Some people have a knack for walking into roles for which they are, on paper at least, entirely unqualified.

Passion and wanting it so much it hurts, as any failed Australian or American Idol contestant can tell you, doesn’t make it happen for the rest of us.

I’ve seen hundreds of people over the last twenty years, desperate to get into a new job with greater responsibilities and excitement.

Take for instance, the eager, young up-and-comer, yearning to take on the manager’s role, disheartened by failure to snare it, yet not understanding that it was the lack of years, experience and maturity that was behind the ultimate decision.

Then there is the Executive Assistant, experienced in the art of managing corporate soirées, Board meetings, catered lunches and more with flawless perfection, who dreams of an event management role catering to people in their thousands, in cavernous rooms with hi-tech equipment. Time and again, her hopes are dashed as she is passed over for other candidates with a strong background in event management.

Most people fail to face the realities of the job search. Think about this critically. If you were hiring for say, a Chief Executive Officer for a global financial institution, would you select the twenty-two year old recent MBA graduate as the person to lead this world-leading institution? He or she may have the knowledge of contemporary business practices, but does he or she have the wealth of experience and knowledge that it has taken to reach that level over decades? That is experience and knowledge that no amount of classroom training can buy.

There’s nothing wrong with throwing your hat in the ring and hoping you may have a chance (as long as there’s nothing to lose like relying on the dream to feed your family and keep a roof over your head). It is also a good value proposition for you to work towards your goals; to see what you have to do to get where you want to go and then pursue it…whether it is training or following a strategic, planned career path. What is soul-destroying, is failing to face the facts about your candidacy and then, like those failed American or Australian Idol hopefuls, plunge into feelings of devastation, bitterness or anger.

How do you stand aside and look at yourself realistically?

For a start, look at the job description or criteria for the position you want so desperately.

If the job description indicates that the successful candidate should have five years of experience in senior management and you have only been acting in a team leader role three levels down, then chances are that your application will not come close to being seriously considered. No matter how wonderful your resume is and how much you have achieved in your short stints as a team leader.

If the job description indicates that the successful candidate should be a senior sales representative with a strong track record selling mainframes to multinational companies and you currently sell wine to the local liquor outlet, then the chances of getting your application considered are slim. It really doesn’t matter if you fulfil all the other criteria of being enthusiastic, client focused, well organised and able to service important customers if you cannot supply the two key ingredients of the job — being in the right industry, and having a track record of selling a specific product.

No-one is saying you shouldn’t have goals. No-one is saying that you can’t make a strategic career transition to where you want to go, and no-one is saying that you need to stay in the same job or industry forever. Dreams can come true, but they have to be supported by pragmatism and the willingness to face facts. Trying to squeeze your skills into a space that leaves no room for growth or movement can be every bit as disheartening as stretching them paper thin to reach boundaries that are beyond your reach.

Being realistic about the opportunities available to you right now, and establishing a vision and a plan for how to execute and achieve your long-term goals is the recipe for hope, optimism and ultimately, career success.

Rarely a day goes by when I don’t hear grumbles and rants from jobseekers about recruiters. “She said she’d call and she hasn’t!”, one will moan or “He won’t keep in the loop about my application” another will wail. Generally the complaints are these:

• Recruiters do not follow up with me on my job application.
• Recruiters are disinterested in helping me get into a new area.
• The recruiter wanted me to change my resume! The nerve!
• Recruiters won’t tell me the name of the company.

All of these criticisms come down to misunderstanding the role of the recruiter in relation to you, the jobseeker.

First let’s look at how the relationship works best.

The recruiter can be a jobseeker’s best friend. Particularly if you are a “hot candidate”. By “hot” it means you have a consistent work record (preferably with well-known companies), your skills are in short supply and in great demand, you have a strong industry network, and you are a match for the position the recruiter has in mind. If you fit that bill, then things will be smooth sailing. The recruiter will brief you on the employer’s needs, give you inside information about what to mention to press their hot buttons, follow-up with you and the employer post-interview and take an active role in communicating the remuneration expectations and offers. If you are to be the recruiter’s friend, you will help them in passing along contacts of similarly qualified candidates so a relationship can be built. This is the perfect win/win jobseeker/recruiter relationship.

