Steph Peterson

I’ve heard people say, “I hate working with recruiters.” I find that these are the people who do not engage in regular follow up, have not clearly communicated their goals, and have not built a relationship with their recruiter. It’s hard for us as humans to accept sometimes that we’re not the “only”. Recruiters have full inboxes constantly with candidates looking for opportunities and need to match the best of the best fits with those opportunities. You’ll allow yourself to stand out as the best of the best by setting clear expectations from your end and maintaining strong communication with your recruiter.

This doesn't have to start with folks with leadership titles. This type of mindset can also be spread positively from the "ground" up. What I mean by that is that curious folks in more entry-level roles can lead by example. Learning, in my opinion, shouldn't have to be a directive from your leadership. It should be something we crave. Leaders should in turn nurture that desire.

Stuck on how to conduct meaningful outreach? I've learned that 9/10 times there's a resource out there to help you when you feel stuck. Templates exist all across Google to help make prospecting easier. Do your digging and let Google help you format within the 250 character limit.

Before you figure out what type of connection you're looking for, identify why you're looking to make connections. If I decide, "Hey, I need to meet more people who work fit 'x' persona" without understanding why I'm doing this, I'm essentially just making empty connections.

You spend more time with your colleagues and supervisors than you do your own family. Best to build this relationship by making a personal yet professional connection! This could come in the form of learning about their hobbies, their weekend plans, or sharing insight into yours. I find the best way to get people to open up is to teach them about my life first!

From my perspective, interest and curiosity doesn’t just mean agreement. Open communication with your boss should also mean room to discuss and agree to disagree when needed. I 100% agree that all communication needs to be respectful and open. There’s not one “right” way and it’s about understanding perspectives.