Windows 7 Pro blog the-recruiter-ambassador-extrao

Recruiters serve as ambassadors to a business. Saying that statement is just stating the obvious, and of course, I 100% agree. But I wish all other recruiters did, too.
Recently, while organizing my old documents, I found the draft of an e-mail I sent to my team soon after beginning my career at Microsoft. The e-mail began:
My Dayquil may be getting the best of me today, but in the wake of some recent meetings, I thought I’d send out my thoughts on a few candidate issues. In my six weeks working here, I’ve accumulated a list of Microsoft outsider opinions that I felt might be useful to remember when corresponding with candidates.
In just the few weeks since I’ve started,Windows 7 Pro, I can already feel myself thinking less and less as an outside individual and more as a Microsoft corporate employee. We were reminded during a recent team meeting that we,Office Pro Plus 2010, as the gatekeepers to careers at Microsoft, play an incredibly important role in the lives of our candidates. In essence, we are fairy godparents, and we need to keep that in mind.
It sounds like I needed a blog back then!
If this blog has taught me anything, it’s that recruiters have a profound influence on the image of a company.
I think about the urban legends (fact or fiction?) that that used to surround Trilogy’s recruiters, and I can remember being a 20 year old college student while reading "Wooing the Geeks” in Rolling Stone. The article states:
“… Trilogy's products may be dull but its corporate culture is not. Neither is its recruiting program. The business markets itself to college students as though it were a garage band. Trilogy recruiters are your friends. They're your age. They drink tequila shots with you. They listen to the same music. When Trilogy sponsors an event on a campus,Office 2010 Pro Plus, it's likely to be something offbeat and quirky - like buying pizza for the participants and spectators at a twenty-four-hour bicycle race at Rice University in Houston, or passing out free disposable cameras with TRILOGY emblazoned on them during Carnival at Carnegie Mellon. Trilogy recruiters themselves are often former sorority girls who are smart and friendly; one recently showed up at a beach party for recruits in a teeny-weeny bikini. They may not be up on all the latest technology, but they know how to make a geek feel wanted.”
And today, six years later, I turn on my computer, read about Google’s latest recruiting tactic, and repeat my daily recent mantra: Those damn Googlers,Office 2007 Professional!
I think about when I was in college, and I remember the word on the street was that Microsoft recruiters had big butts (I’m just repeating what I heard – not confirming it’s true!) and that if you pissed them off, you better watch out (again, repeating the rumors!)
And today, six years later, I know those stories aren’t true, but I also know we could do a lot better at conveying a more positive image of the company and truly living our business values.
All too often, Zo"e and I receive e-mails or see comments from readers who do not have a good impression of Microsoft Recruiting. Most frequently, these negative impressions were formed from recruiters simply not following up and following through on communications with the applicant. Our application process can feel like a black hole, and some of our actions once someone enters the interview process do not necessarily counteract that perception.
I have to say I have been completely shocked and saddened by the number of reports Zo"e and I have received saying that particular recruiters do not follow-up. Sure, a current applicant is a future applicant so it’s important not to alienate and break ties, but more importantly, a current applicant is a current and future customer, and for the good of the enterprise, we as recruiters need to always be cognizant of our actions and of how we reflect the values of the organizations we support. I actually know a large,Office Professional 2010 Key, large, large majority of recruiters are terrific ambassadors for the organization, but it’s the few bad apples that tend to make the biggest impressions.
Zo"e and I plan to share our findings out with our peers to ensure they are always mindful of the important role they play in connecting with our customers. I honestly think part of the problem is recruiters just don’t realize the impact (good or bad) they can have on others outside the corporation. We should think more highly of our influence. And with great power comes great responsibility …
gretchen
P.S. With this post, I should remind everyone of my disclaimer.