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A common misconception is that you, as a job seeker, can hire a headhunter and they will find a job for you. That isn’t the way it works.
Companies hire staffing firms or independent recruiters to manage the complex and laborious process of finding, recruiting, interviewing, and successfully placing new talent. A business can employ a full-time recruiter, outsource to a staffing firm, or contract with an independent recruiter on a need-to-hire basis. In every scenario, companies employ recruiters, so no one should be surprised they act in the best interests of the employer, not the job seeker.
However, a major quirk of the company-recruiter relationship is the recruiter’s currency is talented professionals, not the companies that pay them, so developing relationships with as many skilled professionals as possible is a vital part of their job. The wider a recruiter’s net, the more valuable they are in the marketplace, so recruiters and workers have a vested interest in developing mutually beneficial relationships that go beyond a single job.
This is where you enter. Your initial interaction with a staffing firm or recruiter is job specific. You apply for a job through a recruiting agency’s website and they reach out to you if they believe you’re a potential hire. What if you don’t get the job? Is that it? How you approach your relationship with the recruiter will determine whether it’s one and done, or if your professional network gains an effective agent to advance your goals.
Here are some tips to effectively manage your relationship with a staffing firm or recruiter.
1. Be strategic about whom you contact. Staffing firms/recruiters specialize in certain disciplines like accounting, information technology, executive, etc. If you’re a database administrator, you should work with a recruiter whose relationships are in information technology, not leisure and hospitality. Each firm/recruiter will have different clients. Do your homework! For example, let’s say you have a list of the top five companies you want to work for. Try to find out if they use a staffing firm or recruiter and target that firm or person.
2. Always Be Marketing. A meeting with a recruiter should be treated with the same seriousness and preparation as an actual job interview. You are the product and this is the time to be an aggressive salesperson. Recruiters are not part of the hiring decision. They only present candidates. However, they are the gatekeepers of the interview process and you have to get through the gate if you want to be on the inside. When you speak or meet with a recruiter, you’re asking them to lower the gate. To do that, be your biggest advocate. Make a lasting impression on the recruiter so they don’t ask, “Who was that?” when they’re flipping through resumes.
3. Be an easy candidate. Recruiters are busy. Very busy. If you are unemployed, you are not as busy as a recruiter. Yet, job seekers can be impatient and pushy with recruiters and that is a great way to diminish your professional reputation. Do not call them multiple times a day. Be gracious. Be prepared. Be on time. When you walk into the job interview the recruiter arranged for you, you represent yourself and them. You don’t have to get the job to make a permanent connection with the recruiter. You just have to be an easy candidate. If you are, recruiters will continue to work on your behalf.
4. Be helpful. If someone gifted you $100, you would have a favorable opinion of them. The recruiters' currency is talented workers that they can place at one of their clients. If you want to get in good with a staffing firm or recruiter, proactively refer quality people to them. If you send “business” their way, they will have a favorable opinion of you (not to mention how grateful your friends will be if the recruiter ends up getting them a new job).
5. Do not rely on the recruiter. Even if you have the best recruiter, they are busy. Very busy. They do not spend eight hours on you. You do not pay them. They spend eight hours a day juggling many open jobs and many people. Recruiters may have the autonomy to carry out the organization’s staffing objectives as they see fit or operate under strict timelines and directives. There is no way for you to know what happens behind the scenes, so don’t assume that working with an employment agency or recruiter is a guarantee. You are still responsible for finding a new job. Don’t punt. Stay on offense.
Philip Roufail contributed to this article.
Scott Singer is the President and Founder of Insider Career Strategies Resume Writing & Career Coaching, a firm dedicated to guiding job seekers and companies through the job search and hiring process. Insider Career Strategies provides resume writing, LinkedIn profile development, career coaching services, and outplacement services. You can email Scott Singer at scott.singer@insidercs.com, or via the website, www.insidercs.com.
