Why is this helpful for a job seeker to know? Understanding what goes on behind the scenes helps you learn how to best fit yourself in seamlessly and effectively as a candidate.
Meetings, Meetings, Meetings
Most of our time is spent in meetings, either interviewing candidates or meeting with hiring teams drive the recruiting process. The bulk of our administrative time consists of processing online applications, documenting interview notes, scouting for talent (e.g. "talent sourcing") online through platforms such as LinkedIn or Google, and lots of emailing to respond to candidates, obtain different approvals, drive decisions, and so on.
It's Project Management
At a fundamental level, amidst all the interviewing and talent scouting, recruiters project-manage the hiring process. It's like any other type of project management.
We own a workload of perhaps 20 to 50 open jobs we need to hire, each of which have a 'lifecycle' with various stages. When we log into the HR system, we see each of our projects (open jobs) and corresponding specs, requirements, phases, and in our case, applicants. At the end of the day, our KPIs are to complete each project / hire with high quality of service to our client (the hiring manager); landing on-time and on-budget (e.g. within the approved salary for the role); working cross-functionally with everyone involved; and with a positive outcome (e.g. a well-fitting, high-performing new employee who hopefully had a positive interview experience).
Here's A Sample Recruiter's Day Schedule
8:00 - 8:30 | Review & process applicants in system
8:30 - 9:30 | Phone Interviews (2)
9:30 - 10:00 | New Job Intake Meeting w/ Hiring Manager
10:00 - 11:00 | Recruiting Team Meeting
12:00 - 12:30 | Source Candidates Online / lunch at desk
12:30 - 1:30 | In-Person Interview
2:00 - 3:00 | Phone Interviews (2)
3:00 - 3:30 | Interview Debrief Meeting w/ Hiring Team
3:30 - 4:00 | HR Project Meeting
4:00 - 4:30 | Blocked Admin Time / offer calls
As you can see, we stay busy. And we do all of this with 20 to 50 open jobs to hire at any given time. (Hence, why most recruiters view your resume for just 10 to 20 seconds). We get in "the mode of interviewing" and speak with multiple people per day, so it's important to stand out and make an impression at every touch point with us.
We may post separate blogs (or vlogs) about some of these specific meetings and tasks, to give you a glimpse of how we make decisions and therefore, how you can position yourself effectively. However, those who invest in our coaching services will gain immediate and deep understanding, and the best advantages as candidates.
Also, look for future postings about how to best stand out, how to make it natural and not forced, stories about memorable interviews from other recruiters, and other helpful insight for job seekers.