Nine ways recruiters find you

Posted Feb 24 2009 8:46 AM by Anne Cheng

AnneLooking for a new job can be overwhelming – especially if you haven't been in the job market, or even updated your resume, in years. With more folks looking and opportunities seemingly shrinking, I thought it was a good time to list the places where I start my search for candidates in the hopes of giving you a few ideas. Of course, the most important factors remain a well-written resume and effective leveraging of your networking opportunities. But as for where you want to start, here's where I look:


1. Microsoft Corporate job sites: I start here because these are great places for me to find candidates who are both passionate about technology and Microsoft in particular. Microsoft recruiters look at every resume submitted through our Careers site, or if you are a college candidate, through our College Careers site. For international software development candidates, you can submit directly to the alias I provided in a previous post about international jobs.

2. Social networking sites: LinkedIn, MySpace, Facebook and Jobster are all very popular. LinkedIn is one of my favorites in terms of finding candidates, both domestically and internationally, because it was designed as a tool for professionals to connect. So if you haven't created a profile yet and you are in the job market, I recommend it. Search for past co-workers, classmates and managers to connect with and reach out to regarding job opportunities. You'll want to avoid the potentially embarrassing over-sharing of information that can happen when you use sites like Facebook for both personal and professional purposes, so look into privacy settings on these sites. Here's a primer on Facebook privacy settings.

3. Online job boards: I use CareerBuilder, Monster, Yahoo! Hotjobs, Indeed, Simply Hired, Jobs.com and MSN Careers by Career Builder, just to name a few. Some of these job boards have resume databases. If I have an opportunity that is very niche, I likely won't post that position online. Instead, I'll look through those databases for candidates that have the specific skills. So, consider downloading your resume to their database and make your profile public, even if you don't necessarily see a posting that you think is a perfect fit for you. For our international readers, I'm always on localized job sites as well and sometimes more than the ones listed above. Look online or check with others in your region to find the more popular job sites in your area.

4. Referrals: As much as I can, I reach out to my network. This can mean Microsoft employees, colleagues at other companies, candidates that recently joined Microsoft, professors or candidates that I have worked with in the past. If you do the same, you're more likely to get your resume in the right hands. Seek out those ex-colleagues who are now at the company you are interested in and have them submit your resume. Or better yet, have them pass it to their contacts who are looking for the skills you can bring to the table. For college candidates, I recommend you connect with your school or regional recruiter. Consider connecting with alumni or past interns at the companies you are interested in. Also, keep in mind professors, department deans and career center staff.

5. Events and job fairs: These have always been popular with college candidates -- but we've been noticing record numbers of industry applicants at Seattle area job fairs recently. Go online and look at the company participant list before you attend.  It can be very frustrating to spend a day at an event that is more targeted toward other professions. Consider virtual job fairs, which have become more popular recently (Microsoft has hosted a few of these in the past). These are typically advertised on job boards, corporate websites, etc. For CS candidates, I recommend going to CS conferences and forums that may or may not have job fairs built into their agendas. I'm currently looking into which events I'll be heading to for the rest of the year and targeting specific conferences/events so I can find candidates for my open roles.  

6. Online search engines:  Live, Google and Yahoo: Yes, I use all three, and I really don't have a preference because they either give me the same exact results or, better for my purposes, very different results. Either way, it's usually a win. I look for resumes online, so post it -- and highlight those keywords! Depending on the position I'm looking to fill, I am plugging in search terms regarding the skills and experience that my hiring team is interested in seeing. If you get stuck, take a look at the job descriptions for the roles that are a good fit for you. But remember, always be truthful as to how much experience you really have in an area.  

7. Blogs and Tech Forums: Post your projects and publications on your blogs, tech forums, etc. We love the candidates who are active in the tech community. If you have side projects or if you can answer questions that are posted, upload and get involved. You'll not only reach recruiters, but hiring managers as well.

8. Alumni Groups: Join your computer science alumni group if your school has one. I've already reached out to a few this year and asked them to advertise our open roles. If your university or department doesn't have an alumni group, try the social networking sites or different tech boards to see if there are existing groups. Better yet, coordinate your own alumni group with your school and tell me about it!

