Don't fear the recruiter
I'm currently reading through The 2-hour Job Search by Steve Dalton, and it's been eye opening mainly because I would never choose to read a book like this. It has a lot of neat perspectives that I think apply well to job hunting in the software field and I would like to share more thoughts in a later post. Anyway...
It's strange that I'm even reading this book because of my initial reasoning for pursuing a career as a software engineer. The first and foremost hard truth is that I am a gigantic nerd that loves software, and in a futuristic Star Trek non-mirror universe I would code without pay for the benefit of humanity. The other hard truth is that I am not a resourceful individual when it comes to networking and acquiring money, and a career in software allows me to get the most money with the least amount of effort on that front.
I have not yet had a seasoned career, but already I have enjoyed the ease of job availability and mobility that others in my field enjoy and, let's be real, take for granted. Good software engineers are certainly worth the price but should not have a higher societal worth than teachers, first responders, or really any job that directly helps people. But I digress.
There are many recruiters in the IT field. Most software engineers revel in their hot labor market so much that they actively complain about how much recruiters reach out. Look not far and you will come across several three-part blog posts written by engineers about the best way to take a FIRM STANCE with these annoying recruiters. Since, after all, they work for YOU and will LOWBALL you out of your precious high salary because they are only taking advantage of the economical situation. Plus, they want 8 years of React experience even though it's been out for only 7 years. Stupid, silly recruiter.
As a lazy software engineer, I've always appreciated the existence of recruiters and had a hard time understanding why they seem to be so offensive to others. Obviously not all recruiters are equal, and some effort is needed to weed out the spam, but the alternative is to forgo recruiters which requires no effort at all.
Effort, as it relates to a job search, is a primary focus behind The 2-hour Job Search. The "2-hour" referring to the actual (and optimal) effort time needed to bootstrap a job search for maximum output. As agile-loving, ticket-assigning, sprint-planning developers, we should take note. Dalton's main takeaway is that the modern job hunting is full of messy noise and psychological pitfalls. By applying a new methodology to the process, as we do in the professional tech world, we can lower our stress and increase our output.
Recruiters are the natural product of a business model thriving on the bedlam of the job search process. Even seasoned software veterans have the potential to dry up their network and fall into the event horizon that is the endless job search. And good recruiters have mastered the new art of piercing through the noise. Although Dalton is a career-coach with a MBA background, I would have fully believed if he gained his industry expertise working as a senior recruiter.
One congruent example: according to the book, an initial correspondence to a first or second-degree job connection should be a short message of introduction and asking for a quick 15-minute informational interview. No long statement-of-purpose is necessary nor effective, and the wording should be akin to "could you do me a favor?". This struck me as an identical tactic used by recruiters to seek out a connection with candidates. And it works with me and many others, since after all - no strings are attached.
Recruiters also understand the importance of maintaining a real network of professional peers. Engineers also understand this, but over time this idea is deafened by their job security. Dalton absolutely understands this, and argues that it is the key way to getting interviews since it's unfeasible for hiring managers to cold-read applications these days. A network of people is the key to finding jobs or finding candidates, but it requires an effort of kindling over time. In my experience, I've dealt with many local recruiters who I've built mutual relationships with. I seek out the ones who listen and know the good fits, and it helps narrow my effort and time spent.
I also encounter recruiters who require me to do a four hour take home assignment, want me to move to Shakogee, WI, or drop me after realizing that my javascript experience doesn't translate to java experience. I, too, can become enraged thinking of the time-sinking psychological stress they caused me.
But as Dalton assures - the worst network contact is one that responds only out of guilt, and who will unwittingly lead you on and waste your time. It is actually better to be ignored by someone, so you know not to spend effort on them. Recruiters come from a business that can wear its intentions on its sleeve. After all, they don't want you to waste their time either.
So I guess my point is: recruiters are doing the job that engineers are often too privileged to do. And those who must personally wade the job swamp understand that it is far too easy to become lost in it, these days. You do not need to work with a recruiter, but you should then take note of their tactics and apply it to your own job search. There may come a time where you could be the one pestering someone else's LinkedIn inbox.
Or you could try walking in and giving a firm handshake. Who knows.