A Good Recruiter can help you:
- Keep your search confidential instead of sending your resume out into the void.
- Similarly, recruiters are a direct conduit to the employer for your application, complete with recommendation and references.
- Tell you about unposted opportunities.
- Provide insight into where you stand compared to other candidates interviewing for a position.
- Differentiate opportunities (and give you the unposted details on a role).
- Provide you with honest feedback on your expectations.
- Review resumes, prep for interviews, and offer salary and benefits negotiation advice.
- Tap into a huge network of employers.
- Give ongoing job advice and support – many recruiters have worked with the same candidates for years and bear them in mind when the perfect opportunity opens up.
If you meet with a recruiter and they tell you they aren’t the best resource for what you’re looking for right now, they’ll also give you feedback! They can give you tips on your presentation and resume, assist you in strategizing your job search process, and give you an unbiased view of the market, just for taking the time to chat with them.
Recruiters will do their best to work around your schedule. Check your email, text, voicemail and get back to them ASAP – you never know if you’ll miss out on an opportunity because you didn’t respond quickly enough. They’re working on your behalf, as quickly as you’ll let them. On the flip side, expect recruiters to be responsive too. Yes, they’re usually busy. However, if you check in with them, a good recruiter will follow up with you.
Working with a recruiter can be a great way to advance your job search. But, remember it’s just one avenue, another tool in your job search strategy toolbox. So, take the experience at face value: they can help you find your next position—and that’d be a great outcome for everyone. But in the meantime, keep reaching out, networking and making your search as proactive and human as possible, so you have as many options as you need and deserve!
Recruiters are there to be a resource, but don’t expect them to be your only resource. So much of their work, like the best romances, depends on timing and mood and the occasional bit of matchmaking magic.