Find yourself using the down economy as an excuse in your unemployment?

Of course being a recruiter during these economic times can be a little frustrating....but not for me. I have been very successful in the past couple of months finding the right software testing jobs for the right people. Sure the talent bar has been raised, but I maintain my focus on those who don't use the economy as an excuse. For example, when I ask a candidate, "how has the job market been treating you," or "when was your last interview?" and I hear "well not too good considering the job market".....um no:) That is a yellow flag my friends and as a professional IT recruiter, I don't want to hear that. Bottom line is that good candidates will do what it takes to prove they are the right person for a job; no matter what. Staying proactive, showing up at companies’ doorsteps with resume in hand, networking with professionals, finding out what is not working and solving the problem are some ideas that come to mind.

Here is a great story from a candidate that I engaged with recently. I was sourcing for blackbox testers and I came across a very motivated candidate that told me the traditional stuff that I heard on a daily basis i.e. "put me anywhere," "I can hit the ground running," "I can ramp up on new technologies very quickly," etc, but what blew me away about this candidate is that after speaking with me and finding out who my client was, he found out a way to network with a PM working for the same company as my client and took him out to lunch on his own dime! During lunch he really buckled down and found out more about the position and sold himself to the PM to put in a good word. Low and behold when it came time to shortlist candidates from the client's end, he was not forgotten. Yes, I played a role in this candidate’s fate, but at the end of the day he made it work. "What recession?" he said

I understand that these are tough times and that no one is immune, but it is the individuals that can't find jobs that will be the first to emphasize that the economy is upside down. Solid job seekers will ignore these rumors when they come their way and make it work because they know what they are worth.

Good luck to all and hope to speak with you sometime in the future!

"During the great depression Tom Watson committed IBM to build a new research center, a move that positioned them at the forefront of their peer group. A generation later, Bill Hewlitt of HP “committed to building the pocket calculator – at the time, a supposedly impossible task – during the 1969-1970 recession.” - Portfolio.com article by Kevin Maney