From start to finish, the recruiting process is loaded with established guidelines, deadlines, schedules, and rules. But beyond the advice doled out by career counselors and those stale how-to books, there's a vast pool of unwritten knowledge handed down with a wink by benevolent graduates and recruiters alike. These nuggets are off the record and between the lines-and could mean the difference between coming in for a second interview and coming in second place. But to get the goods, you have to know the right people. We do. In fact, many of our recruiting experts have such high positions that they wouldn't let their names be used. You'll soon see why.
Laying the Groundwork
1. Need to call a recruiter? Do it before nine or after five. That way, you won't get her assistant. (Assistants almost never make hiring decisions.) If no one answers, just leave a message. Don't hang up and call back five more times. Ever hear of caller ID?
2. Make friends with a second-year who's already received offers from companies you want to work for. Why? Because many recruiters ask new hires who the stars of the incoming class are, and you want yours to be the name they drop. Don't disguise your motives. "It's perfectly within protocol for a first-year to ask a second-year to have a beer or a cup of coffee to talk about a company," says one NYU Stern '95 grad. "If I like you, I'll definitely pass your name along, but don't e-mail me your resumé out of the clear blue and expect me to submit it to the company."
3. Calling distant relatives or friends of friends of friends to network is a good move, but don't spend more than two sentences explaining your connection to the person. "Within 30 seconds, I should know that you're good for the job because you're at the top of your class, not because you used to play on my kid's soccer team," says a campus recruiter for a major bank.
4. Companies that recruit on campus adhere to rigid schedules-but that's no reason you should. "A month before they hit campus, write a letter or make a call to each company's rep to introduce yourself," says Antoinette Chambers, director of MBA career services at the University of Tennessee. "They'll be impressed with your interest and initiative, and when the recruiters show up, I guarantee they'll remember your name."
5. From Jose Andino, the human resources manager at CNBC.com, who sees 10 to 15 recruits a week: "People spend more time investigating the type of house they're going to buy than the company that's hopefully going to help them buy it. And the ones who do conduct research usually confine it to the Internet. These days, that's not enough. You'd be surprised how much information you can get from calling a receptionist or chatting with a security guard-they often know more than you might expect about the company culture, and they're usually willing to talk. The first question to ask: Do people at this company generally seem happy? You'll get a lot of mileage out of that one."
6. At most companies, you're pitching yourself to two audiences: human resources and the hiring manager. So prepare two resumés, advises Deanne Rosenberg, president of Deanne Rosenberg, Inc., in Wareham, Massachusetts. One should list your credentials and experience; the other should emphasize your ability to learn. HR is simply trying to fill an order-two MBAs with x, y, and q experience, Rosenberg says. In a single glance at your resumé, they should see that you have x, y, and q, so go ahead and detail your course selection within your marketing major. Get more creative with the resumé for the hiring manager. Show how you used your marketing knowledge to create a new branding concept for the last company you worked for. She's interested in how prospective employees think, and how they've taken initiative.
7. At every possible opportunity, quantify your accomplishments. This makes what you're saying instantly credible and tangible. Saying "Acquired 10 new accounts for my brokerage last year, which ranked me first in the group" is much better than "Led group in account acquisitions." Why? Recruiters are constantly comparing candidates with one another, and they'll subconsciously associate your name with the phrase "first in the group."
The Cattle Calls
8. Always go to the company's presentation, no matter how much you already know about the firm. When an interviewer asks if you were there-and they will ask-your "Yes" will be an honest answer. Says a former associate at one of the biggest banks on the Street: "I only missed one, and sure enough, I was asked about it in the interview. It was definitely a smudge on my record."
9. Four words about business cards: Never offer, always carry. And while we're on the subject, buy a simple business-card holder-silver or gold, monogram-free.
10. Following a corporate presentation, don't approach the big-deal partner to chat her up and get her card; 30 other people will be doing precisely that. Instead, peg one of her subordinates, who likely has a hand in the early stages of the process. "You'll get quality time with a person who counts right now rather than a quick handshake from a big shot you won't be dealing with until later," says a former recruiting-team leader for a major strategic consultant.
11. At large recruiting events, swallow your sartorial pride and wear the damn name tag. If they aren't preprinted and you have to make your own, write your last name twice as large as your first. Then stick the thing over your right breast. That way, when you reach out your hand to shake, your name will jump directly into the person's line of sight.
12. RECRUITER: What would you like to drink?
YOU: Um, what kind of beer is there? No wait, maybe I'll have a gin and, well, actually-
Wrong, wrong, wrong. When it comes to alcohol consumption, know what you want to order. It doesn't matter if it's a scotch or a spritzer, make it sound like you've asked for it a thousand times before. Then don't ask for it more than twice again that night.
