putting "20 years" into their searches.
On the other hand, I've have contacts come to me with pretty early stage companies that are still willing to pay large salaries in addition to equity, when even last year they'd be more alongs the line of equity instead of salary. So perhaps people really do have more money than usual these days.
posted by sideshow at 10:17 AM on October 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
My Stackoverflow/LinkedIn resumes are public, so I'm constantly getting stuff anyway. But I have noticed a lot more "Director/VP of Engineering" type jobs in the last 2 months. My guess is that's because I'm now about 10 months away from "20 years experience building web applications" and recruiters are putting "20 years" into their searches.
On the other hand, I've have contacts come to me with pretty early stage companies that are still willing to pay large salaries in addition to equity, when even last year they'd be more alongs the line of equity instead of salary. So perhaps people really do have more money than usual these days.
posted by sideshow at 10:17 AM on October 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
No one is able to fill their open reqs. Many hiring managers and recruiters figured that they'd see more candidates after the summer lull. The candidates aren't appearing.
posted by heigh-hothederryo at 10:18 AM on October 5, 2018
posted by heigh-hothederryo at 10:18 AM on October 5, 2018
Around DC a lot of this is because the federal fiscal year starts in October (but some private companies run their fiscal year by the same calendar, so it's not all federal). That's one of two waves around here, the other one being more or less aligned with the start of the calendar year. A lot of the October hiring seems based on pent up demand, as if the head count was just waiting on the new budget and the requisition could go out as soon as the new budget was effective. The new calendar year hiring, on the other hand, takes 2-4 weeks to ramp up and really gets going from late January to mid February.
No one is able to fill their open reqs.
My experience looking for jobs for the past 15 months is that I can't even get a phone call after applying for jobs I'm totally qualified to do, but the same job listings will keep showing up on LinkedIn for months. I get not hiring me, but not hiring anybody at all seems like evidence the company's doing something wrong with its hiring process. I see this as a failure of screening and hiring more than a lack of suitable candidates on the market. I've got 20 years experience in IT. I'm not applying for jobs I can't do. If I don't even get a phone call or a courtesy interview and LinkedIn keeps recommending your opening to me months after I applied for it, that's not me, that's you.
posted by fedward at 10:58 AM on October 5, 2018 [6 favorites]
No one is able to fill their open reqs.
My experience looking for jobs for the past 15 months is that I can't even get a phone call after applying for jobs I'm totally qualified to do, but the same job listings will keep showing up on LinkedIn for months. I get not hiring me, but not hiring anybody at all seems like evidence the company's doing something wrong with its hiring process. I see this as a failure of screening and hiring more than a lack of suitable candidates on the market. I've got 20 years experience in IT. I'm not applying for jobs I can't do. If I don't even get a phone call or a courtesy interview and LinkedIn keeps recommending your opening to me months after I applied for it, that's not me, that's you.
posted by fedward at 10:58 AM on October 5, 2018 [6 favorites]
"My experience looking for jobs for the past 15 months is that I can't even get a phone call after applying for jobs I'm totally qualified to do, but the same job listings will keep showing up on LinkedIn for months."
They are possibly multiple job postings. But what I learned in the past two months is: companies are shooting themselves in the foot with their AI / ATS scans. Resumes are being screened out before ever being seen by a human being who can read between the lines. My personal recommendation, as it started working immediately for me: use a service like Jobscan, which helps you tweak your resume to get past the ATS for a particular job posting.
posted by heigh-hothederryo at 12:05 PM on October 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
They are possibly multiple job postings. But what I learned in the past two months is: companies are shooting themselves in the foot with their AI / ATS scans. Resumes are being screened out before ever being seen by a human being who can read between the lines. My personal recommendation, as it started working immediately for me: use a service like Jobscan, which helps you tweak your resume to get past the ATS for a particular job posting.
posted by heigh-hothederryo at 12:05 PM on October 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
Could be something going on with your employer. For example, recruiters will perk up if a company announces major layoffs, in the hopes that even employees who weren't laid off will be scared and looking around.
posted by phoenixy at 6:59 PM on October 5, 2018
posted by phoenixy at 6:59 PM on October 5, 2018
US unemployment is touching rates not seen since the 60s and wages are - for one reason or another - slow to really move. Firms want workers and for the first time in a long time, many are struggling to fill positions.
posted by hawthorne at 4:55 AM on October 7, 2018
posted by hawthorne at 4:55 AM on October 7, 2018
I'm seeing the same massive uptick in recruiter contacts.
I think the boomers are now in their peak age discrimination victom-hood years. There are plenty of well qualified candidates, but there are very few twenty-something candidates with more than ten years experience in the JavaScript framework of the week. So the contacts do not lead to job offers.
posted by monotreme at 12:04 PM on October 7, 2018
I think the boomers are now in their peak age discrimination victom-hood years. There are plenty of well qualified candidates, but there are very few twenty-something candidates with more than ten years experience in the JavaScript framework of the week. So the contacts do not lead to job offers.
posted by monotreme at 12:04 PM on October 7, 2018
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posted by parm at 9:11 AM on October 5, 2018 [1 favorite]