So Who's Line Is It Anyway? (A Recruiter Panel)

Moderated by Kathleen Smith, this panel brings two recruiters together to demystify the job search. Kirsten Renner leads a full life cycle recruiting team for a national security portfolio, while Chris Wright runs a cybersecurity staffing firm. They contrast direct recruiting with agency work and describe how candidates move from an initial screen through hiring manager interviews, panels and clearance checks, with timelines ranging from a couple of weeks to many months.

The middle of the session covers practical advice. The panelists suggest keeping resumes short, tailoring the top section to the role, and avoiding tables, columns and heavy formatting that applicant tracking systems may mishandle. Candidates should prepare questions in advance, ask about the interview process, and request feedback from hiring managers. Relevant volunteer work belongs on a resume too. On LinkedIn, the speakers describe a routine of posting, commenting thoughtfully and connecting with people tied to a target role, while noting that not everyone uses social media.

The closing takeaways stress following up promptly with recruiters and interviewers, thanking them after interviews, and building a network of five to eight recruiters who give honest feedback. Candidates are reminded that persistence is expected and that job searching takes sustained effort.