By Charlotte Hutchinson, Recruitment Consultant – Sustainability.
The role of a recruiter can be compared to a matchmaker and like dating, the job search is stressful and confusing. Let us, the recruiter take the stress out of your job search. We know job hunting is demanding and we are there to help.
Partnering with a good recruiter is a great addition to your job search, it’s advisable to do some research on the recruitment agency and the roles/ clients they work with. For example, look for agencies whose roles interest you and reach out to individual recruiters or apply to LinkedIn jobs posted on the agencies page. Online reviews reveal a lot about a company – make sure you read them first!
Many of my friends have started their job search and the idea of working with a recruiter confuses them, which is largely because they don’t know what the recruiter’s role in the process actually is.
Here are some of the most asked questions about working with a recruiter:
What do they even do that I can’t do myself?
- Keep your search confidential and tell you about opportunities you may have missed otherwise or that they see on the market before they are posted.
- Give you unposted job details on a role that you otherwise wouldn’t know about to help you get ahead in the process.
- We can provide market insights on salary levels, telling you what your experience is worth and whether an offer is good or bad based on this – remember, we speak about salaries with every candidate!
- Review your CV before sending it to make sure your application starts off on the best foot because the CV gets your foot in the door to impress at interview.
- Discuss your application with the decision makers – we have direct access to the hiring manager and interviewers ensuring your application is presented to the right people.
- Prep you for interviews with specific questions that the company will ask and we can give you tips about what the interviewer would like to hear.
- Salary and benefits negotiation on your behalf, let us do the nitty gritty conversations when it gets to the offer.
Who’s side is the recruiter on?
Ultimately, we must meet our client’s expectations but we will advocate and represent you as best as we can, too. A win-win for any recruiter is where we can find the best solution for both our clients and candidates.
We are not the decision-makers in the interview process, we will represent you to the client and ensure that your experience is put across in the best light as we know what the client is looking for.
How transparent should I be?
Be open and honest! A good recruiter will be transparent with you, so be straightforward with us. You need to be honest about your expectations, whether it’s about salary, location, or responsibility. Also, let us know where you’ve applied and if you’re in any interview processes, we don’t want to waste your time and come to you with a role you’ve already applied to! Additionally, if you’re in an interview process, we can let the clients know and push them to move faster. Usually, when a candidate withholds information, it ends up hurting their candidacy.
How does the application process work through a recruiter?
We want to get to know you, so firstly we’ll have an in-depth conversation about what interests you and your motivations. We will offer advice on the next steps, market insights on salary and give you an unbiased view of the market. On top of that, we will discuss roles that fit your interests and experience, then if you want to move forwards with an application, we will represent you to our client and help you through the process.
Will they keep sending me jobs if I turn down one?
Yes! We want to understand your career goals, by letting us know what you don’t like we can send over more relevant jobs.
Hope this helps you in your job search!
Charlotte