10 Tips about Working with a Recruiter

Working with a recruiter is one of the best ways to fast-forward your career.  It’s a one-on-one relationship with a career professional.  You may have an accountant, a lawyer and a doctor to handle particular areas of your life – why not have a career counselor?

Here are ten tips that will help you get the most out of your recruiter.

1. Be Professional.  How you work with a recruiter is a direct correlation of how you will work with your boss, colleagues, and vendors.  It is a window into who you really are.  A good recruiter will always measure this as part of your qualifications and convey his or her impressions to the prospective hiring company.
2. Be Honest.  Be up-front about the extent of your job searching efforts and results.  Your recruiter has a vested interest in placing you in a career that could potentially change your life.  You will gain nothing from being dishonest with your recruiter.
3. Be Forthright. Tell your recruiter all of your requirements and preferences, for example, in regard to salary or relocation.  When an interview is completed, give us your feedback – good, bad, or indifferent!  This is the only way we can facilitate the process.  We must talk with you before we get back in touch with the hiring manager.  We will want to know what was discussed, how did the manager leave the interview with you, are you interested in the position and do you want to proceed to the next step.  If you are not interested in proceeding, we’ll want to know your reasons.  This will help us in screening other opportunities for you.
4. Be Committed.  Don’t be casual with what you agree to or commit to.  Your attention to commitment will not go unnoticed.  Know what you want, say what you mean, and do what you say.
5. Be Pro-Active. Get to know whoever specializes in your industry.  Place a call to them and get familiar with them.  Be sure to send them your resume.  You don’t even have to be looking for a job right now but it is good for them to have your resume on file.  You never know when they might have that ideal job opportunity that might be better than the job you currently have.
6. Be Inquisitive. You will likely have questions about housing costs, insurance, relocation, etc.  Ask your recruiter.  We want to make sure all these questions are answered before the interview.  ‘Do I want to work here?’ and ‘Do I want to work with these people?’ are the only questions left for the final interview.
7. Be Prepared.  Prepare for the interview by reading materials that your recruiter has sent you and by doing research on the company.
8. Be Cooperative.  Don’t play games!  Regardless of any past experiences you have had with recruiters, take your current recruiter seriously.
9. Be Patient.  A job search can be long and frustrating – your recruiter knows. Keep in mind that we do all that we can to make your job search a pleasant one. We’ve got your best interest in mind.
10. Be Enthusiastic.  I still get excited about a truly marketable candidate. I like to see enthusiasm in the candidate as well.