UNDERSTANDING RECRUITERS
As you move into the next step of your career, there are questions we've all had at some point or another when it comes to this next exciting and sometimes daunting phase.
At some point in your career, you will contact or be contacted by a recruiter. It seems like they're everywhere on LinkedIn! It's important to know what a recruiter is and how to know you are dealing with a good one.
So let's jump in!
What is a recruitment consultant?
A recruitment consultant is responsible for attracting candidates and matching them with client companies for temporary or permanent positions. We work with client companies to build relationships to better understand their business, recruitment strategies and requirements. This is varied across the skill set, qualifications, the ideal culture fit and understanding of the progression on offer for new employees and future growth plans for the business. We know our clients well before we place anyone in their business!
When it comes to attracting candidates, this is done typically via SEEK and other job boards, LinkedIn and sometimes referrals. It is up to us to match the candidate's skill set and career goals with our client's business and resource requirements ensuring a happy match!
How can we help?
When it comes to graduate recruitment, recruiters may not be the best people to help land you in your first role. Recruiters are mostly engaged by companies to find a skill for a project. We find many companies tend to recruit graduates directly or via their own graduate programs than engaging with a recruiter.
However, as a graduate or just starting in your career, you can still gain benefits from engaging with a recruiter. By building long-term relationships with an industry expert you can gain access to information that will assist in creating your ideal career.
We can help with salary reviews, the best ways to present your experience on your resume, and will keep you front of mind when they have a specific role, meaning you might get first dibs on an exciting opportunity before it goes to market/ advertising.
So how do you know if you are speaking or engaging with a good recruiter?
There are different approaches you can make to a recruiter, such as applying to an advert on Seek or another job board, calling them direct (it is quite easy to get our phone numbers), sending an email, connecting with them on LinkedIn, or applying to a role on their company website.
One thing to keep in mind is that the best recruiter for you may not be one that has been in the industry for years. It might be the one that supports the same AFL team as you, or you feel is very genuinely trying to help, or just the fact that you both like pizza. Relationship building is key!
You should choose your recruiter based on trust – and if you think they are going to represent you to the market and potential employers the way you want to be perceived.
So, what questions should you ask a recruiter?
Recruiters come in all different shapes and sizes, with different motivations, approaches, and ways of going about the recruitment process. Keep in mind we don't get paid unless we place you – this is contingent recruitment and the more widely used method in the built environment.
The retained recruitment method means without you we don't get paid. This can lead to different approaches to the candidate market depending on their own brand, approach to their job, and level of professionalism.
You can ask which method of recruitment is being undertaken for the role – as it may help understand the time pressures in filling the role.
When you are in conversation, here is a list of questions you might like to ask to ascertain the calibre of the recruiter you are speaking with.
How long have you been working in these types of roles and within this sector?
How many people have you helped with a similar background to me and how did you do it?
Based on my career goals how do you think I can achieve XYZ?
Is there anything I should add to my CV or LinkedIn profile?
If it is for a specific role how many people have you placed with company X in the past and what would the first 3 – 6 months look like?
What are the culture and perks of this business?
A great recruiter should ask you…
Where and what have you done so far to further your career?
What does your ideal role look like?
Why is this important to you?
How will you know if a company is right for you?
How do you like to be managed?
What is your ideal role in 5 years' time?
Do you have a list of companies in mind/dream jobs?
A great recruiter will be...
When it comes to selecting a recruiter, it will come down to trust and feeling like you are both on the same page and working together. By partnering with a recruiter, you can build a solid relationship with an industry expert who has useful market intel and is genuinely invested in your career.
Be a specialist - this shows they have a deeper knowledge of a specific area of the built environment;
Tell you the truth and expect you to do the same at all points of the process;
Be genuinely interested in where you are wanting to take your career and why;
Take the time to meet with you if they do have a specific role to speak with you about, they will want to understand your career aspirations and what is important to you and why;
Not send your resume to a company without getting your permission – this is against the privacy act and super unprofessional;
Make you will feel like a person instead of just a resume and a dollar sign;
They will suggest ideas on how to achieve your career goals – LinkedIn, resume tips and interview prep to name a few;
Let you know exactly where your resume has been sent and to which contact within the organisation. This is particularly important when you are starting out as you want to keep a list for future reference.
Additionally, it can sometimes be helpful to work with two different recruiters due to each recruiter having different networks. Using more than two can be dangerous for your career. In all industries there are different services offerings the recruitment industry is no different, are there are the high performers and then the less so – in the recruitment game they are referred to as "cowboys" the ones that are in it for the money, short term wins and transactional instead of building careers and businesses.
By using too many recruiters, you can lose track of where your resume has gone too, and it can also be a less targeted approach to you achieving your goals. As the saying goes – "it is only your career we are talking about".
