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I'm not sure there is a "best way" other than direct referrals, unfortunately. The problem is the the HR/recruitment industry is fundamentally broken. Jobs are

I'm not sure there is a "best way" other than direct referrals, unfortunately. The problem is the the HR/recruitment industry is fundamentally broken. Jobs are inevitably farmed out to 3rd party recruiters who then sub-farm in the effort to make a split (commission) if their candidate is excepted. This of course is a generalization but it is the root of the problem.

alexro 16y ago
I don't think that HR/recruitment industry is fundamentally broken. It isn't optimal, but definitely not broken. Also, show me what industry where dealing with people is the core business is doing better? I got all my best jobs through recruiters. Actually I even like dealing with them in general, they provide with tons of valuable info which you wouldn't know otherwise. As an added bonus they often amuse me when talking in a top-down way like 'get really prepared', ' this is a really good position for you', etc. EDIT: I should have said that recruiters start talking to you nicely only after a certain point in your career. Till then, I guess, it can be a terrible experience and is better avoided by the means described in this thread
- lsc 16y ago
  really? all my "good" experiences with recruiters were when I was younger, less experienced, and a little desperate. They are just tops if you want to get into a company that doesn't know how to hire good people. My experience has been that if a company is going through a 3rd party recruiter, their standards are ridiculously low (and thus, I look like some kind of minor god) which is great if you are desperate for the cash, and eh, being the big fish can be fun some other times, too... but it's not how I want to spend my life, you know? Working for companies like that gets old pretty fast, especially when they make you do interviews... you end up interviewing a bunch of people who aren't worth $15/hr for $100K/year sysadmin positions... It can be pretty frustrating. I think the thing is that when given a choice, most people avoid recruiters. If nothing else, that's a nice big chunk of change that could have either been a bonus or salary for the employee, or some extra profit for the company. I hear 1/3rd of a year's salary is not unusual... which is pretty huge, really. so when you go through recruiters, you are competing with people who don't really feel they have better options.
ismarc 16y ago
The problem is not that the current system is broken in any way. The system is improperly optimized. It's designed around getting as many potential applicants as possible to maximize the chances of X amount meeting the particular skill and level you're looking for. There's areas for improvement, definitely, but every company invests significantly in finding a single candidate to maximize the return from the candidate turned employee. I'd even go so far as to say it's decidedly optimized for recouping the investment in employees by offering a small percentage of the total expected value up front for those that can provide the proper candidates. However, I'd really like to see the whole process upended and brought more in line with modern capabilities.

alexro 16y ago

I don't think that HR/recruitment industry is fundamentally broken. It isn't optimal, but definitely not broken. Also, show me what industry where dealing with people is the core business is doing better? I got all my best jobs through recruiters. Actually I even like dealing with them in general, they provide with tons of valuable info which you wouldn't know otherwise. As an added bonus they often amuse me when talking in a top-down way like 'get really prepared', ' this is a really good position for you', etc. EDIT: I should have said that recruiters start talking to you nicely only after a certain point in your career. Till then, I guess, it can be a terrible experience and is better avoided by the means described in this thread

lsc 16y ago
really? all my "good" experiences with recruiters were when I was younger, less experienced, and a little desperate. They are just tops if you want to get into a company that doesn't know how to hire good people. My experience has been that if a company is going through a 3rd party recruiter, their standards are ridiculously low (and thus, I look like some kind of minor god) which is great if you are desperate for the cash, and eh, being the big fish can be fun some other times, too... but it's not how I want to spend my life, you know? Working for companies like that gets old pretty fast, especially when they make you do interviews... you end up interviewing a bunch of people who aren't worth $15/hr for $100K/year sysadmin positions... It can be pretty frustrating. I think the thing is that when given a choice, most people avoid recruiters. If nothing else, that's a nice big chunk of change that could have either been a bonus or salary for the employee, or some extra profit for the company. I hear 1/3rd of a year's salary is not unusual... which is pretty huge, really. so when you go through recruiters, you are competing with people who don't really feel they have better options.

ismarc 16y ago

The problem is not that the current system is broken in any way. The system is improperly optimized. It's designed around getting as many potential applicants as possible to maximize the chances of X amount meeting the particular skill and level you're looking for. There's areas for improvement, definitely, but every company invests significantly in finding a single candidate to maximize the return from the candidate turned employee. I'd even go so far as to say it's decidedly optimized for recouping the investment in employees by offering a small percentage of the total expected value up front for those that can provide the proper candidates. However, I'd really like to see the whole process upended and brought more in line with modern capabilities.