When you’re searching for a new job, it’s easy to feel very isolated. You apply for dozens of open positions, conduct a smattering of interviews, and mostly hear crickets. If you’re searching for about 21.2 weeks (the length of unemployment according to the BLS in May 2024), that rejection can take its toll, especially if you’re never given the reason.
Working with a recruiter can alleviate the sense of solitude and speed up your search. However, you and your recruiter need to collaborate to create a working dynamic that yields results. Here are the best practices you should keep in mind as you’re learning how best to work with a recruiter.
Disclose Your Needs
Transparency is the cornerstone of a strong recruiter relationship. Disclosing your preferences and needs at the outset allows you to shorten the time it takes to find roles you want rather than ones for which you’ll settle.
The starting point is coming prepared with answers to common questions:
- Do you want a fully remote role or a hybrid position?
- Are you looking to change industries?
- Do you want to grow into a leadership position?
- Are there certain companies you refuse to work for?
- Are there certain companies you would love to work for?
- What are your salary expectations?
Lead with your ideal but highlight any instances when you’d be willing to budge. Could you live with a hybrid role if you’re working mostly from home? Are you willing to sacrifice some of your salary expectations for a small company structure that’s fully remote? Be willing but honest as you talk through hypotheticals.
Plus, don’t be afraid to participate in some candid talk. Hiding an unpopular opinion, pet peeve, or negative work experience can result in your recruiter presenting you for positions and companies where you won’t fit or be happy. That said, rather than treating this as a late-night confessional hotline, ensure you share mistakes, bugaboos, and grievances constructively to demonstrate your growth or flexibility.
Maintain Responsive Communication
Sometimes, your job search can feel like a hurry-up-and-wait situation, but when decision makers are ready, you need to pounce. Since your recruiter is acting as your stand-in, they need real-time updates and responses to keep your search moving forward.
That’s why you need to establish and be realistic about your preferred channels of communication. Which channel is most likely to get the fastest response?
- Do you prefer text because you’ll see the notification come through on your phone?
- Would you rather communicate through LinkedIn or other platforms since you’re regularly scrolling for new jobs?
- Do you like asking questions on the phone and hearing the tone of someone’s voice?
Articulate which channel is best for you and set a time limit for how quickly you’ll respond. It might help to ask your recruiter how quickly you’ll need to answer inquiries or give updates, so you ensure the ball never gets dropped.
Offer Honest Feedback and Insight
In any good relationship, there is going to be some calibration. Your recruiter might have a rough understanding of your needs that need refinement as they submit you to open roles. Don’t suffer in silence in these moments. Instead, telling them where they missed the mark and providing feedback on how to better help your career.
Additionally, ask them for honest feedback. Great recruiters will offer constructive criticism and insight (as well as pointers about what you’re doing right), but even they will benefit from knowing what you might want to improve.
- Do you worry your response to a question about your weaknesses didn’t hit the mark?
- Are you interested in learning if your anecdotes are persuasive enough?
- Did your reasoning for switching industries make sense?
Your recruiter can get the answers to these types of questions from your interviewer. In a neck-and-neck race, these inside details can help you create a back channel to address any concerns and elevate your candidacy.
Plus, the best recruiters can give you an inside scoop that can enhance your interview responses from the start.
For example, if the company is backfilling a position because the last candidate lacked a skill you have in abundance, they can remind you to emphasize those skills in your responses. Or if a project you recently completed parallels an initiative that the company is about to undertake, you can build their excitement by outlining your problem-solving and ideation in that context.
Treat Them Like Career Collaborators
More than just helping you find and prepare for your job; the right recruiters will help to enhance your skills as a professional.
Start with your resume. Experienced recruiters not only see thousands of resumes each year, but they also know what appeals to decision makers. They can review your resume, offer pointers on what to adjust for a particular role while also giving general advice. If you’re not including enough technical keywords or underselling a particular experience, they’ll let you know.
They can even help you to catch any red flags in your social media accounts. Companies are increasingly doing preliminary research on their candidates’ accounts to eliminate people who seem like they wouldn’t be a culture fit. Though you might be strictly professional on the job, if your social handles suggest otherwise, some companies might run in the opposite direction. Recruiters can tell you what will and won’t scare off your preferred employers.
Work with the Right Recruiters
Sometimes, it’s not about what you bring to the table, but what the recruiter brings to the interaction. Not all recruiters approach professionals with the same level of attentiveness, adaptability, and friendliness. If your recruiter doesn’t align with your needs, don’t get caught up in sunken cost – find a new recruiter who complements your needs and personality.
At w3r Consulting, our goal is always to advance your skill sets and bring you closer to your goals – inside and outside work. Our recruiters take the time to get to know you and your preferences, respond well to feedback, and give you the information you need to ace your interviews and find your next great role. Say goodbye to feeling alone in your search.
Now that you know how to work with a recruiter, you need a partner that knows how to work with you. Review our open jobs and apply to start your journey.
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