9. Tech-focused organizations/forums: These can be local .NET user groups, the regional IEEE groups or National Diversity organizations. They are pretty easy to find online, or check with your colleagues. Many of these groups have a presence on social networking sites. Once again, if there isn't one yet, consider creating your own.

These are the places where I look for almost every role I fill at Microsoft, however I'll also typically go beyond this if the roles are especially niche or senior. It's a tough time to be looking for a job, so be creative in how you think about your job search. If you are doing many of the above, know that you are already ahead of the game compared to a lot of job seekers. While it may take a bit longer to find the right opportunity, rest assured that many companies are still looking for great candidates: We are at Microsoft!

I'm constantly looking for new ways to reach candidates. Help us recruiters out by sharing with me the places you think I'm missing. We might see you there!

-Anne

 

Work at Microsoft!

17 Comments

  • will said:

    Of course recruiters should show what is the best way to be considered for open positions, such as the career/jobs page. If I can learn at that site that I'm twice as likely to be hired if I'm referred in, I'll make the effort.

  • d said:

    Award lists: One company looked up my CS School's online list of current prize winners, found their respective email addresses, and then sent individualised emails praising them on their awards, and inviting them to contact the recruiter directly.

    Amusingly, the company had not sponsored any prizes, thus they were leveraging their competitors' prizes to identify the best students!

    Minor caveat: If the recipients compare emails and discover it's a simple mail merge (with no effort to find out more about them, beyond what prizes they've won) then they mightn't be so impressed.

  • Kim-Free Website said:

    Most companies in our country gets a list of "cream of the crop" from reputable universities.They invite these people to join their workforce or even offer scholarships for them to work in the company after graduation. Thanks for the post. Very interesting.

  • richard s said:

    About.com choose 3 websites where job seekers got the best results -

    <a target="_blank" href="http://www.linkedin.com">http://www.linkedin.com</a> (networking for professionals)

    <a target="_blank" href="http://www.indeed.com">http://www.indeed.com</a> (aggregated listings)

    <a target="_blank" href="http://www.realmatch.com">http://www.realmatch.com</a> (matches you to jobs)

    All three of these were just added to the about.com top 10 job list too. For those looking, good luck!

  • Felix said:

    Hi Anne,

    Hope you will be fine. Is MS going to Dubai for Middle East recruiting? I heard from my friends in MS that MS has stopped international hirings.

    Waiting for your reply.

    Regards,

    Felix

  • Resume Templates said:

    When recruiting graduates, two of our large corporate clients have in the past approached select University 'Heads of Department' for a formal recommendations of high performing, soon to be graduates. Job descriptions and applications are then forwarded to scholarship holders, honors students and high performers. Timed perfectly to coincide with the finishing of their studies. Fleur Wiig

  • Anne Cheng said:

    Thanks for all the great suggestions - keep it coming if you have ideas on anything not stated above!

    *Felix - We are still recruiting candidates from the around the world for our global oppoortunities. I encourage you to apply and we'll keep you in mind for our open opportunities now or as they come up.

    Good luck all!

    Anne

  • Alex said:

    Hi!

    What about this for an idea? I created a "career" website (www.hirealexklein.com) and posted my resume and writing samples on it. I then reference the website when applying to a job rather than attaching my resume to the e-mail.

    Thanks,

    Alex

  • Mike Miller said:

    I have done a Video Resume of myself and uploaded to <a target="_blank" href="http://www.mayomann.com">http://www.mayomann.com</a> . Does Microsoft reviews Video Resumes??

    Mike Miller

  • Designer Resume said:

    Great post thanks.

    Another way some organizations recruit for Senior or Specialist positions is through "Head Hunting". Talented persons are approached directly by the recruiting company. More than often employees of direct competitors are approached as they know the market, have the same skill sets and experience required. If not competitors, they may be a referral from an existing employee or close network partner.

    Recruiting in this manner is often more cost effective for the organization whom doesn't need to go through a recruitment agent and is an effective approach to find highly skilled candidates without alerting the market place as to their intentions. Fleur Wiig, CEO ResumeTemplates-USA

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