What Recruiters Want

At the Kennedy Recruiting Conference in Orlando, FL earlier this week, I sat in on a Q&A session with four recruiters representing both contingency and retained search firms. All agreed that the most desirable candidates:

1. have a polished elevator pitch and an enthusiastic delivery.
2. discuss what they have done, (accomplishments) not what they do (tasks).
3. use a reverse-chronological format for their resume

They went on to say that the best interviewees:

1. are completely honest.
2. ask questions throughout the interview to create a dialogue.
3. limit their responses to one or two minutes.
4. never bring up salary in an interview with a hiring manager.
5. let the hiring manager know they are interested in the position.
   

Your Personal Pitch: Keep it Short and Sweet

One of my clients recently came to my office to work on his pitch. He told me that he had widdled his pitch down to 15 minutes. This led to a discussion about the importance of having a succinct and targeted message. Two minutes is appropriate. 15 minutes is a quarter of an interview and much too long.

Think of your pitch as if it were a PowerPoint presentation. Don't clutter the slides with too much info...just offer the key points. Here's how your PowerPoint slide might look:

• professional identity
• 3 core competencies and measurable proof of these competencies
• quick overview of your professional and educational background
• the reason why you are interested in a particular job opportunity or company
  

Yes, you can get all the relevant information into the pitch without talking for 15 minutes and in this case, less is more. Here's some more advice on pitches from the Cube Rules blog.