Working with a Recruiter series.. Part One

I come from a country where the term recruiter conjures up images of a sleazy fly-by-night operative of someone who’s out to con you. Sadly there are still those who take advantage of people who don’t know any better and it makes my blood boil that these people tarnish a respectable profession and make things a lot harder for us headhunters who take pride in what we do.

I’m here for 2 reasons, one to show that not all recruiters are con-men, there are a lot of us who find pride with our chosen profession, and we do follow strict standards of morals and ethics when dealing with our candidates and clients. And my 2nd reason is to give some tips and advice on how to best navigate the chaos of a labour market, and how to choose the right person to lead the way for your benefit.

First part of this series is probably the best and most important advice that I can give anyone. Always find a recruiter that you feel most comfortable with. Someone you can trust and depend on to help you with your career.

You wouldn’t go to just any corner lawyer or banker to get advice on your legal issues or financial matters would you? I’d bet a million bucks that you go to that particular banker or lawyer because you’ve developed a relationship with them, they’re someone in your professional network that know you and in turn they’re someone you trust and you can turn to for advice.

Same thing with your recruiter, this should be a person that you can depend on to help you with your career. You need to be able to trust this person with your dreams, your goals and ambitions. This relationship is not a one time meet and greet and hope for the best. You need to take time to get to know each other and connect once in a while to give updates on what’s going on from your end.

Working as a recruiter for a number of years now, I’ve developed a lot of professional relationships within my network where I can call on people when I have a new position that comes my way because I’ve met them, I know what’s important for them and with their profiles I can make the best match.

It’s such a humbling experience to hear that I’ve helped someone find that right position for them in their career development, 99% of the time they’re the people that I’ve met, people I’ve created a relationship with and I took the time to know what they’re looking for and what motivates them. And like I said it works both ways, they’re the type of candidates who took the time to get to know my style of work and strategize on what’s right for them. Between a star candidate that I’ve met and some person that I talked to on the phone, I always, ALWAYS remember the people that I’ve met and prioritize them with any new opportunity that comes my way.

Go ahead, take 20 minutes of your time to go and meet a recruiter, find the right one that works for you and believe me, those 20 minutes will pay in dividends for years to come.

Ps. Don’t you pay your lawyer and doctor when you go to them for advice. You get advice from your recruiter for free and if you play your cards right