Lately, I have had multiple recruiters contact me about the same job. This is something that I have increasingly had to deal with in the last few years.
Normally these jobs are six figures and with Fortune 100 companies. Of course, I am flattered that they think of me when they read these job postings. To be honest I have had more success with recruiters contacting me for a job than in applying for jobs on LinkedIn. The typical number of people who apply for the jobs that I have applied for is about 100, and sometimes the number can be very small. At times the number is 1, and then I wonder if I am a fool for applying. What didn’t I see that other people saw?
Why am I sharing this? Just to let you know when your skills are unique or less common, then you get put on recruiters lists. I am probably on the recruiter’s naughty and nice list. No doubt some hate me, and some like me. You can’t control that so don’t worry about it. You can’t please everyone so don’t bother trying.
Increasingly LinkedIn is less useful as more people use it. When I started in 2009 I really stood out because there were fewer people, and I still stand out but less so with more people. This is natural. There are always people with more experience than you, and as they join this platform they deserve their success. I don’t begrudge any company that chooses anyone else. There are people smarter and more experienced than I am. I would be foolish to think that I was best for every job that I applied for.
This means that when we apply for jobs on LinkedIn we need to have some perspective and humility about where we stack up in the world. When I am contacted by a recruiter who is the second to talk about a job opportunity, I thank them and share with them that I have already been contacted about this position. I also don’t accept being submitted for a job if the recruiter can’t provide a number/identification for the job. Then I know for sure that the job is the same.
Just like we as candidates hate to have our time wasted, we should respect recruiters’ time and not waste their time. When we treat others respectfully and kindly we help make the world a better place. If you don’t care about that, you save yourself time by being honest and transparent. Normally people appreciate that.