Recently I’ve heard the phrases: “I don’t think I need a recruiter” and “Do you really think a recruiter could help?”. These questions usually come from friends and family who haven’t had the chance to work with a recruiter in the past. My go to response is usually: A recruiter definitely couldn’t hurt! I’ve realized that not all professionals share this view. Some due to firsthand experience and others because of what they’ve heard about our industry.
“Head Hunters” and Recruiters who don’t have the passion or aren’t in the industry for the right reasons can often leave candidates hanging during the process of recruiting or reject a candidate without providing constructive feedback. That being said, finding the RIGHT recruiter to connect with is key.
Here are 3 things I could keep in mind when considering working with a recruiter to make you next career move:
Industry Experience
It makes little sense as an IT professional to work with a recruiter who specializes in Administrative Support and isn’t familiar with your role or the market you work in. I have often been approached by candidates in this field and after discussing their goals, I refer them to either a colleague in one of our branches who specializes in IT or let them know I’m not the woman for the job.
This mentality also works when it comes to taking on new clients. I wouldn’t accept a role to fill if I wasn’t confident I had the network and expertise to provide A-list candidates in a timely fashion. If I have to translate the job description using Google – I’m probably not going to be successful.
Open Communication
Nothing’s worse than interviewing with a recruiter who says: I’ll be in touch. Worse yet is interviewing with their client, feeling a positive vibe with the hiring manager and then having the recruiter leave you in the dark. If upon first contact, a recruiter isn’t actively seeking the opportunity to have a lengthy phone call to discover your background, experience and goals, what would lead you to believe they’d like to be a partner in your search for a new role?
Don’t be discouraged when a recruiter lets you know up front they may not currently have an open role that suits your needs. Tomorrow, next week or in three months, that dream job you described might come across their desk and you’ll be first on their list of calls.
As much as open communication with you is key, so too is your willingness to keep your recruiter in the loop as you move through the search process. Let them know if you’ve received a promotion, a call back for a role you interviewed for a month ago or if your priorities have changed. This will keep you top of mind as you wait for that perfect role to come up.
That “feeling”
You know that feeling – it just feels right. If you have a connection with a recruiter, you’ll likely feel comfortable enough to keep that open communication and trust that they have your best interests at heart. I’ve gotten the “feeling” talking to candidates I know I have the perfect role for and 9 times out of 10 it results in placing the candidate into their dream job.
Bottom line it never hurts to chat with a recruiter when they reach out to discuss opportunities. Similarly, if you come across a recruiter that you think might be able to help, take the initiative and reach out!
