How Job Seekers can work with Recruiters
Working with a recruiter during your job search can help you understand your key strengths, negotiate your salary, and oftentimes find a new role faster than you could on your own. In this post, we share the top benefits job seekers can realize when working with a recruiter.
Recruiters can act as a shortcut to hiring managers
One of the biggest benefits to working with a recruiter is their network and relationships. Because staffing professionals work so closely with companies in their domain, they’re typically in the best position to identify new opportunities, and send you the ones that align with your strengths.
Many recruiters, like Plus10, are retained by companies for long-standing engagements. That means they have the trust of hiring leaders at these organizations to help them find the talent they need to succeed, and fast. Because of this, a recruiter can act as a shortcut to hiring managers, so your application is far more likely to be reviewed than when you apply on your own.
Recruiters have access to insider information
There’s another big benefit to leveraging the recruiter’s relationships with clients: insider information. Recruiters have an inside scoop on company culture, which you can use to understand whether it resonates with your ideal workplace. What’s more, given they’ve often placed candidates in those companies before, they have insight into what hiring managers are looking for, so can assess your skills and expertise, while offering you relevant, actionable advice. Finally, recruiters are often familiar with candidates who have been previously hired at a company you’re looking to interview with. That means you get an inside look at the roles, personalities, and skill sets of other employees.
What does this mean for you? It basically nets out to you being matched with a company that truly fits with what you want professionally. Your recruiter can help you understand the company’s interview process, culture, and team dynamics, all of which helps you make the right career decisions.
Recruiters can give you actionable, relevant, and timely feedback
Ever left an interview and have no idea how you did? While not uncommon when applying to roles on your own, this is less often the case when working with a recruiter.
Recruiters can give you feedback on your resume and profile before you even apply to a job, giving you detailed insights on how to make yourself more marketable. Once you’ve landed an interview, your recruiter can reduce the likelihood you get ghosted by a prospective employer. At Plus10, for instance, we always encourage our clients to give us feedback on the candidates we present, regardless of the outcome. We then share this feedback with you, so you’re able to refine your interview skills before applying to your next role. Overall, this feedback is a unique advantage and opportunity that can help you long after your engagement with a recruiter ends.
What you can expect with a good recruiter
If you’ve never worked with a recruiter before, you might be a little fuzzy on how it works. Do they just send your resume around to people and hope you get hired?
While that might be true for some recruiters, it’s certainly not the case if you’re working with a good one. An experienced, professional recruiter will help you keep your job search confidential, help you land interviews, and increase your odds of job success.
So, what should you expect from a good recruiter?
Transparency
When you work with a recruiter, you should expect transparency. Of course, a recruiter can’t tell you everything about a company - some of the information will always be confidential - but you will receive more information than you would on your own, relying only on Google searches and company websites.
Your recruiter will be open with you about the company’s interview process in general, as well as the status of your application. They’ll keep you in the loop as its progressing and your application status.
2. Attentiveness
A good recruiter is attentive to your needs. They listen to you and care deeply about landing you a job. They’ll take the time to get to know you, ask good questions, and verify they have the right idea of what you’re looking for in your career.
3. Strong industry and market knowledge
As we mentioned previously, a good recruiter will have stong knowledge of the industry they’re working in and the market itself. This means they know how to best present your experience to hiring managers. They’ll help you tweak your resume, highlight your most relevant experience, and give you pointers for the interview to improve your chances of success.
But recruiters can help you in the long-term career path, too. Because they’ve worked with so many companies and candidates, they have unique knowledge about different career progressions and opportunities. Based on your skill set, they can help you look into various options - many of which you may not have even thought of! - and help you figure out the path toward your long-term career goals.
4. Quick execution and responsiveness
If you’re working with a recruiter, one of the most important things you should expect is responsiveness and quick followthrough. For instance, if you want to hop on a call to debrief on an interview, or get some quick pointers on your resume, you should be able to easily book a time to call or send them a message. A good recruiter will be more than happy to give you a willing ear.
On top of that, you can expect that the information and advice they give you is true and relevant. If they don’t know the answer to something, they’ll tell you (and let you know if it’s information they’re able to acquire).
Overall, your recruiter should make you feel heard, and like you’re a priority.
5. Assistance in the offer stage
While many people think of recruiters for the help in finding a job, a great recruiter will go beyond that. They’ll help you all the way through to when the contract is signed, meaning they can help during the offer stage. For many job seekers, knowing what to ask for is, in some ways, an even more confusing and opaque part of the job search.
That’s where a recruiter can help. They can give you valuable insight into the market, help with negotiations, and expedite the contract stage.
How to get the most out of working with a recruiter
As with any relationship, it’s a two-way street. The more you’re able to commit to the following areas, the better your experience will be.
Know what you’re looking for
You don’t need to have a fully fleshed out picture of what you want your next role to look like. But it is important to have a general sense. If you have a general idea of the seniority and job title you desire, this can go a long way to landing the right role.
At the same time, though, it’s a good idea to keep an open mind. Having “tunnel vision” can actually limit the opportunities you get. So try to identify the key areas that are most important to you in your next role, and be open about the rest.
Be honest and transparent
In the same way you expect your recruiter to be truthful and open, your recruiter needs the same in exchange. Remember: recruiters can’t read your mind. So it’s best to be candid.
By offering this information and being open, you’ll build a stronger relationship with your recruiter, and they’ll be more able to find you the right position.
Be communicative and responsive
One of the most important things to remember when working with a recruiter is to be responsive. While applying to jobs on your own might lead to weeks before getting an interview, when you’re working with a recruiter, this generally isn’t the case. In fact, interviews often move quickly. So, make sure you’re ready to hear from them at any time.
Throughout the process, you should also be in regular communication with them. If you ever have questions about a role, company, or interview, ask. If you need more information to make a decision, your best bet is to ask your recruiter.
Conclusion
Working with a recruiter can be an invaluable experience for job seekers. With a professional, experienced recruiter on your side, you’ll have a better chance of finding the right role for you. You’ll also get sound career advice that will benefit you long after the engagement is through.
