How to shine with your recruiter
Many job seekers see the recruiting process as a bit of a mystery. How are you supposed to talk to your recruiter? Is the relationship that of an interviewer and interviewee? Professional with a healthy dose of awkwardness? Or is the recruiter more like a work pal? Someone there to sympathize and listen while helping you on your career path. The answer is somewhere in between. Here are four tips to make the most of working with your recruiter.
1. Be patient.
It’s understandable that you might be frustrated at the time you contact a recruiter. The job search is hard, and you’re reaching out for help. That’s not easy to do. But remember, the recruiter is there to help you. That’s what they do—place qualified applicants with suitable businesses. However, if you complain or yell at your recruiter, it will be hard for them to recommend you to a business.
Think about this — when you’re job searching on your own, how many companies do you actually hear back from? Certainly not 100% of them, right? Recruiters go through the same process.
They have connections, but it takes time to make a match. If you do have any concerns about the process, feel free to contact your recruiter and politely make those concerns known. You’re both on the same side, after all.
2. They’re not life coaches, but they do want to help.
Again, recruiters exist to help connect you with a job. They are on your side, and truly wish to see you succeed. However, they’re not life coaches. The relationship is a professional one. They can give life advice, but only as it relates to your career. The relationship between the two of you is a partnership—something mutually beneficial.
3. Keep searching on your own.
Although the recruiter is working to help you, they are constantly placing other applicants as well. They work on finding you a job, but depending on the industry, it might not be right away. Think of the recruiter as your ally and partner—with you both working at 100%, you can create something truly great. And if the job search gets monotonous? Find a way to boost your productivity.
4. Always be professional.
If your questions are about the recruiting process or how you can better yourself for consideration, it will reflect well upon you as a candidate. And again, recruiters want to help and see you succeed. Constantly being professional (from your interview attire to your attitude) makes it that much easier for them to place you.
Looking for Work?
We’re here to help. Headquartered in Oklahoma City, OK, Express Employment Professionals is a leading staffing provider in the U.S. and Canada. We employed a record 510,000 people in 2016, and never charge a fee to applicants for Express services and support. If you have any questions about the job search, contact your local Express office or create an Express account to apply for jobs online.
Have any more questions about the recruiting process? Let us know in the comments below!
