Interview with Marcia Ruttenberg
Vice President
The Shorr Group - Human Resources Consultants

Vault: Describe your job:
Ruttenberg: I am an executive recruiter. I work with client companies and with candidates to fill positions. Our company has an arrangement with clients - we are the exclusive search firm for whatever position we fill. If a candidate comes to the company's attention through other means, that candidate is forwarded to us for interviewing, reference checks, degree verification, etc., just like a candidate we found ourselves.

Vault: Why did you go into recruiting?
Ruttenberg: I had been in marketing communications for 25 years, ultimately as the VP of Marketing in the Magazine Division of the Hearst Corporation, based in New York. My husband accepted a position in Chicago. Once we got here, I started looking for a position in marketing, and I actually went for an interview at The Shorr Group for a marketing position at a particular company. While I lacked the media piece the client company was looking for, the Shorr Group thought about my background and decided to offer me a position in their company as a recruiter. I had extensive one-on-one client contact experience and I had interviewed and hired hundreds of employees over the years. The skills are the same: working with clients and really listening to their needs. The venue is just different - job candidates rather than marketing pieces. I hadn't found a job in marketing yet, so I figured I'd give recruiting a try. I've been in the field for about 2 years now.

Vault: What do you like most about your job?
Ruttenberg: I like the people contact. I like the challenge of finding the right candidate for a specific position. I like the search process.

~ Vault: What is your search process?
Ruttenberg: We use our own data base of candidates who have applied for positions over the years. We do direct sourcing in companies - but not our client companies! We network with industry people and with candidates we had placed in similar industries and positions. We then place an ad in the paper and in relevant trade publications. Actually, our entire process is unique. We only meet with the client company once they agree to use us as their exclusive search vehicle. We sit down with them and fill out a detailed client analysis, in which we get answers to very specific questions, such as: what is the purpose of position; what are the benefits; who will the candidate report to; what are the specific personality and behavioral traits that the company is looking for in a candidate; if there was a person in the position previously- what did the company like about that person and what would they have changed. The answers to these very specific and focused questions allow us to zone in on the right candidates and not waste our time or the client's time on candidates that are wrong for the position.

After identifying potential candidates, I interview them, first over the telephone and then in person. After the interview I write up a profile based on the interview, describing who the person is, where he or she is coming from, what he or she wants out of the position, what the salary requirements are, the candidate's availability, strengths and weaknesses, and so on. If I feel that a candidate would be a good mesh with the company and with the job, I conduct a degree verification - whatever the candidate puts down on the resume must be true! I also ask for three references from supervisors. I usually do the reference checks after the client has interviewed the candidate, so that the reference can answer any specific questions the client may have. All the information gathered gets packaged into a booklet that is sent to the client. I arrange the interview between the candidate and client. If the client wants me to, I also make the offer and negotiate the compensation. Once the offer is accepted, I send out a letter of congratulations to the candidate and a letter verifying the offer. A copy is sent to the client as well.

~ Vault: What do you like least about the job?
Ruttenberg: All the time spent on the phone! Most days I spend anywhere between 4-6 hours on the telephone. Once I actually start interviewing people it might be on the shorter end of the spectrum. But I conduct all the first interviews over the phone, so I spend a lot of time on the phone.

Vault: Any wacky interview stories?
Ruttenberg: I really haven't had anything crazy happen. Nobody eating lunch during the interview or using their cell phone. I've had people whom I've interviewed over the phone who were not what I expected when they came in. People have come in dressed in jeans, thinking that their interview with me isn't a "real" interview so they don't have to dress nicely. I've had people who haven't bathed and I've had to keep the office door open. I've had people, a lot of people, lie about their degrees! I do a lot of pre-screening, so I've been lucky enough not to have any true disasters.

Vault: How do you think the role of the recruiter has changed over the past few years with the explosion of Internet job sites?
Ruttenberg: There were initial concerns about the effects of the Internet, but they have been alleviated. Clients looking for specific candidates don't want to be bothered with searching the Internet and doing the interviewing process themselves. It takes too much time away from busy HR departments. They want someone to do it for them and simply present them with three qualified candidates. Sometimes I have up to 50 candidates for a job. Clients don't want to see all those people! And they are willing to pay to have someone else do so. The Internet has put many more candidates out there, and companies definitely do not want to deal with those numbers. Perhaps it is impacting on lower level job searches, but for mid-to-upper level positions, companies still want someone else to do the work for them.

The Schorr Group
500 N Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60611-3704
Fax: 312-644-7122
Phone: 312-644-5100