I am a member of many many MANY LinkedIn Groups (the max is 50 and I managed 53 because I moderate a few), and I was shocked to see a post from someone in the "Startup" group lambasting recruiters. All recruiters, all disciplines, all the time.
Wow. Talk about a stupid thing to do. He complained about every facet of recruiting. I posted an answer, trying to explain some of the realities of recruiting, as did several other current and past recruiters. But all he did was blame everyone else but himself for the fact that he couldn’t find a job. Finally, I told him he probably would be better off running his own consulting business and not relying on other people to market and sell his particular "professional brand".
Because that is what recruiters do for candidates. We learn what your brand is, and we help you market and sell it to our clients, in this case hiring managers. Whether you are working with an agency or a corporate recruiter, however the process works, they are your marketing agency.
When a candidate looks good "on paper", the next step is often a phone screen. And when I conduct a phone screen, I’m looking for communication skills and cultural fit. And guess what will land an otherwise qualified candidate in the trash pile? Poor attitude. It could be cocky or overconfident or blase, or it could be someone that is timid or all over the map when it comes to discussing their history. Keep in mind that I expect more aplomb from a senior candidate with years under their belt than a fairly new graduate, but you do need to be able to talk to me and tell my why *you* are the right candidate for the job.
So how does *your* professional brand translate? Like a whiny teenager or a motivated, smart professional that is an asset to any organization?
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