WORKING
WITH A RECRUITER
What are the benefits of working with a professional recruiter?
- This individual works in your career specialty; he or she can not and will not
waste your time.
- A recruiter's efforts are focused on filling real positions on a realistic
timeline.
- Recruiters know and understand the client company, and they can offer valuable
insights to your preparation for a successful interview.
Maintaining
a long-term and productive relationship with a recruiter.
- Distribute your resume widely, but wisely
The job of a recruiter is to find qualified candidates who meet the prerequisites set
forth by their clients, the employer. Do not waste your valuable job searching time by
thinking erroneously that recruiters specialize in finding positions for candidates.
Instead, send your resume to numerous firms that will target your market niche. Chances
are that one or two, or more of the firms will be currently searching for candidates that
have your qualifications. Dont limit yourself to working with recruiters that work
in your region, many recruiting firms (including National Executive Personnel) recruit for
positions across the nation.
- Rest
assured that your resume will be held in confidence.
A good recruiter realizes that candidate
information must be held in strict confidence. A recruiter who jeopardizes their
candidates confidentiality will not be successful. Recruiters and search firms will
handle your resume in confidence and will not present your name or resume without their
assurance of strict confidentiality.
- The importance of
submitting your resume with a cover letter.
Although recruiters are adept at reading and
understanding resumes, they also need to know the type of position you are seeking, what
area of the country you would like to live in and what your career goals are. The cover
letter, which is your opportunity to seem more human, more personal, and more real, should
include this information. Cover letters have the most impact when they are directed to the
name of an individual, therefore, you should avoid sending "To Whom It May
Concern" type letters.
- After
you e-mail or fax your resume, submit a resume and cover letter by mail.
Many search firms are now accepting resumes
through e-mail or websites. You may attach your resume to an e-mail message as a MS Word
or WordPerfect document, however, before doing so be sure that the recruiter will be able
download the file. It may be a good idea to copy and paste your resume into the e-mail
itself. Recruiters will also often ask for resumes by fax, which is a great way to get
your resume in front of someone quickly. It is always in your best interest to mail an
original copy of your resume and cover letter following your faxed or e-mailed copy.
Original documents look better, copy better and make a positive impression with the
recruiter. A follow-up package says that you are a true professional.
- Be
upfront with the recruiter about your expectations for a future position.
In many ways, you will want to be more
"upfront" with a recruiter than you usually would be with a potential employer.
You will find that the more the recruiter knows about you, your circumstances and your
hopes for the future, the easier it will be for them to find a position that will be a
good match for you.
- Think
of the recruiter as an extension of your prospective employer.
A recruiter has a responsibility to their
client, the employer, to represent their best interests when interviewing a candidate. For
this reason, it is important that you treat your recruiter with the same respect,
integrity and professionalism that you would want to present to a prospective employer.
Present yourself as an individual who is honest, positive, knowledgeable and confident.
- Be
honest with your recruiter
Time spent wisely is important to recruiters,
as is maintaining a strong relationship with their clients. It is important that you be
honest with a recruiter about what positions you are interested in and which you are not.
Being honest with the recruiter will help to maintain your positive relationship with the
search firm and make it more likely that they will continue to contact you regarding
career opportunities. Keep in mind that recruiters, with their knowledge of the industry
and their many industry contacts, make great advisors.
- If
you change jobs, keep recruiters informed of your whereabouts.
Once you make an initial contact with a
search firm it is a great idea to keep them informed of your job status and geographic
location. We advise anyone who is serious about their career to send an update letter or
revised resume when your information changes.
- A
call from a recruiter could mean the chance of a lifetime
Every call from a recruiter represents the
chance of a lifetime for someone, and you never know when that someone might be you or
someone you know. So, even if you dont think you are interested in a job change, go
ahead and call a recruiter back when they call you. You may have an interest in the
position they want to discuss or you may know someone who would be.
- A
savvy professional makes recruiters a part of their career planning.
A necessary part of your career planning
should be listing with recruiters, speaking with recruiters as they call you and letting
them keep track of you. Many times, when someone is happily employed, they think that they
do not need to talk to search firms and, in fact, feel some guilt when a recruiter calls.
There is no need to feel guilt, you are not being disloyal to your employer, you are being
smart and loyal to yourself. You never know when your circumstances may change and you may
need the assistance of a recruiter. Maintaining a recruiter relationship throughout your
career is called networking, the successful key to any career.
- Stay
in touch and return calls
If a recruiter has presented you to their
client, it is important that you be accessible and return phone calls promptly. Likewise,
the recruiter should be available to you when a search is in the interview process. It is
important to follow-up with a recruiter immediately following interviews, this allows a
recruiter to get back to the client immediately to convey your interest in the opportunity
following the interview. Unnecessary delays in getting back to the recruiter can send a
strong signal that you are not interested in pursuing the opportunity.
Remember,
the most important aspects of any relationship are open lines of communication, honesty
and mutual respect. This holds especially true in the candidate-recruiter
relationship. Be honest with your recruiter about where you are, what you are
looking for and who else you are working with. Keep your recruiter current with your
contact information and resume, and return calls when a recruiter calls you. In
return, the recruiter will be armed with the information necessary to make . . .
the
right match for you.
Top of Page
National
Executive Personnel
and Marketing Group, L.C.
12734 Kenwood Lane, Suite 73
Fort Myers, FL 33907-5638
(239) 931-0200 Voice
(239) 931-2040 Fax
Email: Search@NationalExecutivePersonnel.com
Website design by
Copyright © 1999
National Executive Personnel and Marketing, L.C.
All Rights Reserved.
Use of this site signifies your acceptance of the Terms of Use
Version 1.0 March 05, 2003.
|