I haven’t found many blog posts that allow us to hear the client/managers point of view. Well, look no further because one of mine opened up recently.  I wrote a blog post about VMS and it’s impact on recruiters and jobseekers. Below is a response from one of my hiring managers. I think this can be helpful to the recruiter and jobseeker alike. This response shows how building and why building a great relationship with hiring managers is so important.

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“I read your article about VMS after the linkedin update email mentioned it.  I think there is an angle that you may not have considered, there is a Darwin like force involved here.

Your right in the fact that it tends to lead to reduced direct communication with the hiring manager but I don’t think that is simple because of the VMS.  I think a large part of it is simply because of lazy companies.  Many vendors have given in to the experience you described in your post and simply submit resumes through the VMS without any real effort.  But in reality, there is more of an opportunity to make yourself noticed when there is a VMS because some vendors won’t be trying as hard.  I don’t know if I explained that well but looking at our history probably explains it better.

Over the last couple of years at [client]  you and [colleague] have been the most successful vendor mainly because you have taken the most time to reach out and understand my needs.  You did not simply depend on the VMS and your preferred status.  Other companies have blindly submitted resumes after seeking little or no feedback.

[competitor 1] and [competitor 2] have been good examples.  I’ve probably talked to [competitor 1] for a total of 5-10 minutes over the last two years.  They have no idea what I need or want.  Every once in awhile they will get lucky and cough up a decent candidate to interview but I have yet to hire one.

[competitor 2] is an even better example.  They have sent plenty of candidates in the past but like [competitor 1], they didn’t put much personal effort into it.  As a result their candidates weren’t as competitive and they weren’t having any success.  But that changed recently when they really started making an effort and reached out to make that personal connection.  Once they reached an understanding of what was needed (quality and price) they managed to find candidates I wanted to hire.

In the mean time [competitor 1] is still spinning their wheels and I’ve never even heard from some vendors.

On the candidate side one thing you left out is how the VMS butchers the presentation of the resume which is why it is always a good idea to bring pretty copies to the interview ”

I’ve seen an increasing number of double submittals lately. As the job market begins to pick up, I believe that we will see a lot more of this going on. I’ve received questions about the causes and solutions of this problem and wanted to take a minute to address a few of the issues surrounding this drama fest. When recruiters realize that their candidate just got double submitted, they begin to hear that “fingernails on the chalk board” sound. It’s a situation that hurts both the job seeker and the recruiter and typically leaves a bad taste in the mouth of the client hiring manager. The lists below aren’t an all inclusive set of absolutes. This is what I’ve seen based on my experience.

Double submittals are usually caused because:

You are working with a bad recruiter – Some recruiters and their agencies only look to “turn and burn” through candidates. They give you insufficient information, rush you for your resume information, and then throw you to the client in the fastest time possible. You can sniff these recruiters out though. They typically won’t know much about the position they are trying to recruit you for, because they are trying to juggle 5 different positions at the same time. Ask the right questions and dig in for information. If you’re not comfortable with their level of knowledge, seek out another recruiter working on the same job.

You are working with a liar – There are good ones and bad ones. Unfortunately, there are many recruiters out there so motivated by their metric goals that they will do whatever it takes to pad their numbers. They might submit you without your knowledge or even submit you knowing that you’ve already been submitted.

You are not managing your job search well enough – Most jobseekers who have worked with recruiters for any time at all, know that they can get inundated with calls and positions in a matter of hours. Positions can get confused with other positions and before you know it you’re having to go back into your e-mail account and pull 3 different job descriptions to make sure you haven’t been submitted before. It’s very important that job seekers come up with some type of system to ensure that they aren’t increasing their chances of being double submitted.

You aren’t making the recruiter disclose their client – I almost fall out of my chair when I hear job seekers tell me that they “don’t know the client” that they have been submitted to. How can job seekers be comfortable with not knowing anything about the company they could soon be working for?! Recruiters are often very hesitant to disclose their clients because they have been burned in the past with candidates going directly to their client or going to another agency with the information about the job. This is a legitimate concern for the recruiter. So he/she might not be willing to tell you upfront, until they determine if you are a good fit for the position. Just make it clear to whoever is trying to recruit you that you do not wish to be submitted until you know the name of the client.

Effects of getting double submitted and client responses:

You will end up “burning” one of the 2 recruiters – One side will win and one side will loose. The side that looses will have a harder time working with you from that point on. It’s never a good thing to burn the people who give you work.

You can be rejected by the client – Some clients will completely reject you for the position you’ve been double submitted to. These zero tolerance clients are concerned with time efficiency and take a “principal based” approach to this issue. They realize that it takes a lot of time for vendors to fight over candidates and don’t want to take part in this drama-filled situation. They also see it as candidates wasting their time and not having control over their job search.

Money matters – Clients will sometimes go through the agency who submitted you at the lowest bill rate. This is typically negative for the job seeker, as it normally lowers their rate. However, it has less negative effect on you as a candidate because at the lower rate it increases your marketability.

You can choose - Many clients leave the double submittal fiasco up to the candidate and put the decision in their hands. I’ve seen clients contact candidates directly to ask them which agency they would like to be represented by. This situation is ultimately the best for the job seeker since it allows them to pick who they are most comfortable with. However, this philosophy, in some part, accepts that double submittals are tolerated and can lead to a “snow ball effect”. Recruiting agencies realize that they still have a chance to represent candidates who have already been submitted. These agencies can target those who have been submitted and offer them extra perks such as higher pay rates, vacation packages or bonuses in return for them agreeing to go through their agency.

The best advice that I can give on this topic is to PAY ATTENTION! Know the client that you’re being submitted to and ask the right questions. Foster relationships with a few recruiters and go with the ones you have worked with in the past who you know is responsible and trustworthy.