13. If you can, mention a recent book or article that the hiring manager probably hasn't read. Pique his interest in it. This creates a natural follow-up opportunity, namely, you sending him the article the next day along with a (very) short note.
The Interview
14. The rule of thumb for addressing prospective employers: "For someone no more than two levels above the position you want, use his or her first name," says one Silicon Alley start-up CEO. "For someone three levels or more up, use 'Mr.' or 'Ms.' until they instruct you otherwise." Never use "Homeslice" or "Sweetie."
15. If you don't immediately know the answer to a question during a case interview, look down while you think of something to say. The natural tendency is to look up, but politicians and other seasoned public speakers are coached to stare at the floor. It gives the appearance of being deep in thought.
16. From an adjunct professor of marketing at a top 20 B-school: "In a second interview, ask the recruiter why you were selected. This, of course, takes some finesse. Don't ask in a 'Why me? I'm not worthy' sort of way. Just be curious and confident. This will get your inquisitor talking about you-and let you know exactly what you should be talking to her about."
17. Acceptable reasons for not being available on the first date the recruiter proposes for a second interview:
Wedding (yours only)
Death (yours only)
18. Whether it's asked during a "friendly" recruiting dinner or in a Super Saturday grilling, the hobby question is always a trick. Don't talk about the last novel you read or your praying mantis collection. These are solo activities. "Companies want team players," explains the president of a small high-tech recruiting firm. "Talk about something that demonstrates your ability to work with others." Even if skiing's your sport, turn it into group activity by mentioning how you organized nine friends to go in on a condo last winter and hit the slopes en masse.
19. From Danielle Martin, the human resources manager at BTS USA, a management-consulting company in Stamford, Connecticut: "In the final stage of our recruiting process, each candidate gives a brief presentation on a company of her choice in front of five consultants in our firm. One candidate, who had just been introduced to the group for the first time, addressed each person by name when answering questions. To me that showed she paid attention to detail, and that she could keep her composure when interrupted by questions-both skills we look for." This goes for the entire recruiting process, of course. When someone asks who else you've met at the company (you can count on this), use the clever mnemonic devices you've created, and rattle off 17 names as if reciting your home phone number.
Interview Aftermath
20. "Save your best question for right after an interview, when, say, you're being walked to the elevator," says Amy Giering, a second-year at Stern. "The interviewer will be more focused on your question, because she's not thinking about the 10 things she has to ask you." It'll also show the interviewer that you're uncommonly inquisitive and that you think well on your feet. Plus, it makes an excellent final impression.
21. Never call a recruiter from a cell phone. Ever.
22. "Dear Mr. _____: The purpose of this letter is to thank you for the opportunity to interv-." Whoa, Officious One, stop right there. Everyone writes cookie-cutter thank-you letters. More effective is the "influence letter," in which the candidate makes all the carefully articulated points that he didn't make in the interview. In one page, restate your most relevant qualifications. Then advance the discussion you had by taking it one step further: "I was thinking about your question concerning the plant in Mexico, and I think one solution might be -- "
23. Don't underestimate the power of a classy piece of stationery.
24. If you're waiting for callbacks from prospective employers, instruct your housemates to say politely that you're (a) at the library; (b) out showing your business plan; (c) not back from Davos.
25. Instruct said housemates never to use the following words or phrases:
a. Probation officer
b. Tequiza
c. "Can"
26. True story from a '95 SMU B-school grad: "I was dead-set on getting a job with Towers Perrin, but the company said it was only hiring Ivy Leaguers and students from other schools in the Northeast. So I flew to Chicago on spring break-with no appointment scheduled-and walked into the company's headquarters wearing my best suit. I told the receptionist in the vaguest of terms that I was in the building 'on business' and wanted to see if I could talk to the managing director. I actually got through and met one of the partners. A few weeks later, I got the job." Moral: Do whatever it takes.
27. True story from a Wharton '97 grad: "I was at a career conference at Deloitte Consulting, and as I was leaving, I noticed the guy I had interviewed with a couple of days earlier standing out front. He was trying to hail a cab at five o'clock on a Friday, and obviously having no luck. I had driven to the event, so I sprinted five blocks to my car, pulled up in front of him, and offered him a lift. He was trying to catch a train, so he jumped in. I chatted him up the whole ride. A week later I got an offer." Moral: Do whatever it takes.
28. Let's say you're at the racetrack and you've got $72.50 riding on horse number four, a five-to-one shot who's neck-and-neck with another horse. So you're rooting for the four horse. Good. Now imagine you've got $100,000 on that horse. Suddenly you're rooting for your pony to win with every fiber of your being. Is that how much you want this job? That's what a prospective employer should think.
