How To Benefit From A Recruiter's Service

How to benefit from a Recruiter’s Services.

Take responsibility for managing your own career by partnering with an experienced recruiter. Start looking at your career from a long term perspective and make a decision today to find and choose a recruiter to guide you towards career success.

• Your ongoing optimal employment is enhanced by partnering with a recruiter.
• You won’t always move, but it never hurts to hear about opportunities out there.
• Establishing “career partner” relationships beats emergency career management.
• Recruiters know about the “Hidden Job Market” and can recommend specific companies that fit with your personality & preferred management style.
• They can advise you on CV design and better prepare you for any upcoming interviews.

Nowadays, recruiters rely on computerised databases that provide more possibilities for a candidate’s successful placement. Therefore start reconsidering how you present your CV and resolve to accompany it with a cover letter in soft copy format:

Cover letters should contain the following vital information:

• All contact information.
• Reasons for leaving
• Positions and industries of interest.
• Salary history and expectations
• Preferred locations.

Your CV should include all key words connected to:

• Function / Skills / Responsibilities
• Job specific terms or phrases (buzzwords)
• Specific products / services
• Industry or work environment.

Questions to ask your self before meeting a recruiter:

• Am I a strong candidate? Am I marketable?
• What timeframe have I set for changing jobs?
• Why am I leaving or am I simply testing the waters? 

Look on recruiters as sales organisations. They sell information; they sell contacts and they broker relationships. Show them just how successful a sales person you are. Provide proof by bringing references; pay slips, sales figures to the meeting. Be willing to discuss the following areas:

• Performance against Sales Targets.
• Number of accounts won / managed.
• High value accounts won for your current employer.
• Details of any sales awards or competitions won.
• Sales activity levels.
• Ratio of new business to account management sales.
• Your clients. Are they End Users, Channel Partners or Resellers?
• Indicate whether you are more suited to short or long sales cycles.
• Formal sales training.

Behaviour Guidelines with Recruiters:

• Have realistic timeframes. If your skills are not marketable or you are aiming for a very specific position, it will take longer for a recruiter to place you.
• After interview send-outs it is common courtesy to phone back your recruiter and give feedback on the interview. Let them know if you are still interested.

• We aren’t obliged to find a position for you. That is your ultimate responsibility.
• We will not search for the “Holy Grail” on behalf of a candidate. Remember we only get paid by a Client on successful placement.
• It is your responsibility to maintain contact on the status of your job quest.
• Don’t get caught up in a Dutch Auction. Your reputation suffers.
• Don’t skip a recruiter to contact a Client directly. Again, you don’t benefit and your integrity is compromised.

Commit to forming a strong business relationship with a recruiter you respect and can work with. Keep in regular contact and inform them of any changes in your role and your plans for the future. Assist the recruiter with favourable referrals and volunteer to keep them informed of your Industry. Making an effort in this way ensures that a recruiter will do everything in their powers to keep your career on an upward spiral.

Mark O'Donoghue Recruitment Director in Sales Appointments Ltd. He can be contacted on 01 814 6035 or email mark@salesappointments.com