As a technical recruiter / recruiting manager with over a decade of experience I know having a good recruiter in their corner is important for IT Professionals. The IT market is Red Hot right now which means weekly calls from recruiters. I've seen a lot of mistakes made by candidates over the years so I wanted to share my Do's and Dont's for building a good working relationship
& optimizing the time you spend with an agency.
DO consider
recruiters as a partner. They should be asking questions about your
expectations beyond how the buzzwords on your resume align with their client's
job spec. The more they get to know you; your goals, aspirations, interests,
style, and "hot buttons," the better they will be able to serve you.
DON'T be afraid to engage with a recruiter, even if you're not actively looking. You never know when the next layoff is coming or your great boss is about to be replaced by the office politician. Having the relationship in place before you need their services will make the process a lot easier when you do.
DO ask about
their client base. A recruiter needs to tell you about their clients. Knowing
who the agency covers lets you determine what other agencies should be in your
portfolio. If their clients aren't of interest to you, you're wasting your
time. You can also strengthen the relationship by providing insight you might
have about their clients.
DON'T work with every recruiter that says they have a job for you. Get to know 3-4 recruiters local to your targeted area and let them go to work for you. If you know their client base, have a great relationship, and have an open and regular line of communication you'll be able to cover all your targets without getting 10 agencies involved in your search. Good recruiters generally will shy away from candidates who aren't selective - they're usually either desperate or simply don't appreciate the value a recruiter brings to the table.
DO meet with
recruiters. There's nothing that can replace the value of a face-to-face meeting
to get a comfort level with one another. Recruiting is a numbers game, and some
recruiters like to shortcut the relationship to get the numbers. There's
recruiters out there just trying to serve their needs by hitting their daily
quota rather than engage on a deep level to serve your needs. Agreeing to
be represented after a 5 minute phone call increases the chances of things
going south dramatically.
DON'T mislead a
recruiter. There's nothing that will kill a relationship quicker than being
dishonest. Good recruiters are your agent - they need to know the good, bad,
and ugly in order to best serve you.
DO seek out
recruiters that live and work in the area you're targeting. Local recruiters
will be better connected and have a much better handle on the local job market.
Agencies hit their numbers using regional recruiting call centers that
"smile and dial" through resumes they find online and in their
database. These recruiters generally have minimal experience and nearly no
understanding of the local market. Some of the national agencies have
outsourced these call centers to India.
DO disclose companies where you've applied and agencies that have
already submitted you to their clients. Keeping this information to yourself
makes both the agency and you look bad if your resume ends up on someone's desk
from two sources. In some cases it will automatically disqualify you from
consideration.
DO expect an
ongoing line of communication. Good recruiters are proactive about keeping you
in the loop on immediate and ongoing opportunities. You should expect to hear
from them at least every week or two if there's a job cooking. If you have to
initiate all the contact and they're slow to return calls (or completely
unresponsive) find another agency that will interact with you without feeling
like you're pulling teeth.
DON'T be afraid to
say no to an opportunity. Recruiters wanting to hit their numbers might use
strong arm tactics to get you to say yes - don't let them. Good recruiters
understand if it's not right, it's not right. They'll reset and hopefully find
something that will work for you.
With that said....
DON'T be afraid to
explore something if you're on the fence. Agreeing to be represented or
interview is simply one step in the process. If you're curious about something
that may have potential but aren't certain it's okay to do some exploration.
Just be sure to discuss your concerns with the recruiter before you agree to be
submitted so they aren't blindsided if you say no.
DO fully
understand all the aspects of their client's offer before saying yes. If you
think your company might counter when you turn in notice talk to the recruiter
about what they could do to keep you. If you still aren't sure about the offer
clarify EVERYTHING before saying yes. One of the biggest things you can do to
erode the trust of a recruiter is to say you're going to start with their
client and then back out (especially if you back out the night before via email
and yes, that has happened).
Working with an agency will uncover
some great opportunities that might not have been available otherwise. It also
gives you an advocate in the hiring process as well as during employment that
can help you sort through critical decisions.
DON'T be afraid to
engage with a good recruiter - they can be a great asset for your career.
