How You Can Get the Most Out of Your Recruiter

written by Kenny Hanson, CSP |

There are ways to work with a recruiter that will help your job search be more effective. The following will help you overcome some of the disadvantages I spoke about in my previous post.

1) Go meet them – Face-to-face contact is extremely important. If a recruiter meets you then they can “sell” you better to the company they are presenting you to. Also, meeting your recruiter face-to-face will give you more insight on them. You certainly do not want to put your next position in the hands of someone you have never met.

2) Be honest – I can’t express how important this is. A recruiter can only help you if they know everything about your job experiences and skill set. If you had a bad experience with one company, tell them. I had a candidate come in to speak with me because they had recently lost their job. During our conversation the candidate told me they had been “laid-off”. I was able to get her an interview with a company she had been trying to get into for quite a while. Shortly after her interview, the client called back to make her an offer. The position included a salary increase, better benefits, company car and shorter commute. Unfortunately, after the company did a very extensive background check they found out that she had been terminated from her last job. The client pulled the job offer on the spot! If the candidate had been honest with me about being terminated, I could have spoken with the client about it. The company she was terminated from was one that was notorious for high turnover. I am certain that I could have explained this to the client, and they would have still been willing to interview her. She lost a great job because she was not honest with me.

3) Be prepared – When you choose to work with a recruiter, you expect them to work hard for you. You need to do the same. When you interview with a recruiter make sure you have done your homework. Be prepared to answer questions about your current and past work experiences . Be prepared to answer questions pertaining to your skill set and be prepared to give the recruiter a list of references. Being organized when you interview with a recruiter will demonstrate that you are really serious about finding a new job. That will compel them working harder for you.

4) Keep track of where you send your resume – Recruiters will always want to know where you have sent your resume. They do not want to decrease your chances of getting an interview by sending you resume to the same company twice.

5) Follow-up – After interviewing with the recruiter, it is very possible that they will not have a position to present to you on the spot. In these cases, you want to make sure you follow up with your recruiter every 1-2 weeks.

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