Wish you could read a recruiter's mind? Check out our Q&A with a Professional Recruiter

Last week, Amanda connected with Tiffany Bridgewater, a lead recruiter for a large healthcare system. We have compiled Amanda’s questions and Tiffany’s answers below to give you some insight into the recruiting process and what, if anything, has changed since the beginning of Covid-19. 

Tiffany Bridgewater is a lead recruiter for HCA Healthcare. She has over 10 years of talent acquisition and leadership experience. She takes pride in the fact that her team is responsible for finding exceptional talent for over 18 hospitals across 4 states. ​

Amanda: How important is a strong LinkedIn profile? 
Tiffany: “Pretty important if you are looking for employment opportunities because it is the first impression you give to employers/recruiters. If you are utilizing LinkedIn to seek opportunities but have not taken the time to upload a picture or include any information, then it sends the message that you may not be serious about finding the right opportunity.”

A: What is the most important thing on a LinkedIn profile or where do you spend the most time? 
T: “I personally want to see a picture and employment experience, specifically achievements you accomplished during your time there through the utilization of certain skillsets, as opposed to a list of job functions. This provides insight into your work ethic and human capital/skills, abilities, and knowledge that you will bring to a new organization. A good summary also helps employers distinguish what type of opportunity/organizational characteristics you are looking for.”

A: Do you suggest that job seekers seek out recruiters on LinkedIn or send messages to let them know they are interested? 
T: “Absolutely. I personally think that it is acceptable. I highly recommend doing your research first before messaging a recruiter. Research the organization the recruiter represents, what roles they are recruiting for, organizational background, maybe a specific job opportunity that you are interested in. This demonstrates legitimate interest and makes the messaging more personal, rather than sending a blanket message to multiple recruiters.”

A: What is your main method for sourcing candidates? Has it changed since Covid-19 began?
T: “Traditionally from direct applications and recruitment events hosted by our organization and stakeholders we partner with. However, since Covid-19, LinkedIn has become the go-to for sourcing. Recruiters are more active on LI now than ever because many organizations are not actively hiring, but still want to build a candidate pipeline who they can contact once they can hire again.”

A: How important are keywords on a resume when being filtered through ATS?
T: “Our system uses what we call ACE questions to identify strong candidates. We also filter by internal employees. We do not filter by keywords, but I know that many organizations do!”

A: Can you share a few “red flags” that you’ve seen on resumes besides the common ones (spelling/grammar)?
T: “Job hopping is the biggest red flag. Another would be out of state applicants who have not researched the area where they are applying. It portrays a lack of interest in actually relocating, decreasing recruiters’ confidence in moving forward.”

A: What are your thoughts on “designed” resumes? 
T: “Yes, anything visually appealing, organized, easy to follow and read will make it easier for the recruiter to quickly navigate and make a snap decision on whether or not to consider you. If we have to search and dig around for your dates of employment, education, etc., then we will move on to a more organized candidate who can better articulate their qualifications.”

A: How many seconds does a resume really get? 
T: “For me personally, and maybe it’s because I go through so many and know exactly what I am looking for, but 5 seconds, maybe 10 seconds if the position is more difficult to fill or it is a higher-level position.”

A: Do recruiters read cover letters anymore? 
T: Yes and no. For higher-level positions, or positions requiring a more articulate set of skill sets or experiences, cover letters come in handy. Or, for out of state applicants, I want to see why they are interested in this area.

A: If so, what are you looking for in a strong cover letter? 
T: Please do not reiterate what is on the resume! I want to see why specifically you are interested in this position or location (if out of state) and how you will be an asset to the organization.

A: What are your thoughts on a Covid-related gap on the resume? Would you expect an explanation for a gap in work history during this time? 
T: “Perfectly understandable and acceptable during this time. I think given the time, most recruiters will expect that a gap is due to Covid and most recruiters will ask about it in a phone screen, giving them the opportunity to explain.”

A: How has Covid-19 changed hiring/recruiting for 2020 and the years to come? 
T: “Everything is virtual now. Recruiting events, interviews, etc. Sourcing has changed as mentioned above, recruiters are utilizing other resources more. This can make it more difficult for job seekers because it can be more challenging to engage and be personable virtually. Also, I suspect more opportunities may become remote opportunities now that organizations have been forced to implement it and some may be seeing higher productivity from employees.”

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We hope this Q&A was helpful! Do you have additional questions you would like answered? If so, let us know in the comments or email us at amanda@elevatedresumes.com. If there are questions we missed, we are happy to do a follow-up post with those answers. ​