When I discovered how recruitment really works, I realised I knew nothing! I want to show you how it really works and hopefully help you land a lot more interviews and 🤞 get you the job you deserve!

Recruitment is a speed game. Some companies have more time than others, but if they farm out their search, then it is the recruiters that add the speed element in order to get their candidate to the front of the queue. The longer it takes to get your candidate in front of the client, the more your chances of success drop through the floor.

With that in mind, when jobs are posted in very public places like the big job boards, the number of applicants is usually large (think thousands!). Recruiters are trying to get someone in front of the client in a few days.

Q: How do you process so many candidates in so little time?

A: You don't!

Each profile usually gets a quick glance and an assumption is made about whether you are a fitting applicant. This is where simple, understandable mistakes like setting your LinkedIn headline to something generic like "Software Developer" just might be putting you on the back foot?! Are you right for the role? I don't know, but to find out more, I have to read. I tell developers that I don't like to read but what I mean is I don't have time!

Each step, your headline, about section and experience is an opportunity to confirm to me you are right for the role. Making it clear and being specific about what you want can get you past that first filter and we all know that first, non-technical filter is the most frustrating. If only you could get an interview and explain your true value? Well, this is how you do it!

As the recruiter sifts through the thousands of applicants at a blazing pace, they quickly discard those that do not look like a solid fit and worthy of more time. When I say 'more time', that might be a second (more detailed) read through, but it could also be an interview. Usually, amongst the many applicants are at least a few glaringly obvious matches for the role. They get interviewed and ONLY if they fail, will the recruiter come back to the pile to see if they might have overlooked someone.

You need to be in that first batch!

The best developers rarely get the job. So many great developers have terrible profiles or profiles that do not immediately tell the recruiter what they can do and what their true value really is. To change this statement (and I intend to try!) we need to learn to present ourselves and make sure we make that first cut!

At Crushing Digital, I review developer profiles for FREE. It's an iterative process but I want to help great developers to stand out and get the jobs they deserve.