Reaching out to recruiters vs consultants
When I reach out to consultants for networking, I usually ask them a few questions about their background, how they got into consulting, what they did to make themselves marketable, and suggestions for me, etc.
When reaching out to alum who are recruiters at consulting firms, how should I approach them? "Also an alum from XYZ school, found you through so-and-so. I am interested in the firm/have been doing informational interviews/am interested to learn when you begin recruiting" - will they just refer me to an online app? If so, what is an appropriate way to reach out to these recruiters? End goal is obviously getting someone in HR to look at my resume.
I feel like recruiters might be less helpful than actual consultants, and just refer you to the online application portal (since that makes their life easier) - whereas a consultant could forward your resume to the recruiter and just say "look at this candidate" (especially if he/she is fairly senior).
That said, I actually haven't networked/contacted alumni who are also recruiters before, so I don't have much to base my opinion on.
In terms of approaching them, I think you have the right idea. Ask if they have any good resources to learn about the firm, your prospective role, and/or if they could help get you in touch with anyone (maybe another alum?) that could host an informational interview. I think it's likely they'll just refer you to their website for info, but you can try.
Alternatively, you could try setting up an informational chat with the HR alum, and ask him/her all the typical questions about what makes their firm unique, what's the corporate culture, etc. This might be a good alternative strategy, but I'm not sure if it will be as helpful - though it can't hurt.
consultants sift through the resumes and conduct interviews. recruiters just handle the logistics.
Sorry, but HR (as in, recruiting) accounts for little. Under the best circumstance, they sift through the resumes. Otherwise, they just handle the logistics of organizing the interview rounds, building up the interviewee dossier etc.
By the way...if you get hired, don't treat them with disrespect. Their colleagues in staffing can make or break your work experience, and they talk.
Thanks for the help guys. FYI, I was able to schedule a phone call with a recruiter to ask about their background and experiences at the firm. I told them I was exploring consulting and would appreciate some advice or mentorship from an alum already in the industry. So informational interviews can be scheduled with HR too if approached correctly.
Nice, good to hear that they were open to being helpful.
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