Are You Prepared to Work with a Recruiter?

Recruiters are search professionals who work with clients and candidates to find a great match – meeting the needs of the company and helping candidates on their career path. They can make your search quicker and more effective than if you were going at it alone. Seems like a simple enough decision. So once you’ve decided to work with a recruiter – then what? Whether you’ve worked with one recently, ten years ago, or never – this post has some tips to help you navigate the process with as few headaches as possible.

Here are three tips for working with recruiters:

Professionalism

Approach the relationship with professionalism. This is a professional relationship – so it’s essential to behave with integrity and treat each other with respect. Recruiters provide a valuable service and in most cases, it doesn’t cost the candidate to work with one. So, remember, their time is valuable – please don’t waste it. Maybe you have a lot in common and have established a great rapport. If so, congratulations! That can make the process even more enjoyable. But don’t use your time with a recruiter to reminisce about old times at your alma mater or your shared love of puppies. Respect your time and theirs by answering their questions – and asking important questions of your own.

Communication

Clear communication makes for a smooth working partnership. It’s likely that a recruiter will set the terms of communication early in the relationship – in which case it’s important to meet their requested timeline – or let them know you won’t be able to upfront. Having a clear agreement about when to return phone calls and emails will save you both a lot of headaches and keep your relationship on smooth footing. Return phone calls and emails in a timely manner and provide requested documents right away as not doing so could delay the whole process. Be sure your resume or CV is up to date and provide a professional copy as soon as it is requested to keep the process on track.

Honesty

It’s so important to be honest and straightforward with recruiters. Bring up your “must haves” and deal breakers. Bring up your concerns. Be truthful about your experience and credentials. Recruiters do their homework and thoroughly vet candidates so it could surely come back to haunt you if you were not truthful about your experience. Review, reflect, and respond to attract the best professional fit for the next steps in your career. Search professionals ask great questions, so take the time to reflect on what they are asking. Sometimes the first thing to roll off your tongue isn’t the most honest and accurate. Review their questions. You could repeat it back to them to be sure you heard it correctly. Then answer with clarity and certainty, knowing that the offers they bring you are worth your consideration. Setting the standard for honesty in the relationship will make the whole process more fun!

Contact BrainWorks, one of the leading executive recruiters in the world, to help guide you through your search for a digital marketing and ecommerce job.