Setting yourself up for success - with Recruiters

Ok... how many of you have had a bad experience with an External Recruiter, or have no idea how to engage External Recruiters to help them in their job search??

It can be confusing, and I am not going to apologize for my counterparts in the industry;  goodness knows I'm guilty of a faux pas or two myself when it comes to candidate management.  What I can say is that there are a few things you need to know when opting to pursue a job through an Recruitment Agency, or an Executive Search Firm, and that Recruiters often get a bad rap, based on somewhat unreasonable expectations... by candidates.

Most Recruiters have a short attention span...
We usually have a mild form of ADD - well.... at least every Recruiter that I've met! :)  haha
Remember how the Hiring Managers are having to sift through hundreds and thousands of applications to get to YOUR resume?  Well -  times that by.... a lot!, and that's the life of an External Recruiter.  They have to be able to remember hundreds of people in an instant - on demand, and they must be able to leap over tall buildings, in a single bound! (oops wrong story)...  But seriously.... it's quite often all about meeting/speaking with people "just in case your dream job lands on their desk" ....and it could.... really.... I promise! :)

Recruiters are often terrible at returning calls, and they are bombarded with emails and candidates requesting help.  BUT they usually only get compensated for saving the world... if they make that elusive placement.  I am not trying to make it sound like a terrible job....it is a very difficult sales job, but one of the best jobs out there:

• We get to meet some amazing people who share their most personal and interesting experiences with us - so we're really smart! haha
• Helping someone land their dream job is awesome! (and that person is usually eternally grateful.... right?)
• It's a very sociable industry, so we often attend a lot of industry events to network with people
• We get to be on the phone all day... (for any parents who can't get their teenagers off the phone... we may have just discovered their calling?)

The reason I'm sharing all of this with you - the job seeker - is so that you don't set yourself up for disappointment, by expecting that every Recruiter you meet with is going to get you a job, and dedicate their time to finding a job for you - if they don't already have a client who needs your skill set.  Also - let's not forget that Recruiters aren't paid anything by the candidates; so in essence this is a free service, to you the job seeker... don't mis-use it!

Think of finding a Recruiter as going fishing.....

• Start by getting yourself out there on the lake in your boat, and see who nibbles; LinkedIn, Workopolis, Monster, or target a few recruitment agencies directly.
• If the Recruiters start biting, be selective which ones are going to be best suited to help you with YOUR search... look for someone who has relevant vacancies in their current or recent portfolio, and who seems to understand the essence of what you can bring to the table.  Look for firms which specialize in your area of expertise.  This person/firm is going to be your sales/marketing arm of your job campaign, so they better understand the product=YOU!
• Play it cool.... you want the big fish right?  If you fill your boat with a bunch of guppies, you won't have room for the big fish when you hook it;   Recruiters will want to meet you face to face (if possible)... if they don't request the face to face - ask yourself if this person is really invested in my job search?... and if you go meet with every Recruiter who calls you, you could end up wasting a LOT of "sick days" which you may need for the actual job interviews!!!
• When you land a few "big fish".... ensure you invest in the relationship, and arm that recruiter with the right information they will need to be able to sell you to their clients.  This may be a long term investment in your job search; I usually tell candidates, that if you're not appropriate for the roles we're working on currently, the hour you spend sitting down with me will be a down-payment on a future job we work on together.  Investing in the relationship with your Recruiter DOESN'T mean calling them on a weekly (god forbid daily!) basis when you have no open roles on the go with them.  They have hundreds of calls to answer per day - after all!   A little email to tell them you're alive and still looking every other week, or month, is about all you need to do to stay top of mind.  Don't worry - when the Recruiter has a job they think you're a fit for..... they're never going to stop calling you! :)

Recruiters are your allies 

Use Recruiters strategically - you remember my post about being one of thousands of people who are throwing their resumes into the abyss (i.e. the internet application??)  The value a recruiter can bring to your search is that they are able to (if you are appropriate for a job), put your resume on the top of the pile.... literally

Hiring Managers / HR / Corporate Recruiters are so overwhelmed with the volume of response they  get from candidates sometimes, that they will also engage search firms to find them passive and active candidates such as yourself - AT THE SAME TIME!  Not always... but it's one of those "sod's law" things....

Impatience can lead to frustration

My biggest pet peeve as a Recruiter is when my candidates don't check in with me before applying to every job on the internet.  (Again... I bring you back to my previous post about blasting the market with your resume... instead of being creative!)  One of your creative options for applying for positions online... is to check in with your Recruiters out there, who know you, and who you've developed a relationship with - BEFORE applying to an online posting.  Unless your resume screams "perfect match", often you will be overlooked in the pile.  If your Recruiter IS working on the very same position as you just applied to, and they call you 10 mins later to chat with you about this great role, that they think you're ideal for.... well.... sorry to say it.... you've just snookered yourself.  The Recruiter won't be able to do a thing for you - it becomes a conflict of interest, and you have to hope and pray that the hiring manager finds you in that pile.

Share your good and bad experiences with recruiters with me... Again I won't apologize or take any blame for the bad experiences.... :)