Love them or hate them most jobseekers will use recruitment consultants to find them a job at some point in their career. As they can play a very important part in getting you your next job I thought I would post a brief article on getting the best out of your new “temporary” best friend.

The best place to start is to understand the pressures and motivations that a recruitment consultant is under; this way you are better able to present yourself in a way that makes them work best for you.

As almost everybody knows, recruiters tend to earn a lower basic salary which is then supplemented by commission that they earn by filling vacancies. Their goal will be to place as many people as possible in as many jobs as possible to earn as much commission as they can.

This may seem cold hearted but that it the simple fact of the matter. Regardless of what they say this is how they are targeted, driven, get promoted and ultimately earn a living.

Of course, the majority of recruiters add professionalism, ethics and a genuine desire to help you succeed to make the process as pleasant as possible. These are the good guys and when you find them, never be afraid to thank them and refer your friends to them. Unfortunately, as with all industries, there are the “sharp operators” and recruitment has its fair share. Remember that not every recruiter has access to every job so never be afraid to sack them and register elsewhere.

Getting the best out of a recruitment consultant starts by a bit of thought into the job you want next. As recruiters as very target driven and usually very busy they will sadly only have time to engage with the jobseekers they believe have the best chance of getting a job (remember their targets).

As such, it is important that you are truly committed to finding a job and as such only apply for roles that you are genuinely interested in. To do this, you must sit down and think about your situation….. points to consider will include:

1. Why am I looking for work?
2. What do I enjoy about my current job?
3. Could my reasons for leaving be addressed by my Manager?
4. What is the most important thing in my next job?
5. What type of Company do I want to work for (industry, size etc)?
6. How far do I want to commute?
7. Where do I want to be in 5years?
8. How will my next job prepare me for the next job I apply for further down the line?
9. What do I want to earn and are my expectations realistic?
10. Do I have a CV that is well written, inviting to read and that portrays me in the best light for the job I want to apply for?

The list goes on but remember that a recruitment consultant wants applications from jobseekers that intend to accept a job if offered. Whilst there are endless variables to consider and you can never be sure until you have been to interview etc, you can improve both your and their chances of success by honestly appraising what you want out of your next job.

Having contemplated your next move you should have a pretty good idea of the job you want next including salary, location, skills, type of company etc. Armed with a good CV it is important that you then start searching and applying for jobs. Remember that you should only apply for jobs that you are genuinely interested in and want to be considered for. Spamming your CV out to every job you see will quickly get you ignored by every agency you apply to. Once a consultant recognises your name and sees your CV in application for 10 different jobs that have different requirements etc they will probably just delete your CV and move on…. A complete waste of time for everybody.

Note: A serious application with a strong CV will get their attention quicker than you may realise. They want to fill their vacancies as quickly as possible and if they genuinely believe you are the person to do that then they will become your best friend very quickly….. This may seem shallow but ultimately it is a win:win:win situation. You find a job that you love, the client finds a committed and well matched employee and the consultant earns his commission…..

Of course, getting to job offer can be an epic journey in itself but I firmly believe that organisation, honesty and communication skills are essential here. A few points to consider:

1. If a recruitment consultant asks where you are interviewing – don’t tell them. Regardless of how they dress it up they are only asking you so they can approach the clients themselves with a view to introducing their own candidates – ultimately increasing the competition for you. Sure, they may talk about marketing out your CV and wanting to avoid duplicate submissions but this should not be an issue if you follow the next point.
2. Your CV is a valuable document; it contains personal information and should be treated as such. You have a right to know where your CV is being sent. When talking to a recruiter you must insist that they tell you the name of their client – assuming you want your CV sent to them – remember you are entitled to know where your CV is being sent. If they refuse to tell you then state that you don’t want to be considered for role and will refuse to attend any interviews for vacancies that have not been discussed with you in full previously. They may tell you that they cannot tell you but this is rarely the case… The truth is that they are afraid of you divulging client names to other recruitment agencies that will potentially contact the client and submit their own CV’s. By following point 1, you will be demonstrating your integrity and showing them that you can be trusted.
3. Having dealt with points 1 and 2, the consultant will be building up an impression of you; hopefully a positive one; i.e. a jobseeker who knows what he wants, is honest and will not mess around or play games. This needs to be reinforced by point 4.
4. Keep accurate records of what agency has discussed what roles with you. A part of point 1 is true in this case; i.e. duplicate submissions. Nobody likes to have their time wasted, as such, assuming you follow point 2 – always tell a recruitment consultant if a vacancy has already been discussed with you – it will save everybody time.
5. Give honest and critical feedback after an interview. If you are keen then tell them – if they think you are likely to accept the job then they are more likely to push for you. Being non committal or taking days to ring them with feedback gives the impression that you are not particularly interested – potentially making the recruitment consultant favour another jobseeker instead of you.

Despite the undeserved bad reputation that many recruitment consultants get due to the shady practices of an underhand minority it is important to realise that they are normal people like you and me. They will have mortgages to pay, children to clothe and food to buy… To do this they need to earn money….

Understanding their motivators and the signals you send out to them will go a long way to getting them on your side, getting your emails and phone calls answered and hopefully securing that dream job!

Good hunting!