How to Deal With Job Recruiters

Dealing with a job recruiter can be hard

A job recruiter helps fill positions in a corporation or an organization. A job recruiter may work in an organization’s human resource department or for individual clients. Sometimes jokingly referred to as headhunters, job recruiters find the right person for the job. Recruiters can be a good way of getting a job without wasting a lot of time and resources. Handle recruiters efficiently by being precise about your objectives and let them help you get the right job for you.

Instructions

1. Be straightforward and honest with your job recruiter. Don’t hide details. Tell him what you are looking for and the job you expect to find.

2. Tell your recruiter about your job requirements so that the recruiter will be able to find the right type of job for you and be able to sell your achievements, experience and qualifications to the right organization. Most jobs are filled without any advertisement and good recruiters can help you get one of these unadvertised positions.

3. Stay in touch with your job recruiter through phone, email, fax, and letter. Be responsive to his calls. Never ignore him.

4. Be friendly with your job recruiter but don’t expect her to treat you as her most special client. Recruiting is their profession and they can guide you, but it is inappropriate to expect recruiters to write your resume. Most recruiters are very busy and will not have the time to do anything more than help fill job positions.

5. Tell your recruiter what your salary expectations are early on so they can better find the right job for you.

6. Remind your recruiter what your qualifications are. Having your background information, such as your qualifications, experience and achievements readily available is a good idea especially because the recruiter may have read through your resume quickly.

7. Practice answering simple questions the job recruiter might ask you, such as “what sort of environment you want to work in’’ or “where do you expect to see yourself in ten years.’’ Get the answers to these questions down before your first meeting with the recruiter.

Tips & Warnings

• Answer the questions completely to the recruiter’s satisfaction.

• Ask details about the job from your job recruiter.

• Don’t expect too much from job recruiters. They may treat you nicely, but their main aim is to find the right person for the right job.

References

• "The Complete Job Search Book for College Students"; Richard Walsh, Robert Adams and Michelle Soltwedel; 2007

Resources

• "Dirty Rotten Recruiter Tricks"; Elaine Priestly; 2007