Question: For Job Seekers and Talent Acquisition Folks

sls2u·Sep 13

As a tech recruiter focusing in the IT space, what is the audiences opinion on various ways to reach out to potential candidates for a job opportunity- when you have never worked or connected with them before? (The best way, open to honest feedback)

For Job Seekers that are either employed or actively on the market- Do you prefer a cold call or email or text as the first form of contact?

For TA folks- What is your stance on this? Do you prefer emailing potential candidates first or do you like to call candidates?

I have my thoughts on this process, but wanted to hear the what you think!

Also, for both audiences, is there a better way to reach candidates that is more condusive to an inital connect?

---Updated Question---

@azzcatdesign Made a point in her response about posting the salary or rate range in the inital contact email. So I wanted to gain the Elpha members opinions on this: Do you think this should be a SOP going forward on the inital out reach email?

Also, she had mentioned slimmed version of bullet points for the jd. I prefer to send the jd link from our companies career page. What are your preferences when you first receive emails? Or is there another way that is better?

Ophelia153·Sep 13

Email is preferred. I don't answer the phone if it comes from an unknown number.

Morgan·Sep 13

Seconding email:- Please tell me who the company is without me having to get onto the phone. I understand 100% why you do it, and I think it's evil when people try to go around you and cheat you out of your commission, but a phone call isn't necessary.If you text me at my personal number (my VOIP number is fine, and I understand you may not know which is which, I have been slowly phasing it in my applications), it feels invasive.

sls2u·Sep 14

Typically I text folks that I already have connected with ie- like a reminder for interview or whatever the msg may be. As a jobseeker what typically do you like to see messaging wise in a text if a recruiter is reaching out to you for the first time?

Morgan·Sep 14

First time, email please.Every time I've had a second interview they stuck to email as well, but if someone asked we could go to text.

Iynna·Sep 14

Please no calls, no texts, under no circumstances. Unless you’re my mom or my dad, you’ll be ignored (and possibly blocked). Email or linkedIn messages!

BidyaD·Sep 14

As mentioned by others, email is the way to go. I don't pick up calls from an unknown number nor will I respond to voicemail unless you already emailed me.

Tory167·Sep 14

Same with other commenters - email or LinkedIn message! The thing that makes me the most angry is when recruiters email me at my work email - especially when they say they saw my open to work status. If a recruiter can't find my personal email, they need to message me on LinkedIn. Emailing a candidate at their work email puts our jobs at risk.

azzcatdesign·Sep 14

+1 for LinkedIn messaging! Although, I have had recruiters request my email, which I don’t understand…it’s there in my contact info. But I have heard that recruiters actually get a different LI view than general users. IDK.

sls2u·Sep 14

We do get a different LinkedIn UI that is more robust when it comes to sourcing candidates. Companies have to pay extra for those licenses so some companies may not have the funds to upgrade the recruiters accounts.

May53·Sep 15

If they're willing to be so ballsy, they better be offering you a job to replace the one you could possibly lose. Makes me wonder how they remain employed with a thought process like that.

azzcatdesign·Sep 14

Email. Not picking up (most of the time) to answer calls from unknown numbers. And you better damn well know me personally to text me—that’s family/friends/pizza pickup only. The problem with texting is that it implies immediacy. Nope. This is a business transaction, and as such, belongs elsewhere, where asynchronous communication is standardEmail also affords the candidate the ability to organize communications into smart folders, to cc someone, etc. And…since EVERY recruiter already knows and does this…(LOL, NOT!)…formats the full JD into easily digestible bullet points and includes pay rate range.

sls2u·Sep 14

To follow up on your point with a question but asking every member that's taking time to answer ❤️! Do you prefer the recruiter to send the copy/paste version of the jd? What I typically do is send the job description link, bc I am not a fan of scrolling on my phone reading a long email. (But that is just me and my preference) Also, what do the members feel about posting the salary range in the email vs in the job posting page?

azzcatdesign·Sep 15

Links are fine, great, in fact. I don’t expect a recruiter to rewrite the JD…heck, no! How they’re written is an insight into how well the company understands the job, and their priorities. Red flag is when UX jobs neglect accessibility (a11y) in the skills list.Rather, what I was referring to are the super skimpy, completely useless summaries recruiters send…often nothing more than “Great UX opportunity, need Figma! Let’s schedule a conversation!” bullsh*t. If I’m feeling generous, I email/message (LI) back with a short note that sure, I’m happy to schedule a convo AFTER a full JD, pay rate, and end client has been provided; so as to not waste our time if position isn’t what I’m seeking.Most times, this evolves into email/messaging volleyball…recruiter sends me full JD, sans pay rate and client…I say ‘JD is OK, but still require pay rate’…recruiter asks me what I’m seeking…I say ‘No, tell me what is budgeted for the position’…recruiter sends range…I say, ‘OK’ (or not) to point in range, ask again WHO the client is (for third party recruiters). Now we’re ~4 or 5 rounds in and if it’s a good job, I’ll say ‘Let’s schedule a call’.From there, it’s a crap shoot as to whether or not I’m ghosted. Fun times.As to salary/pay range: ALWAYS POST IN JOB DESCRIPTION. Stop wasting candidate’s time. We know our worth, and do not need to apply to any job that’s not competitive.

LornaT·Sep 14

For first contact, I prefer email or LinkedIn message. I've gotten too many spam calls to bother with answering the phone from an unknown number. After that first contact, it's much more comfortable to set up other forms of contact. For a start, I'll know to add your number to my Contacts.

Daree·Sep 15

Often, I will get cold calls for the same exact role for several hours. Usually the same recruiter has also emailed me and I find it to be a little pushy. So I prefer to get an email and then respond if I’m interested. Same thing with a DM on LinkedIn.I want to have all of the information from the job description, including the salary or rate range in the description. Often, recruiters will send me things like a hybrid role or on-site role in a completely different state that is several hundreds or thousands of miles from where I live. I rarely respond to those because I feel like it’s lazy to not look at the top of my résumé to see where I live.They also often send me roles that have absolutely nothing to do with what I’m looking for and what I have listed on my résumé. Just because one word matches the job title doesn’t mean it’s the same role.So in summary, I like to be contacted initially by email or DM with all of the information in order for me to decide whether I’m interested.

sls2u·Sep 15

I had the same experience when I was a job seeker. Where people would double dial me and then not even disclose the name on the phone. Also, totally understand, I received "Your skills are Perfect for... Helpdesk, Cybersecurity, Java developer" jobs 🤦‍♀️