February 2012

You love 'em, You hate 'em: Recruiters and your career

One day recruiters are your best friends: “I've got three recruiters hunting jobs for me…”

The next day they're on your black list: “I can't believe they didn't have the courtesy to call.”

Jump into the recruiter's shoes and you'll get a better idea of what to expect.

1) Recruiters work for the hiring company. They are not out looking for jobs for the job seeker.

2) For some executive recruiters nine placements in one year is a very good year. We can see then why recruiters are selective about the calls they make to job seekers and why they don't have time to respond to the hundreds of resumes they get each month.

3) If a recruiter is interested in your qualifications, advise him/her that you would like the name of any companies they will be submitting your resume to before they submit it. That way you can ensure that you are not submitted by more than one recruiter and that they are not submitting your resume to someone you have personally approached.

4) If a recruiter is handling a particular job opening you're interested in, file the appropriate materials with that recruiter, but still use your personal network within that company to support your qualifications. Here's what you can say to your networking contact:

“I've applied for this position through ____ recruiter but thought you'd like to know what an excellent fit this would be. I would love to be a part of your team and contribute to the work that you do. If you have an opportunity to say a few positive words about my qualifications, I would appreciate that.”

While recruiters (along with the internet and newspapers) are in the category of the “open” job market and only represent 20-25 percent of all openings, they are definitely worth contacting for some people in certain career fields.

Here's a great resource that will help you refine your strategies with recruiters and make it a win-win.

http://www.quintcareers.com/15_recruiter_tips.html

Kathleen Martinek, former UNCG alumni career counselor, has more than 15 years of experience in career development and corporate management. She can be reached at kathleen.martinek@yahoo.com.