Let’s look at the myths surrounding the recruiter/jobseeker relationship.

• Complaint: Recruiters do not follow up with me on my job application.

It is a common mistake that many jobseekers make to think of a recruiter as their “agent”. A recruiter is not helping you find a job; you’re not paying this person, he or she is not your manager or agent. A recruiter is hired by the employer to fill a position. Consequently recruiters’ allegiance is to the person with the purse strings, not the product (you). As a result, if you send in an application for a job and you’re not a match, the recruiter is not going to call you and scout around town for a job to match your skills. That’s your job!

• Recruiters are disinterested in helping me get into a new area.

We’ve already discussed what it means to be a “hot candidate”. Hot candidates are quickly and easily placed because there is a demand for their services. Conversely if you are the type of candidate that doesn’t form a ready “fit” such as a career changer with no experience and a lot of enthusiasm for entering a new field, then it is doubtful that the recruiter can build and sell a successful case for your hire as it doesn’t meet the employer’s brief. The employer is very unlikely to say “Get me a person with a lot of enthusiasm and no experience for this role!” It may be rude to show a level of disinterest in your great dream to achieve employment bliss, but frankly, you really are, on the whole, wasting their time. This is not the best forum for you to get a job. Look instead to your network, people you know who can get you before employers who are ready to take a chance because they see potential in you.

• Recruiter wanted me to change my resume! The nerve!

We all get a bit precious and protective of our resumes. (Especially when we have paid big dollars to get them written professionally). Jobseekers often become outraged at some of the old-fashioned, outdated or on the surface, ridiculous pieces of advice they receive from recruiters to change their resumes. What jobseekers forget is that the recruiter has insight and knowledge into the client’s needs and preferences. They will suggest these changes because they know that these are the employer’s “hot buttons”. Be flexible. No-one is asking you to change your $700 resume permanently. This is extra work that the recruiter believes will help you, help them to get paid if you are successful, and help the employer see your value. Will it kill you to do a “one-off” version of your resume for this job only for the sake of a great job?

• Recruiters won’t tell me the name of the company.

Let’s be fair. Recruiters are being paid by an employer to seek the right person. If the employer wanted to do the hiring, it would be done by the company, so this is clearly their preferred method. Frequently it is a sensitive situation to be handled confidentially. It could be that the announcement to shareholders has to be properly timed, or a person acting in the role must be managed out. Rest assured. If you are a hot candidate, you will be told everything. If you’re not a hot candidate, you don’t need to know. It won’t matter other than for “sticky beak” potential.

Now that you know that the recruiter has great potential to help you enormously, here’s how you can help them help you.

• Don’t stalk them daily asking if he or she has found anything for you
• Don’t ask for constant updates on your application. Sometimes days go past without anything happening. Learn patience. It’s a virtue.
• Don’t get angry. It never helps anybody and people really do feel less inclined to go that extra mile if you’re going to be difficult.
• Don’t arrive at an interview looking like you have walked straight from the nightclub to the recruiter’s office. An interview is an interview regardless of whether it is with the employer or the employer’s representative (the search consultant). Remember recruiters are going to recommend you (or not) based on your skills, appearance and demeanour. Act like the professional you are.
• Come prepared. Do homework. Ask intelligent questions.
• Don’t try to beat around the bush, give clichéd fluffy replies, lie or mislead. These people are pros. They can smell “stretching the truth” at two paces.
• Do what they say. If they ask you tweak your resume and wear a red tie to interview, just do it.
• If you would consider a counter-offer from your current employer then say so. It is wasting everyone’s time to leave them and the employer high and dry.

The relationship between recruiters and jobseekers can be mutually beneficial, as long as you understand your role in the process.