How to get the most out of your relationship with your recruiter

A dedicated recruiter can make a world of difference between looking for your next exciting career move.

Whether you’re experienced in the job market or just starting out, an employment recruiter can help steer you in the right direction and put you forward for jobs that would best suit your skills and career goals.

Here’s a little more on how job recruitment agencies work, and how you can work with them to take your next career step.

How do recruitment agencies work?

A recruitment agency’s main focus is to find and fill roles in a range of industries. Recruiters stay on top of the market to know what’s currently available and what’s in demand and work with job seekers to make the perfect match between the two.

There are also headhunters, who seek out potential new candidates, often approaching workers who are already employed to see if they may be interested in learning more about a promising role.

How to work with recruiters effectively

In order to help your recruiter do their job well, you’ll need to always follow their instructions, but you can also keep these few major tips in mind.

Firstly, you’ll need to be totally honest with them. A recruiter won’t be able to find exactly what you’re looking for if you don’t give them all the details, and they won’t be able to place you in a suitable role if they don’t know enough about your experience and limitations.

Another tip is to truly listen to your recruiter’s advice and ideas. They may be able to make improvements to your resume or give you vital information about a company that you will need to heed during the interview stage. They may even put you forward for a job you wouldn’t expect, but it’s worth listening to why they think it’s a good fit before discarding the idea straight away.

You can also come to them with jobs you like the look of, even if those roles have already closed. This will help give your recruiter an idea of what you’re hoping to find, so they can keep an eye out for similar roles.

Naturally, you will need to present yourself to your recruiter in the same way you would to a potential employer. Arriving at meetings on time, prepared, wearing appropriate attire, and with a smile on your face, will go a long way towards showing your recruiter the kind of work ethic you would take into any company.

Finally, if you are still doing your own searching, make sure you let your recruiter know about any applications you’ve sent through or companies you’ve talked to in the past. This will stop them from putting your name forward a second time and risk looking unprofessional and disorganised.

Ready to work with a recruiter who is dedicated to helping you find a job? Get in touch with the Michael Page team to get started.