Have you ever worked with a recruiter when you’ve been searching for a job? If the answer is no, it’s probably a little puzzling as to why people work with recruiters. There are a million benefits to working with a recruiter when you’re looking for the next step in your career, but there are four main things you can do as a candidate to get the most out of working with a recruiter.
- Know the basics of working with a recruiter
You might start working with your recruiter, and not know much about working with a recruiter, and that’s okay. A recruiter should never ask you, as a candidate, to pay to work with them. They get paid by their clients, employers that want them to find candidates for an open position. Your recruiter gets paid when they find the right job for you. A recruiter should want to meet with you even if you’re not currently looking. You shouldn’t have a recruiter ask for you to call them when you’re ready to look. Why? Great recruiters are always networking. They’re wanting to connect with people that they think have great backgrounds and want to understand what candidates are looking for in a role or company.
- Establish an open line of communication
You will want to be honest with your recruiter about where you’re at in your job search. If you’re actively interviewing, you’ll want to discuss if you have other interviews, pending offers, or have applied at a company previously. This will help your recruiter represent you accurately with their clients. If you have previously applied at a company within the last six months or even a year, it’s possible that your recruiter won’t be able to represent you through the process.
- Know your “Must Haves”
What are your “Must Haves?” These are the things that you absolutely must have in your next job. If you dislike your job so much that you want to leave, like yesterday, your “Must Have” list may be pretty short. -Your recruiter should be talking to you about why you waited so long to start looking if you really can’t stand where you’re at. However, if you are relatively happy with your job overall, your “Must Haves” may be a little more important to you, and are things that you aren’t open to negotiating. Even if you’re not looking to leave, chances are, you have an idea of what your dream job looks like. And if you’ve met with a recruiter to discuss your aspirations, they can call you when they hear about your dream job opening up for you.
- Navigate the negotiation portion of the process together
When you get to the offer stage of your job search, let your recruiter coach you through the negotiation portion of the process. It might feel uncomfortable to not be included in the conversation about your salary, vacation or other critical details, but remember, your recruiter is working with their client on your behalf. This means that you aren’t reaching out to your potential employer with information that is different than what you’re telling your recruiter, and your recruiter is not having conversations with their client that you don’t know about. Your recruiter is truly incentivized to broker the best deal possible for both you and their client. They are in a unique position to hear all your concerns and questions without having to pass along everything you say to the client. So you as the candidate can get all your concerns addressed without having to ask your potential future employer 100 questions and negotiate potentially tricky subjects like the salary you expect and the vacation time you need.
Even if you’ve never worked with a recruiter before, knowing these four things will help you get the most out of developing a relationship that can span your whole career with the right recruiter.