In what seems like ancient history, I wrote this post back in 2008 about how candidates can go about finding their very own recruiter. Since then, a lot has changed! For starters we’ve completely revamped our careers site and now – at least for college students – finding your recruiter is easier than ever! Really. You just select the items from the drop down that apply to you – and presto – there’s a short bio for your recruiter and even a link to contact! Second – as the popularity of networking sites like LinkedIn continues to increase, it seems that almost anyone is searchable and a mere click or two away.

With all of that in mind, I felt a follow up post was long overdue and wanted to provide a few quick tips on what I call “Making First Contact.”  

1. Target your approach: As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, recruiters for experienced positions at Microsoft are often aligned by both product group and also the discipline or profession for which they hire. For example, my role is focused entirely on hiring technical talent (Software Developers, Program Managers, and Developers in Test) for the Windows Live organization. Other than as a potential networking hub, I’m unlikely to be much help to someone looking for say a role in Office, or perhaps one of our Marketing functions. It’s just not in my scope or area of expertise. Before contacting a recruiter, it’s always a good idea to make sure that the recruiter you’re contacting is really the best person for the job!

2. Set expectations: What do you hope to achieve from the communication? Be clear in your goals and what you want. Is there a specific opening you want to be considered for?Are you unsure what you should be applying for and looking for guidance? The more specific you are in your goals and objectives, the more likely I am to help you achieve them. As an extreme edge case – the worst thing you could do is send a generic “I want a job” email. This may have the undesirable effect of conveying laziness, or at the very least, a lack of understanding of the process or value for my time.

3. Back up your case: Continuing in the theme for #2, the more detail you can provide the better. This is an email, not a cover letter, but at the same time including a few tidbits or examples to back up why you think you’re a good candidate or why you need assistance beyond the regular application portal is important. If you’re a spam and reputation service expert and just can’t seem to find any job listings that seem to be worth applying to – call that out! As the old adage goes, “Help me, help you.”

4. Include your resume: This may seem an obvious one, but you’d be surprised how many emails I receive that don’t include a resume. Of course, sending a resume by email doesn’t replace having to apply through the careers site, but it’s more convenient to the recruiter than having to look it up in our database.  

5. Don’t spam: Or maybe, put another way, be genuine in your approach! There isn’t anything wrong with contacting more than one recruiter to hedge your bets, but be transparent with each recruiter about what you are doing. And don’t send the exact same form-letter to all of us. I want to give everyone the benefit of the doubt, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say my opinion isn’t adversely affected when I receive a form letter with one of our competitor’s names in the subject line!

6. And last...be patient: Recruiters receive hundreds of email a day, and while we do our best it’s inevitable that some triage takes place. By following the above advice you can increase the likelihood of a response, but not necessarily guarantee it. If you aren’t hearing back, it’s okay to send a follow up mail a few days after the original, but beyond that consider that you might not be contacting the right person or asking the right questions. If you still aren’t hearing back, take a self-critical look and consider another route. And, as always, don’t forget the careers site! It’s still the primary route to be considered for any open position!

-Kenji