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Interview with a Recruiter, Jo Weech, Teracore

A day in the life for me is primarily filled with meeting after meeting, and making sure that hiring managers are getting the feedback that they need and obtaining the input from them that is needed to create job descriptions. I work on wordsmithing and crafting job descriptions that people will want to read and that would actually entice them to be interested in the role, rather than just simply copying and pasting things and throwing it up on the web.

Then it’s coaching the team to make sure that they have what they need to be successful to recruit for their roles. It’s a lot of sourcing and surfing through not just LinkedIn and Indeed, but places like ClearedJobs.Net to find viable candidates. Negotiations take place with hiring managers about candidates and with candidates about their offers.

There’s always a lot that goes on and many people on my team drink a lot of coffee to keep going! Recruiters don’t work eight to five, Monday through Friday; it’s really an around the clock responsibility, because you have to be available when the hiring managers are off contract or when candidates are off contract. So you also have to be available evenings and weekends.

View all Teracore positions on ClearedJobs.Net

How has communication with candidates changed since COVID?

The ability to connect with people outside of face-to-face interactions has been our greatest challenge. But we’re finding that people are a lot more transparent and eager to engage because of the fact that everyone’s either isolated or have children at home doing homeschooling, and they have various household responsibilities. So, if they can take a break and talk about jobs, we’re finding that they’re actually far more engaged now than they have been in the past.

We’ve been able to develop great relationships with people and establish some rapport, even if they’re not ready to make the move right now. It’s all very different, but I would say that there are a lot of advantages that have come from many people being at home.

How can a job seeker capture your attention with their resume?

We always talk about the top fold. Newspapers would come folded in half, so the “top fold” is whatever would show up before you open the whole newspaper lengthwise. Don’t waste a lot of time at the top by putting things like your home address. The only reason why people ever put their home address on there was when we used to have to mail offer letters. Take all of that stuff out – you just need your name at the top.

If you have an active or current clearance, put that right underneath your name. If you do not have a clearance, the next line should state “US Citizen” or “Eligible to work in the US.” Your contact line should just have your phone number, your email address, and the link to your LinkedIn profile. That’s it, you don’t need anything else, unless you’re in military transition and you’re going to PCS out of the area. In that case, put a location of where you are going, like Austin, Texas, because most recruiters don’t know that you’re going to get your last transfer paid for – meaning you won’t need relo.

Then, put about three to five things that you see in the job description that are most paramount for you to be able to do. Like, “Over ten years’ experience managing contract acquisitions from cradle to grave.” Then talk about your expertise and your key qualifications or core competencies. It should be two or three columns of roughly three bullet points, of all of the specific skills and expertise that you have that’s germane to the position that you’re applying for.

When a recruiter sees all of this right at the top, we’re more likely to drill down into the rest of the resume. So that’s the best way to capture a recruiter’s attention, because the most important things we need to know are right there, at the top, and that’s going to push us down further and into your second page.

How should job seekers set up for a video interview?

I’ve coached a lot of job seekers over this past year. When it comes to video interviews, the one thing I always tell them is to elevate their laptop. Get it up off the desk or table, because you want to have your camera level with your eyes. It’s very important to look directly at that camera dot so that people will perceive you’re talking directly to them. Most people are looking at the person’s face on the screen. On the other end, you appear to be looking down, and not at them.

As for lighting, you don’t really need a ring light. I have a $14.99 lamp pole from Walmart and a soft light bulb that I put right in front of me. It glows just the right shade on me so that I’m able to present my best face forward.

Additionally, I’ve been coaching men to go to a store that sells makeup and purchase a matte powder to put on their face and heads. Why? You’re shining. We have to remember we’re on camera, so we need to take into consideration the tricks of the trade for television and movies.

What part of the job negotiation process can job seekers often improve?

There are certain things that you can’t negotiate like the percentage on your 401(k), or the amount of co-share of insurance premiums. However, PTO can sometimes be negotiated with many companies. Additionally, if training and certifications are important to your career, bring this up, as well. Additionally, you should have a target salary in mind that you can share. It is 2021, and we are attempting to end the “poker face” aspect of salary negotiation. So it’s just a matter of figuring out what are your non-negotiables and what’s most important to you and your goals.