Choosing a Recruiter

Choosing a Recruiter: 5 Essential Requirements

When choosing a recruiter, here are 5 essential requirements that you may want to consider. A good recruiter, headhunter or career adviser can be the single most important relationship you can establish as a job seeker. Having the right recruiter can make it easier to achieve career success and open up new doors of opportunity for you. Look for these qualities in any recruiter you are considering before you decide to contract their services.
Recruiter Experience Counts Look for a recruiter that has four or more years of experience when deciding who to work with. Most professionals who get involved with recruiting do so because they enjoy working with people and they want to earn high commissions. Only the best recruiters stay on board for more than two or three years. An established recruiter will also have above-average contacts with reputable companies and be able to get you interviews with the firms you want to work for. Be sure to choose a recruiter who has gone through the many trials of being a recruiter, and has a solid track record of helping people get into good careers.

Choose a Local Recruiter
If you are searching for a job in your region, it makes better sense to work with a recruiter that knows the people and the industry in your locality. While national recruiters work just as hard as local recruiters, they still can’t offer the availability, insight, and personal contacts that a local recruiter can offer. Check with your local business associations and get recommendations for local recruiters who work for reputable agencies. Ask for references from prior clients to get a better picture of the type of work that a potential recruiter can perform.

Find a Recruiter Who’s Genuinely Interested in You
When choosing a recruiter, you need someone who can best represent you and your career search. Be sure to pay attention to how interested the recruiter is in your skills and your career goals. A good recruiter will ask probing questions to get to the root of who you are and what you are seeking in a potential employer. While it’s common to ask a series of general career questions, the best recruiters will dig deeper and find out who you really are and where you see yourself in the world of work.

Find a Recruiter Who Works with Your Schedule
A key to successfully choosing the right recruiter is working with someone who understands the demands of your current lifestyle. If you are working full time currently, you will find it difficult and even impossible to meet with potential employers for interviews during your working hours. You will also find it challenging to discuss your career goals or job search when you are engaged in the daily routine of a job. Find a recruiter who will work around your schedule and accommodate you, so that your job search is more productive.

Select a Recruiter Who Defines the Process
A mistake that many recruiters make is not coming up with a clear description of the overall plan for assisting you with finding a career opportunity. Candidates often just assume that the recruiter has their best interests at heart, when in fact the recruiter is occupied with other high revenue producing candidates. Find out and get in writing the what, how, and when of the recruiter’s plan, so that you can communicate your needs and have a clearer picture of what is to be accomplished together.