Quick Tips to Working with a Recruiter

Jul. 16th, 2024 11:19 am

A month or two back a former teammate from my college volleyball team contacted me on LinkedIn and told me that he has been getting contacted by several “head hunters” or recruiters. He wasn’t sure how to handle this and wanted some tips on how to work with a recruiter.

Recruiters can be a valuable part of a job search strategy and for the most part we are not scary people. Here are a few tips on working with a recruiter.

Select only one or two recruiters to work with. Just like you shouldn’t apply to every opening on a job board it is counterproductive to work with every recruiter in the book. Look for those that specialize in your field. Take the time to go and meet your recruiter face to face. Make sure you have a good rapport with your recruiter because you will be working closely with them on a big life decision.

Don’t rely on the recruiter to do everything for you. Recruiters are not miracle workers, although we like to think we are sometimes. Your recruiter should just be part of your job search. A good recruiter can help you with all of your decisions along the recruiting process even if the job opportunity you are looking at is not through their agency.

Be truthful. Be upfront with your recruiter. Keep your recruiter informed at all times throughout the process. This includes any changes that affect your decision. Some of these include; upcoming raise, other job offers, counter offers, spouse changes mind, work preference changes, interest in company or any other information that would go into your decision.

Feel free to check in from time to time. Your recruiter may not have anything for you today but that doesn’t mean that a job won’t come in that is a fit for you tomorrow. We typically say it is good to check in with your recruiter once a week via email and a call every other week is appropriate.

Don’t go behind the recruiters back. A recruiter is hired by the client to find an exact match for the job. A recruiter doesn’t get paid until the client hires a candidate from them so they want to send as many possible matches over but if you truly aren’t a fit they won’t submit your information. It is unethical to go behind the recruiters back and apply to the job. This just makes the process more difficult and in the end you probably won’t get the job anyways.

These were a few tips for working with a recruiter. If you have any questions feel free to reach out to Locums National to help answer any of your questions.