Questions on using a recruiter on your job search??

What does a recruiter do?  Should you use them on your job search?  If you are using them, what has your experience been like?  Has it been good, bad, confusing?  There is a very common misconception about using recruiters on your job search.  The main misconception is that recruiters will work for you to find you a job.  Most recruiters that work for an agency are hired by other companies on either a retained or contingent basis to find them an employee that they have not been able to find on their own.  If you want to use a recruiter on your job search, or you are already using recruiters, here are some tips to keep in mind.

Make sure that you are comfortable and confident in the abilities and professional ethics of the recruiter you choose to work with.  A good way of establishing this is to gather the following information and ask your recruiter the following questions before giving them your resume.

• Ask about the recruiting firm they work for.  How much do they know about their own company?  How long have they been recruiting and how long have they worked for their current firm?
• Is this recruiter specialized in your industry and profession?  Do they appear knowledgeable about the roles and responsibilities pertaining to your profession?
• What is the recruiter’s relationship with their client company?  How long have they been working with this client?
• Get as much information about the job and the recruiter’s client as possible.  Most recruiters are not at will to give you the name of the client they are working with but they should at least be able to answer general questions such as industry, size of company, how many employees work in the department, who the position reports to…etc… It is normal for a recruiter to withhold the name of the company, but it is not normal if they do not have other specific information about their client to share.
• Is the recruiter retained by this client?   Is this an exclusive search?  If this is a contingent search then how many placements have they made with this client?
• How many other recruiting firms are working with this client on the same position?
• Ask for references from either clients or candidates that have been placed by this recruiter.  If they are on LinkedIn, most recruiters will have recommendations from clients or candidates on their profile.  If they do not have any, ask why?

Keep in mind: Are their answers honest and professional?  What is your instinct telling you about this person?  Trust your gut!

Once you’ve chosen to work with a recruiter, here are some things that your recruiter will ask of you and things you should be prepared for:

• If a recruiter asks where your resume is posted, let them know what job board(s) you’re using.  Some companies will not pay a recruiter fee if they have already seen your resume through a job board or if you have already applied for the position on your own.  Let your recruiter know which jobs you’ve already applied for to avoid duplication of effort.
• Make sure you understand how your recruiter will present you to potential employers and how your information will be circulated.  Make sure that the recruiter asks your permission to submit your resume for consideration.
• Recruiters will often use candidate testing to determine what their clients needs are.  Be prepared for skills testing and be honest about your qualifications at all times.
• If you hear of a position through a recruiter, it is not recommended to go to the employer directly.  Not only is this considered unethical, but it will risk your professional reputation among recruiters in your area and with the employer.  Most companies are turned off when a candidate tries to go around the agreement between a company and a recruiter.  Under these circumstances the company will most likely prefer to keep their relationship with their recruiter over pursing you as a candidate.  The recruiter will also probably not want to work with you as a candidate again in the future due to lack of trust.
• Don’t be disappointed if you send your resume to a recruiter and they don’t respond right away.  Recruiters receive hundreds of resumes weekly.  Most of the time they will put your resume into their database so it is easily accessible for when they have a position that you may be a good fit for.  Resumes are searched by keywords in this type of database so make sure that your resume is filled with the keywords that reflect the position you are searching for.