It is surprising that not more people are using a recruiter for their job hunt, even more surprising that some have never even considered it. A hot topic on LinkedIn recently has been bad experience with recruiters or head-hunters.
There is clearly a certain stereotype when it comes to the ‘recruitment agency’, but how much of this is based on actual experience? Of course, there will be those who will have had a bad experience with recruiter (not with us, obviously!), but most people who shy away from using a recruiter could simply not understand how it works and the opportunities it presents. Here’s a few reasons using a recruiter can be invaluable to your job search:
Recruiters are in the loop
Usually companies use internal recruiters or agency based recruiters to handle the vacancy, this means the recruiter is regularly in touch with the decision maker within the company and vice versa. In a highly competitive job market roles are usually oversubscribed, which means the hiring personnel can receive a huge number of CVs to sort and rate. A trusted and known recruitment consultant who will have great rapport with a company has an opportunity to cut through this noise, by picking up the phone to alert them specifically about your CV, you get a foot in the door that you wouldn’t ever be able to recreate.
Recruiters are motivated
It’s no secret recruiters make commission from placing candidates, some people view this negatively, however this potential commission spurs a recruiter on to deliver you into a role. This means the hard work, long nights sat at your laptop sifting through jobs 55 miles away are gone. They do all the work for you and you don’t pay a penny, all you need to do is turn up to the interview on time and make a great impression.
Free your own time
The likelihood is you are in a role whilst looking for a new role, this means your time is valuable and you may only be able to get in touch with or respond to an employer every evening depending on your commitment level and social schedule. It is essentially about resource, it’s a recruiter’s job to sit there that’s 35+ hours a week potential time vs. your 3 hours’ max in an evening. They will spend, in some cases, a dedicated week to finding you a role, that’s time you usually cannot match.
Interview success
You will interview way less, this is not a bad thing, when using a recruiter. Instead of turning up to interviews you may be over/under qualified for, you will only be put forward for roles that you are truly eligible for. This again comes with a recruiter’s knowledge of the company and role, sometimes descriptions can be misleading or badly written and what the company is looking for is not what it says it is. Less interviews, higher success rate.
Finding the right fit
Finding the right recruitment consultant and agency can be a minefield, there is a lot of competition out there. It is best to go with a recruitment agency that specialise in their divisions as they are solely focused on your job market and are constantly in the know about appropriate roles, salary expectations or even career development you could be doing to get yourself on the next rung of the ladder. Going local can also help, as long as you’re not planning to relocate, as local agencies mix in the same circles as employers and usually get the first nod to a new vacancy before the larger national recruiters as there will be a relationship there.
Don’t always believe what you read on LinkedIn from people who have had bad experiences, using a recruiter 9 times out of 10 is a more efficient, better way to job hunt. So why wouldn’t you…