Introduction to Recruiters for Jobs
Love them or hate them; you most often can’t ignore them. In fact, along with internal job referrals, recruiters for jobs are your best bet to land that dream job!
Like any professional, recruiters must have their own code of ethics, and understanding their ethics is the key to building a mutually rewarding partnership. In this post, we give you the 10 golden rules to apply when working with recruiters for jobs. With this, these powerful folks help you, and you graciously return the favor and empower them too!
10 Best Steps you must know to Deal with Recruiters for Jobs
Given below are the 10 best steps mentioned:
1. Do your research
If you’re looking for a job change, we bet you’re a sincere worker looking for professional advancement. You take your career seriously, have spent adequate time researching companies, and have listed the top companies that align with your professional dreams. Correct?
Our suggestion is to extend this research to recruiters for jobs too.
You see, there are (mediocre) recruiters for jobs. And there are THE recruiters for jobs who land you your dream job. You want to tap into these folks to power your professional dreams. So spend some time and effort looking up the recruiters for jobs you intend to sign up with as you prod them on the following questions.
- What is their reputation in the market with employers? Do you see your dream company hiring them to hire you?
- What is their reputation in the market with professionals? If you have a co-worker or colleague you admire, do you see him or her approaching this recruiter?
- What is their reputation amongst the workforce? Have any of your associates had any (positive or negative) experiences with them? (Here, it also helps to research online to find non-biased feedback).
- How thoroughly do they want to know you? Do they seek to understand your interests and career goals? Are these recruiters for jobs interested in you as a professional member or merely as yet another number?
- Do they have a well-connected network? This will determine if their noble intentions translate to your dream career placement.
- Finally, do they intend to charge you for their services? If yes, you should treat this as a loud, red-flag NO!
You want a recruiter who builds fulfilling careers, not mere positions. The above questions will help you get out the very best.
2. Choose carefully
This is the logical conclusion to the first rule. Your research has possibly revealed some very integrated folks committed to finding the top talent for top companies. In this step, you ensure that you are the talent they want.
Don’t just sign up with the top recruiters for jobs merely because the market seems to align in their favor. There’s always the possibility that your unique dreams do not align with popular market needs.
- Perhaps you’re highly skilled in a niche market?
- Or do you wish to relocate to a specific location and want a recruiter from that zone?
- Or do you want a job that will support you in building a successful career as you work from home?
This is the step where you carefully choose a “Headhunter” (another name for the popular recruiter) who’s equally committed to both sides: you and your potential employer. Only then will you find that dream job allowing your employer to find immense value in you.
This recruiter will also go out on a limb to make both ends work.
Allow us to re-iterate here: stay far away from recruiters for jobs who’re merely fishing for empty placements regardless of actual fit. You’re worth more than this.
3. Read the fine print
Once you’ve zeroed in on your choice of top recruiters for jobs, the last step to ensure a worthy partnership is to scan the fine print carefully.
Mediocre recruiters for jobs can snare you in various ways. While the straightforward approach may be to ask for a cut from your first pay (which you should immediately refuse), their execution is often more devious.
They may:
- Demand exclusivity for their not-so-exclusive services.
- Demand that you “introduce” them to at least 1 other associate (to increase their business).
- Bind you to the hiring company for a contract period. If you quit ahead of its release, you pay the penalty.
The only way to avoid their trap is to scan their contract and check if a penalty clause is hiding there.
4. Place your best foot forward
With the first 3 steps in place, your efforts will surely have paid off. You’ve found recruiters for jobs you respect and want to work with, and you’re all set to begin a mutually rewarding partnership with them.
Take the next step right by placing your best foot forward.
One mistake professionals make is they assume it is the recruiter’s job to find them a job. Well, it is, but this is the mental setup of a lazy, mediocre professional – certainly not you!
Make an effort to showcase that something “extra” in your resume. What makes hiring you a worthwhile proposition for top companies? Here, it’s not just about your technical skills or educational background, or present paycheck, as recruiters for jobs can easily find these in spades. Instead, highlight to them the special experiences and knowledge you bring. Reveal yourself as a valuable employee and a precious, not-to-be-missed-under-any-circumstances star. This, in turn, will powerfully drive those recruiters for jobs to root for you amongst top-tier companies.
5. Be thoroughly honest and always
Working with recruiters’ assistance is much like working with lawyers or doctors. Be honest in your dealings with them, always.
It helps nobody when you hide potential red flags from your recruiter. Today, companies invest in thorough background checks before hiring potential employees. So if you have any unsavory elements in your past, it’s best to forewarn your recruiter upfront.
You may not want to capture them in your resume, but you will need to let your recruiter know if:
- You have had breaks in employment. (This is easy to disguise, but don’t.)
