Insider Q & A: Anita Zalewski on How To Play Well with Recruiters

Anita Zalewski understands the art and science of hiring. A Director at Philadelphia based PSE Co., a national recruitment firm serving the pharmaceutical, defense and energy industries, Zalewski brings to her work DOD security clearance, a Master’s degree in Public Health from Yale and past project management and strategy consulting work at Cigna and Accenture.

In her current role, Zalewski is a master at understanding her clients’ needs and in sourcing talent for employers with lengthy hiring requirements. We asked her to share her insights on hiring and screening candidates.

How does a candidate get your attention?  

When I review resumes and source candidates’ profiles online, a polished and concise resume and/or profile gets my attention immediately.  I have found that my first impressions on paper or online are upheld when I interview the candidate. It’s important to remember that a good recruiter will present candidates to their clients who fit the role and culture but are also very professional.

What makes a great candidate beyond the skills needed for the job?

Besides having the right experience and skills, a great candidate is one who communicates with me through the recruitment process and updates me on prospective jobs that may materialize before my client can make a decision. Having current information maximizes time and effort for both the candidate and the client.  I also value when candidates give me detailed feedback on their interviews so that my briefings with the client are more thorough and more of a discussion of a candidate’s fit for the job.

Do you have any “never do” tips for individuals in working with recruiters?

It is vital that the candidate never communicate with the client until we have passed the first interview.  Clients rely on us to present the candidate with information on what the candidate brings to the role. Communicating directly with the client before interviewing is unprofessional and always leaves the client and the recruiter with a negative impression.

Any bad assumption that you’ve seen job seekers make in applying for jobs with your clients?

All bad assumptions are actually important for me in evaluating candidates.  One assumption that always leads to a candidate being ruled out is when a job seeker assumes that I don’t write everything down. I want to trust the candidate I put before a client so I get weary when job seekers change previously stated information like salary requirements.

Are there any questions I haven’t asked that I should be asking? What’s the question, and what’s your answer?

How should candidates handle references?

In addition to being an excellent candidate for a role, strong references can seal my impressions.  I have made an extra effort to promote good candidates with good references to the client and have rarely been disappointed.  A good reference is someone who was a manager or in a position of authority to the job seeker and readily discusses the job seeker’s work.  You would be surprised how often I’ve contacted a reference who vaguely recalls the candidate or misstates the candidate’s responsibilities and contribution to the company.  In order to counter this kind of feedback, I recommend that job seekers maintain regular communication with their references.  Also, it is vital that when asked to provide references of managers, that job seekers don’t provide contact information of co-workers.  It’s awkward for the references and puts the candidate out of the running.

Use it now—actionable—advice for job seekers:

Evaluate your online presence as if you were evaluating yourself for a job.

Talk to your references so that they know you are seeking a new role and confirm how they prefer to be contacted.

Ask yourself thorough questions about your work experience and prepare answers to questions about salary, gaps in employment, progressions in titles and responsibilities or reasons for leaving various employers.