Using a Recruiter to Find a Job

Going to a recruiter when you’re looking for a job is a good way to expand your circle of opportunities. Recruiters work with both job seekers and employers to fill jobs.

Recruiters are paid by the employer once the position is filled and held by the job seeker for a certain amount of time. It is in the best interest of the recruiter to find someone who is a great fit for the job as their reputation and the client’s satisfaction relies on the quality of the job seeker.

Job seekers go to recruiters because recruiters often have a roster of jobs that need filling quickly. There is no charge to job seekers and because of a recruiter’s skill and experience, they can usually present the job seeker with an opportunity that is very close to what they are looking for.

If you are considering going to a recruiter for your job search, keep these suggestions in mind.

Before You Look for a Recruiter:

Know what kind of job you want. Know the geographical area you’d like to work in, and what sort of salary range you are expecting. These are all things your recruiter will ask you, so be prepared.

Have an updated resume. Your recruiter can’t sell you to an employer if they don’t know what they’ve got.

Know that it might take some time, especially if you place your resume with a recruiter who doesn’t necessarily have an opening that currently suits your needs.

Have a job search plan. Recruiters won’t do everything for you and unfortunately, they might not be able to find you a job. You need a backup plan.

Finding the Right Recruiter for You:

There are many recruiters to choose from. Visit their websites to get an idea of the jobs they are looking to fill. You might want to consider looking for a recruiter in the geographic area in which you want to work as they might have more experience in dealing with local employers and might be more aware of who is hiring, etc.

Many recruiters specialize in certain industries or skill sets. For example, there are recruiters that fill jobs in the automotive industry or in the financial sector and recruiters that fill bilingual positions. If you have a specific skill set, it might help your job search to seek out a recruiter that can help promote you the best. Often, they will be more knowledgeable in the work that is done by certain trades or industries and can understand your past career history better.

It’s also important to be clear with your recruiter about what kind of job you are looking for. If you’ve been clear, and they are suggesting jobs that don’t appeal to you or aren’t at all what you want, they may not be the recruiter you want working for you. A recruiter that just wants to fill a job and get paid is not what you are looking for. You are looking for someone who has both the employer’s interest and the job seeker’s interest at heart and wants to find the best person for the job.

Help Your Recruiter:

When you go on an interview that a recruiter has set up for you, you are not only representing yourself, but the recruiter’s agency as well. Do you best to represent them well and in a professional manner. It will go a long way to showing the recruiter you appreciate their efforts.

Since recruiters get paid by the employer only after they’ve filled the job, recruiters can go to a lot of expense before the job is filled. Make sure you only go on interviews and apply for jobs you are interested in and are serious about. If a recruiter presents you with an opportunity you aren’t sure about, ask for more information and clarify the terms before you go ahead with it.

There are lots of advantages to working with a recruiter. You have someone else looking for work for you, they have access to a lot of resources you might not, and they know who’s hiring. Talking to friends or colleagues who have used recruiters in the past is a great way to see what services recruiters can offer you. Remember that recruiters only get paid if they fill the job, so there should be no cost to you in finding you a job.