- You were given the pink slip from a past company. (This could be for various reasons: from bad performance to the economic meltdown. Ensure that you stay ruthlessly honest with your recruiter.)
- Do you have any other past experience that can negatively sneak up on you?
Top recruiters often go on a limb to find your dream job, placing enormous trust in you. Here, you return the favor. They often reciprocate with understanding and perhaps even help you overcome past digressions.
6. Participate in your hiring
Again, this is you being proactive.
You’ve already taken significant steps in attracting your dream job. You’ve showcased yourself as a fantastic bundle of talent, and you’ve been honest and upfront with your recruiter. What next?
Foster open communication with your recruiter that works both ways. Here, you’re not just being honest but also clear and reasonable.
- Clarify your expectations on the role, company, salary, perks, and other deal-breakers with the recruiter.
- Share your long-term goals and how they fit with what you presently seek. If your recruiter is convinced you’re the best fit for a position, they’re more likely to influence the hiring manager’s decision positively.
- Check-in with your recruiter on the companies receiving your profile. Ensure they are what you want. Let this not be a blind scramble to get any job that comes your way.
Finally, keep your recruiter’s assistant constantly updated on your availability status. If you’ve already approached other headhunters or companies, keep them updated. Nobody appreciates duplicate or wasted efforts.
7. Be stingy with your money and generous with your time
Never put yourself in a position to “pay” the recruiter; that is the hiring company’s role.
But do not hesitate to spend time with recruiters for jobs. The more they get to “know” you, the better they can fit you into that dream job.
As a company expands, there’s often a rush to fill new positions. Here’s where mediocre recruiter’s assistance can come in with unrealistic promises. We believe the first 5 rules empower you to avoid this recruiter. But just in case you fall into their trap, ensure that you make it clear upfront that you will be enormously generous with your time (to discuss possibilities to advance your career, for preparation, to attend interviews, etc.) while remaining ruthlessly stingy with your money. This should set the mediocre ones from running away from you.
8. Seek feedback
Yes, you’ve finally won those recruiters for jobs over and landed an interview with your dream company. And you think now’s the time to check out and make it yourself.
You think wrong!
Recruitment firms often have much insight into what works in the market and for your hiring company. Your recruiter may even have a professional relationship with the hiring manager and can influence his or her decision. Don’t discount its value.
Seek “feedback” from the recruiters for jobs before you step into the interview room.
- Perhaps your recruiter may suggest that you strengthen your technical skills with additional certifications, and you can share your commitment during the interview.
- Or your recruiter may have input on the company’s current passion project so you can research it and impress the interviewer with your knowledge.
- Or your recruiter suggests you highlight that part-time study to get a Management degree, something you would have missed since interviewing for a technical role.
All of this can help you interview better and win that coveted job.
9. Give feedback
Yes, yes, yes! You’ve landed your dream job with a little help from a committed recruiter. Congratulations, it’s your time to celebrate!
Don’t forget to include your recruiter during your celebration.
The best way you can do this is to give them valuable feedback that strengthens and expands their business.
You see, you have a unique opportunity that your recruiter never gets: to attend and ace a live interview. For all their inputs, job recruiters miss a portion of that live experience. Here’s where you can give them more than a sneak peek at your learning. You should do this even if the interview is not successful.
Here are a few notes on what you can share:
- Your take on the company. Does it match the expectations set by the recruiter? Or were you taken by surprise?
- Were you treated with respect? If not, this is something your recruiter should know and can fix.
- Did you feel adequately “prepared” for the interview? If not, what helpful inputs would have helped?
This is an excellent way to help your recruiters enhance their service. But, do ensure that you share your inputs tactfully so it does not come across as a blame game. Your recruiter should feel like you’re out to help them and not out to get them.
10. Invest in the relationship
You’re probably wondering what additional rule we can give you to apply now. If you’ve already won your dream job, your trust in the recruiter is complete. Right?
Wrong!
Smart candidates realize that their career is a marathon and will include more such interviews in the future. Hence they build on the relationship they’ve already established with their recruiter so they stay updated on market trends and needs.
You can do this, too, with just a few positive gestures:
- Keep in touch with your key contact at the recruitment agency. It always helps to monitor market trends, even if you’re not actively pursuing a job change.
- If your recruiter worked nicely for you, give them positive publicity among your friends. This also works for you as your friends will recognize you as a well-networked person.
- Recommend them within your company for internal hiring needs. If you cannot drive this directly, give your favorite recruiters a heads-up on positions available within your company, so they can get in touch with the right people to take this forward (like your company’s HR personnel).
As clever professionals realize, the key to long-term advancement is people: thriving relationships with the right people. Your favorite recruiters for jobs fall in this category.
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This is a guide to Recruiters For Jobs. Here we discuss the introduction and 10 best steps to deal with recruiters for jobs. These are the following external links related to the recruiters for jobs –
