Finding a new role can be stressful, whether it’s born out of necessity or simply searching for that new challenge! Fortunately, an industry exists that should help this process go a little smoother. But, there are so many recruiters out there all fighting for your CV, who should represent you?
1. How did they approach you?
The first (and perhaps most obvious) to consider is the method of approach. One thing that can frustrate people is to be bombarded with messages, emails, and calls without being given a reason to be interested or want to chat!
Look out for signs that this recruiter has actually identified you as a relevant candidate.
This could be as simple as them immediately sharing information on a relevant role or detailing why their services are going to be of particular use to you. Whilst receiving a call from an unknown number can sometimes be inconvenient, you should be able to tell in the first 10 seconds whether this recruiter is worth your time.
The age of LinkedIn and the option to tick ‘Open to New Opportunities’ offers recruiters another method of reaching out, but this can sometimes feel a little impersonal.
It’s noticeable when a recruiter has taken the time to really study your profile and add that personal touch in a message or connection request.
2. Have they listened?
Often you will first have a phone call so that the recruiter can understand your situation and experience – this will dictate much of your future relationship.
Are they asking relevant questions to determine what you’re actually looking for?
Your career aspirations and your motivations are hugely important topics to cover if you’re going to find the right job (and it’s evident when a recruiter either hasn’t asked or doesn’t want to know!).
There’s nothing more frustrating than the feeling you’ve not been listened to, and recruiters do sometimes have a reputation for neglecting to understand what’s important to a potential candidate; to simply ‘connect the dots’ and deliver technically relevant candidates to their clients.
But that’s not to say that the technical side isn’t important too.
If they’re not asking appropriate technical questions about your experience and previous roles, then it’s unlikely they’ll be able to provide you with a suitable vacancy (and they certainly might not be the best person to choose to convince companies that you’re a good fit!).
3. Transparency
A successful relationship with a recruiter should be based on honesty from both sides.
A good sign you’ve picked the right one is that they pay attention to your other processes and can justify why they’re doing so.
Often this can seem unimportant, but it’s a key part of a recruiter’s job to really know their candidate’s situation and communicate this to their clients in order to manage everything properly. For example, with this information, they have the ability to introduce urgency to schedule interviews quicker or demonstrate to clients that you’re as good as your CV suggests.
This transparency works both ways though. It’s crucial that you’re honest about your feelings towards roles and companies in order for the recruiter to be able to give you the best chance of securing the one you want.
A good recruiter will be consistently asking you the difficult questions – to best understand your thoughts and (sometimes ever-changing) opinions throughout the process.
4. Advice
The last thing to consider is the advice given by a recruiter.
It’s imperative that you trust your recruiter and the transparency discussed previously should give you the confidence to do so.
Whilst it’s evident that a recruiter will often have their own desired outcome of processes with a candidate, this doesn’t mean they can’t offer useful advice. At the end of the day, it’s in a recruiter’s best interest to find you a place you love and want to stay at.
Admittedly, it’s certainly worth sometimes being wary of advice if it seems pushy or rash, but a recruiter will often have more experience than you regarding interview processes and should have a great understanding of the clients they represent.
You’ve picked the right recruiter when you feel confident they’re advising you to make the decision best for you.
They can often give a different perspective and good foresight regarding potential issues or obstacles throughout the job-search.
Hopefully, this has given you a few things to take into consideration when deciding on your next recruiter. What else do you think is important in a relationship with a recruiter? I’d be really interested to hear people’s thoughts or past experiences, please comment anything relevant down below!