Will Petty

2/13/20

UH 120-011

Reflection Paper #2: The Secrets Recruiters Won’t Tell You About

Out of the eight secrets that were included in this article, we have covered three

of them in class pretty well. The other five secrets were very interesting for me to learn

about. Since I have already gone through one hiring process, I can take this information

and compare it with how my situation worked out. Looking back, I might have wanted to

know some of this information when I was in the middle of the process.

The three items that I believe we have covered in class were the importance of

first impressions, the fact that recruiters go on their own and talk to your past

employers, and the importance of having a professional social media presence. First

impressions really do matter, and the recruiters are one of your best chances to find an

opportunity with a company. So, your first impression with a recruiter is extremely

important if you want a job that their company can offer. The fact that recruiters go and

check on how you fared at previous job does not surprise me. I believe that is part of

being a good recruiter. It is a reminder to do your best to work hard and have good

workplace relationships in every job, because you do not know how it might affect a

future opportunity. I believe that it is just a part of the social media age that recruiters

will “stalk” your social media pages.

The other five secrets are also useful to know. Limiting buzzwords in your

resume and cover letter is a good reminder that there needs to be a balance. The

balance is between keywords about strengths and abilities and simply giving the
important details about yourself. Having good references that will say positive things

about you seems to be common sense. Again, it is important to build relationships

where you work so that someone knows you well enough to be able to talk about you. I

can see how it would be disappointing to find out that a job you applied for has already

been promised to someone else within the company. Often employers already have

someone in mind for an open position. That also ties into the fact that employers may

delay giving you a final answer on the job because of a more favorable candidate. It is

not a spot that I would like to be in, but I’m sure it could happen someday. The most

interesting secret to me was the fact that the recruiters say they can offer you a higher

salary if you push for it. This is something that I did not do with my first full-time job

offer, but it was because I was thankful just to have the job offer itself. There will be

opportunities in the future for possible negotiations.

In the Indeed.com article How to Negotiate Salary (With Tips and Examples),

some tips for negotiating pay include calculating your value, researching the marked

average, ask for more than you actually want, share expenses you are incurring, and be

flexible to accept other forms of compensation.

In the Forbes.com article How to Make a Great First Impression, some tips are

be on time, put your phone away, be aware of how you speak, and show confidence in

your body language.

In the Glassdoor.com article The 8 Best People to Choose as Job References,

the eight best people are recent bosses, co-workers, professors, professional friends,

group members, places you’ve volunteered, a person you worked small jobs for, or a

high school teacher or coach that you still talk to regularly.