Free Use Your Head to Get Your Foot in the Door by Harvey Mackay

human life has its ups and downs. Often, they can help you present a flaw in an honest but diplomatic way.
    Also, it’s best to be up-front and authentic in an interview with a recruiter. Recruiters don’t like surprises, and we also want to see how you’ll hold up in front of our client if you make the “short list.” No need to make it an Oprah moment, but recruiters are smart enough to detect if something is eating at you, and even more . . . if you’re trying to cover it up.
    For example, I had recruited a “star” that had excelled throughout her career as an arbitration attorney for her blue-chip employer. Talk about a high-pressure job! Sitting across the bargaining table gave her nerves of steel. You can imagine my surprise when midway through our interview her demeanor changed, her answers lacked cohesiveness, and she seemed generally spaced out. I’m thinking, oops, not the right referral for my client.
    After digging deeper, it became crystal clear—she had just suffered a personal loss and had more than understandable anxiety. Her uncharacteristic behavior became plausible after she opened up. Recruiters “get it,” and can be an invaluable asset to prep their candidate for the client interview.
     
    Will a good recruiter camouflage a candidate’s truly serious shortcomings just to place a body in a slot to pocket the placement fee?
    Not if they’re smart, Harvey. Self-interest motivates professional recruiters to act ethically and responsibly. That means being forthcoming and candid about the candidates presented. Recruiters want long-term relationships with their client companies, and there’s no better way to torpedo that trust than by placing a bad hire. It diminishes the quality of the team. Each new addition should help lift the standard of competency and values of the organization you’ve been engaged to help.
     
    Are networking skills better today than they were five to ten years ago? What role do Web sites like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn play?
    Candidates have many more tools at their disposal today, and professionals who manage their careers effectively know how to use these tools well. But even though computer networking seems more efficient, don’t lose sight of what really influences potential employers to have a memorable impression of you. Will it be a glossy presentation in Facebook or a face-to-face encounter?
    Let’s say you go up to a CEO or a top-level executive after he or she has delivered a speech. You approach the podium beaming a genuine smile of appreciation and say, “May I give you my business card? If there might ever be a time we could sit and visit, I would value learning more about why you made some of the memorable decisions you described so well in your speech.”
    Which impression is likelier to register and to get your foot in the door—the e-mail . . . or the heartfelt handshake plus?
     
    What’s the #1 piece of advice you would give a person who chooses to have a presence in a social networking site like Facebook?
    In Facebook entries on the Web, I’m surprised at how few people feature a bold, clear statement of what their core professional competency is. Giving that matter prominence in itself shows you are a serious-minded person.
    A recruiter reacts favorably if a person maps out their presence on the Web strategically, choosing to be visible on meaningful search engines and to avoid frivolous ones.
     
    Do you use sources like Facebook to create a roster of candidates for a search?
    While I rarely use Facebook, for example, to assemble a candidate list, Web resources like Google, Facebook, and LinkedIn are increasingly important in the vetting process.
     
    So these Web exposures aren’t just risk-free fun-for-alls?
    Don’t celebrate your missteps in digital media or social networking sites. Think of yourself as a personal brand. Look at the damage Olympic Gold Medal swimmer Michael Phelps did to himself after a camera caught him using a bong