The most important piece for best engagement with an agency recruiter is to be prepared for the engagement. This means we have focus in what we are looking for. The best way to arrive at career focus is to engage with a career expert. This can be a career counselor, transition coach, or a certified career coach. A good counselor or coach will have a process to help clarify what jobs, and type of work make you the happiest; make you feel most fulfilled, and build best business quality of life (BQL). In fact, this is the primary mission of my practice. To help Clients identify those jobs, and a career path that will make them happiest in the long run. Help them achieve the highest business quality of life they can achieve.
Below are some suggestions on how best to engage with agency recruiters. These suggestions will help you use agency recruiters to your best advantage.
1) Before you have an interview with an agency recruiter, have a career focus. (Career Counselors, Career Coaches can give great value in this area.)
2) Have a current résumé that meets best practices. (See part 4 in this series.)
3) Be selective on who you release your résumé to. There are gobs, and gobs of recruiting firms out there. If you have more than one firm submitting your résumé on the same job, or to the same hiring team, you may telegraph you are desperate. Create a tracking of what agencies you have released your résumé to, and for which positions, and hiring companies.
4) Have your personal pitch (personal elevator script) down cold. (See part 3 in this series.) When you are able to tell people in 30 seconds what you are good at, and how you give value, you will give the recruiter an executive summary of what you are about. You will make life easier for both you, and the recruiter.
5) Interview on a specific position. Some recruiters may ask for your résumé without having a specific position in mind. They may be building a candidate database. It is in your best interest to interview on a specific position. Ask the recruiter for a job description for the position they are trying to fill. Get as much information from the recruiter on the specific position as you can before you interview.
6) Small talk is not small talk. Ask the recruiter if your conversations are confidential. (They should be.) But also be aware small talk is not just small talk. The recruiter is making some assessments on your personality, your attitude, and your mindset. In general, it is best to take the tone of the interview as if it were an interview with the hiring company.
7) Make sure the recruiter has everything they need. As you approach the end of the interview ask the recruiter if they have all they need to present you to the hiring company, or organization.
8) Tell the recruiter you are interested in the job. Make it clear you are truly interested in the open position, and look forward to the next steps.
9) Identify time-frames. Ask the recruiter when they will present you to the hiring company or organization. Ask for information about the company’s hiring process. How many interviews they usually require. How soon they want someone in the open position.
10) Thank the recruiter for their time. Thank them for thinking of you. You can also say you are excited about the opportunity.
11) Do follow up. If the recruiter said they would contact you say Monday, and you don’t hear from them, contact them Tuesday for an update. Some recruiters are good about follow up in a timely manner, many are not. Keep the recruiter on-track, and accountable.
12) If you are called in for an interview with the hiring company, ask your recruiter for feedback they have gotten on other candidates. This is one area where you will get more information than dealing directly with the hiring company/organization. The recruiter may want to prep you for the interview. If so, make time for this, and listen closely to what the recruiter has to say. If you are called in to interview, make no mistake - the recruiter wants to place you.
13) If you are not selected to interview with the hiring company, get some feedback from the recruiter. This is another area where an agency recruiter can provide more feedback than dealing directly with the company. Use the experience to better your personal packaging. This might mean some improvements to your résumé, your personal pitch, or your interviewing skills. Weigh the feedback to see if it seems valid. If more than one recruiter gives the same or similar feedback, there is validity in the feedback.
14) Be optimistic. Many times placement has to do with team dynamics, and personalities as much as anything. If you are not placed, it may have more to do with the company team, rather than any short coming on your part.
15) Stay in touch. If you are actively searching, ping your recruiter(s) about once a month. Ask what kind of jobs they are working on. When you speak with your recruiter(s) stay optimistic. If you are unemployed, but doing volunteer work, or work on personal projects (writing, organizing, taking a class, etc.) mention this work. When you communicate you like to stay active, you are improving your chances to be contacted on future positions.
In summary, the most important thing you can do to engage with an agency recruiter is to be prepared. This involves some work on career focus. An expert such as a career counselor, or career coach can help in this area. It also means having a current and easy to read résumé. (You always have a current résumé – right?) Having a personal pitch that is well practiced, and clear is another key. In general, it is best to have friendly, but professional conversations with your recruiter. Treat interactions in a business-like manner. This includes getting time frames from the recruiter, and doing timely follow ups. Understand that agency recruiters do not work for you – their client is the hiring company. But if you engage using best practices, you can form a relationship that will benefit both the recruiter, and you going forward.
RSS Feed