Chris Wellington “The Recruiting Guy”, President, The Wellington Group

Ok people, we were all given a “proper” name or at least one much longer or more formal than the one in which we go by, send out emails with and answer to when called. So why is this important in the World of Work? Just like in my previous post, “Is Your Resume Format Hurting Your Job Search,” there are some challenges with not knowing and following how modern technology(s) and recruiters work so you can take full advantage of these systems. More so, you don’t want the little items such as what I rant about below to be the cause for not getting the job! While I am sure my mother had good reason to give me such a grand name as Christopher Clyde Wellington (Wellington came from my adopted Alaskan family), if I don’t use this across the web, in my emails or even in answering the phone how would the recruiter or HR person looking for me, well know it is truly me?

The biggest challenge lies with modern HRIS or ATS systems (you know, that “system” many recruiters and all HR people say you need to apply to). The platform has advanced such in the past few years to more accurately capture or “parse” the information off your resume in a very automatic, non-human operation. The computer has evolved as has the software, but it still can’t call Christopher Clyde Wellington just Chris. No, now when the recruiter goes into the system to look for me, well I am just not there. Truth be told I am there just not as Chris. This is much more of a problem when people use their middle name, nickname, family name if not from the US, etc.

The same holds true for social media profiles and being found on the web. Today’s recruiter, even some in corporate recruiting jobs, use social media more and more for their primary recruitment tool, or to find you on the web. But it’s impossible to truly swim through the sea of Christopher’s if I am known only as Chris. Besides all the fun people will have in “reviewing” and sharing my given name (thanks mom), it does not help my personal branding efforts, a critical component in this modern era of high visibility.

So what happens in this situation? Again if you have been following my blog posts, trainings or web articles you will know recruitment has evolved to a lazy, speed game in my opinion. Instead of seeking out why Jonathan J Weeber is not in the “system” the recruiter or HR person will tend to move on to the next candidate they can find. So what if Jonathan goes by Luke with no Middle Initial* on the internet nor in his email, next! If you are Jonathan J Weeber but go by Luke Weeber, have Luke Weeber on your resume, job boards, social media profiles, and so forth.

In short, don’t try to get overly fancy and presumptuous on your resume. Throw out the old-school rules of having the formal name given at birth (or after) and go by what you are called on a daily basis so that your resume and the social media profiles can allow you to be found in the current sea of competition. After all, you will have plenty of time to write out that more formal name, over and over again, on all the mandated paperwork and internal hiring documents ONCE YOU LAND THAT NEW JOB!

Good luck and keep working at it!

Chris

*One side note, careful using your Middle Initial on your resume. Most applicant tracking systems and even major job boards are still struggling with this extra name field and as such so are the recruiters and HR people using them.

^{To hire The Recruiting Guy as a speaker or trainer visit The Recruiting Guy or contact The Wellington Group @ info@thewellington-group.com.}

Chris Wellington “The Recruiting Guy”, President, The Wellington Group

Careful where you put your resume or enter your email address as it just might be a recruiting firm in disguise!

I received an email last week from a LinkedIn connection that read, “Come check out this exciting new website for medical professionals only…,” Well, you know me I had to check it out, just might be a great place to network with some of the people we are seeking for current or future job openings. Also, it seemed a bit “fishy” as the person sending this through LinkedIn is also an owner of a staffing company. So I bounced the link to my third monitor and started to peel back the layers of this so called networking site for “medical professionals only.”

What I found is an all too common scenario in the world of internet smoke and mirrors, a recruiter or recruitment firm trying to build their candidate pipeline and/or client leads through a misleading website. Yes, some recruitment firms are creating a false identity to attract in more traffic to their niche(s). A few have even gone as far as to post corporate client jobs or import them off the web to look like real networking posts. The truth is they are paid to do so or they literally take the Indeed.com model and apply it to their recruitment firm so their traffic is increased. All in an effort to get you to their site!

Some prime examples of these boards are Openreq! (the Recruiting and HR industry’s “job-board” but try to put a job on there for a staffing client if you are in the same niche as the creator/staffing company owner), LinkedIn spin-offs (abuse of the LinkedIn system and a nuisance to many professional users), Jobs 2.0, Blue Steps (candidate capture portal for AESC company Members = Recruiters), Beaker (no not another Biospace but recruiters working on commission trying to fill jobs), Med Careers Village (a recruitment company founder and firm),  and on and on.

Now I don’t have an issue with recruitment firms creating “fish nets” or niche capture job boards, what chafes me is the sneaky and questionable way they are going about this fishing. I have seen and given feedback to many that are using not just the internet but social media sites and user groups to help build their brand awareness in a very professional and productive manner. I applauded these people and hold many in high regard for their approach. My issue lies with false promotion / advertising and abuse of the general public who put their careers and livelihood in the hands of recruiters (one of them is me) each day.

Now since “no one is managing the internet,” as Jill on the TWG team often says, it’s up to the global user community to share with each other these questionable intensions. After all, you might just be looking for a group of “medical professionals only,” and not for your information to be logged and captured by a recruiter in disguise. So be aware the next time you are invited to a niche internet community for behind the flashy webpage may not be other niche professional, instead recruiters who want you or your information.

Chris

To hire The Recruiting Guy as a speaker or trainer visit The Recruiting Guy or contact The Wellington Group @ info@thewellington-group.com.