Most people don’t think about recruiters until they’re looking to change jobs, or find themselves without a job.

When your car breaks is not the ideal time to find a mechanic because you’re in a state of urgency – you need your car repaired now, which means you won’t have time to find someone who’s good, affordable and trustworthy. The same can be said of a recruiter – finding a recruiter when you’re unemployed is not the ideal time. Instead, do your research and find a recruiter that you can develop a strong relationship with before you need their help. Then, when the time comes to use their services, you know they’ll have your back.

This is the problem with most recruiters, they help a client with hiring and build a relationship with the hiring manager, then the hiring manager gets packaged out a year or two later and reaches out to the recruiter for help.

The recruiter and agency made a lot of money with that client over the years, but now when the hiring manager needs help, they are no where to be found. That’s a shitty way to help people. That recruiter should be spending their time helping them no matter what the circumstances are to land their next job

You should find a recruiter that has your back when you need it, not just when you give them orders to find talent for them

How Do You Know Your Recruiter is Good?

They Listen to You

Your recruiter should ask for more than your resume. A good recruiter will want to get to know you, ideally in a face-to-face meeting. Pay attention in this meeting. Who is doing most of the talking? If it’s the recruiter, then run!

Advice

Good recruiters are experts at everything relating to a job search, from CV’s that will stand out in a pile of 100 to how to present yourself in an interview. They should coach and advise you throughout the process, with everything from resume tips, to how to calm your nerves before you walk into that big interview.

Inside Information

The life of a recruiter is all about developing relationships. Good recruiters have strong relationships with their clients (the company that is hiring). This means they’ll have inside information that can help give you an edge, like:

• The company’s culture
• The type of team you’d be working with
• Information about the interviewer – the type of person they are looking for, the questions they’re likely to ask
• How the interview went – what went well, and what didn’t

They Stay in Touch

Any good relationship is built on communication. A good recruiter will stay in touch with you throughout the job search process, and then periodically throughout your career to see how you’re doing. Like a good mechanic, the relationship you build with a good recruiter will last.

So,

If you're ready to build a relationship with a great recruiter, connect with us on Facebook and LinkedIn or check out our website and we'll be happy to get you started.

Joe Penic