Local News

Corporate Recruiters Are Looking For Jobs Themselves

Posted Updated

RALEIGH — When it comes to finding a job, corporate recruiters are usually good people to know. Now they are in the same boat as everyone else -- looking for jobs themselves.

A career development seminar is the last place Martye Earp thought she would be on a Monday morning. Three months ago, she was a recruiter for Nortel. Despite layoffs in her department, she was told her job was secure.

"A week later, the HR person who had helped me in laying off people was in my office laying me off," she says.

Earp, like many corporate recruiters, built a career on placing people in jobs. Now they, too, need placement. Experts say they are no different from other professionals.

"They have to use the same techniques we teach other folks, and one of those is to avoid recruiters," she says.

Ellen Jane Baker, who presented a seminar at the Manpower Training Center, says anyone looking for work in this tight marketplace needs to go directly to the person doing the hiring.

"If you find that person, communicate your value to that person, say, 'I can fix your problem,' you found yourself an opportunity," Baker says.

Baker acknowleges that opportunities right now are hard to come by, so she offers these three keys to success: contacts, competency and communication.

"The people that will be successful and people that are connected, are competent and know how to communicate that value," she says.

Baker says her ideas are tried and true. Many job-hunters are hoping she is right.

"I get up every morning saying, 'Ok, it only takes one person to get me into the job that I really want.' So maybe today, I'll find that one person," Earp says.

You may be surprised to learn that the want ads are usually the worst place to look for a job. Baker says your own contacts are your best bet. You can get information on Baker's seminars by calling

919-846-1674

.

 Credits 

Copyright 2024 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.