Contacting Recruiters

30 Oct Contacting Recruiters

Working With and Contacting Recruiters

by Amanda Reuben of https://www.bijourecruitment.com

Contacting recruiters can prove really advantageous when you are after a new job. For a start, a good recruiter will proactively ‘pitch’ you to their clients. They will take the time to get to know you. They will ensure your details are submitted for roles that fit not only your experience, but also your personal values.  A recruiter will often know about a vacancy before it’s advertised (sometimes it may never be advertised). They can put your CV in front of the client. And most importantly, the right recruiter will represent you in the best possible light to their client. If they are competing with other agencies for the same vacancy, they will really fight your corner. All this means that it’s very important to think carefully about working with recruiters.

Remember, we are on your side – our client pays our fee but if we don’t have a candidate, we can’t fill the job and get paid.

Most people I meet have a ‘bad recruiter’ story, but how often do you hear a ‘bad candidate’ story?

I have worked with many of the same candidates for years. I have been able to place them in new roles as we have a relationship based on trust and integrity.

Contacting recruiters

In no particular order, here are a few hints and tips to ensure you have a positive recruiter experience:

• If we make suggestions about your CV or your LinkedIn profile, take the advice. We know our stuff
• If we say ‘lose the photo/logos/sexy formatting’ it’s because we know it’s not suitable for the client nor the role, nor your professional image
• Send your CV in Word format – we often template or brand it with our logo and we can’t do anything with a PDF. IT’s NOT because we are going to make fundamental changes to your CV. And if we are one of many agencies submitting CV’s, it ensures yours is connected to us
• Do make sure you send us the most current version of your CV – it saves everyone’s time
• A CV with errors – spelling & grammatical – won’t get a second glance
• Talk to us about career gaps – we are human too and if we know and understand, we can convey it with sincerity to our client
• No BS on your current salary please – you’ll only get found out
• Take our advice about listing engaging hobbies & interests on your CV – these act as icebreakers for you and us, and you and the interviewer. PLUS, they often make you a standout candidate

Follow up

• Follow up your CV with a phone call to us – we are far more likely to remember you when we are ploughing through a big pile of applications
• After an interview with a client, we’ll give you feedback. If you don’t hear from us immediately it’s not because we’ve forgotten you, it’s normally because we haven’t yet had the feedback
• When you leave the market, please take your details off the Jobsboards – it saves us hassling you
• If we call you and you can’t talk, that’s ok but please be courteous. It’s likely we won’t call again if you are not, but will move on to the next candidate on the list
• When the vacancy we call you about isn’t the right one for you, please be straight with us about it and save your time and ours
• And please, no ghosting! If you decide, during the recruitment process that you’re no longer interested, it’s fine. But just tell us; don’t ignore us.  Contrary to popular opinion, recruiters have feelings too!
• If you’ve had a good recruitment experience, there are any number of ways to show your appreciation; the ones we especially like are a recommendation or endorsement on our website and on LinkedIn, and a referral to your old and new colleagues. Gin is always kindly received too.

Working with recruiters is just one of the strategies we talk through within career coaching. Book in an introductory career coaching session now, or contact me to discuss.