Maximizing Your Recruiter Relationship
By Mark Rouse
Recruiters are a valuable tool in a job search. But like any tool, they’re most effective when used properly. There is no user manual for how to best do this, and even if there were, the various approaches and processes of different recruiters would mean it wouldn’t help much. Here then are some tips on how to get the most out of any recruiter regardless of what type of recruiter you use.
Be Strategic and Focused
Knowing what you want is half the battle. Although some recruiters do offer career guidance, you will see more and quicker results if you have a clearly defined description of the job you want. It doesn’t have to be a title and the name of a company. For example, you could say you are looking for a senior level marketing role with the chance to manage a team of 5 or more, full P&L responsibility, a clear path to the director of marketing role, in a growing and entrepreneurial oriented company located in the GTA, working in the Quick Service Restaurant industry.
If you have chosen your recruiter strategically, based on their experience in this area (and you should) they will be able to tell you immediately if your experience matches your expectations. If the recruiter feels there is not a match they will not present you. If you are not told, ask directly if they consider you a good match and if they would present you to the role you’ve described.
Resume Advice – Ask for it!
Busy recruiters review several thousand resumes every year. And they know what works with hiring managers and what doesn’t. So ask for advice on how you might improve your resume. They can offer valuable advice on how to make your resume appeal best to your target.
Make sure that the results still reflect who you really are as you don’t want to misrepresent yourself. And if you do choose to revise your resume according to the advice you receive, send the new version to the recruiter for a follow up opinion. This has the added benefit of keeping you top of mind with the recruiter.
Stay Top-Of-Mind
Be persistent. Recruiters talk to many candidates and clients every day and are only human. If you connect on a regular basis you will keep yourself top of mind. And when the right role for you arrives, your recruiter will think of you first.
Don’t be afraid of being a pest. Recruiters know that your job search is likely the number one priority in your life and will not be annoyed with you for managing yourself accordingly. Just the opposite, they will appreciate your passion, organization and tenacity. But don’t be offended if you don’t get called back right away. The volume of calls a recruiter receives can sometimes make it hard to call back immediately. Don’t take it personally and do call again.
Meeting a Recruiter IS an Interview
When you meet a recruiter, they are deciding whether or not to introduce you to their client. Often this is a client they have spent considerable time developing a relationship with. The quality of candidates recruiters present is what establishes a recruiter’s value to a client. You are being evaluated every time you meet a recruiter.
Be on your most professional behaviour. Dress in professional attire. Be punctual. Prepare your questions ahead of time and rehearse your answers to common interview questions. Try not to reschedule as recruiters need to know they can count on you to meet their client when you say you will.
Don’t be modest. An interview is one of the few times in life when modesty is not a virtue. Describe your talents and accomplishments in as positive a light as possible. Recruiters need to know these things so they can in turn sell you to their clients.
Be Discreet and Explicit
If you are working with more than one recruiter be discreet in what you share with each of them. You can certainly choose to work with more than one recruiter, and in some cases this is a smart idea, but you should not share search information from one recruiter with another. Recruitment is a business built on discretion, but it is also a competitive business. You may create competition for yourself by making a recruiter aware of a search they might not have known about.
Be explicit. You can avoid being presented to the same client by different recruiters if you are explicit about the permission you give a recruiter. Tell them they may not send your resume to anyone with your knowledge and permission.
Format Matters
The majority of recruiters use technology to manage their candidate and client databases. And many of these programs don’t read PDF files, they have an AI that reads Word and populates a searchable database. So send your resume as a word.doc. If you wish to take advantage of the benefits that a PDF file offers you may send that in addition.
Conclusion
A recruiter can be a valuable aid in your job search as up to 30% of available jobs are never publicly posted and are filled through recruitment firms. Understanding how recruiters work and what they need to best help you will maximize the results you see and help get you the job you want.
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As VP, Practice Lead for IQ PARTNERS, Mark Rouse works in partnership with some of the brightest minds in the marketing communications and advertising industries.
[Full bio]
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IQ
Insight is published by IQ
PARTNERS Inc.
IQ
PARTNERS helps intelligent companies hire better,
hire less and retain more. Our services include
Executive Search & Recruitment, Qualification
& Assessment, Employee Retention, Career
Management and Contract HR Services. We specialize
in Marketing, Communications, Online, Media, CPG, Sales, Technology,
Legal and Financial Services, and operate at
the mid-to-senior management level. IQ PARTNERS' head office is in Toronto with partner offices across Canada, and internationally
via the Aravati
Global Search Network.
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