How to Work with a Recruiter

Recruiters are hired by the client companies to bring them candidates which most closely meet the qualifications of open positions. A professional recruiter will never ask you to pay a fee for services, nor will they share your resume with client companies without your permission. Please review these suggestions for successfully working with recruiters.

1. Return recruiters' calls even if you are not in the market for a career change. This will give you the opportunity to establish a relationship with an industry expert who can be used to secure industry information, as well as a new opportunity when the time is right.
2. Make sure you know and can articulate your perfect next career opportunity. Uncertainty about what type of opportunity you are looking for leads a recruiter to believe that you really do not know what you want to do and that you will have difficulty evaluating and accepting opportunities.
3. Be honest with recruiters so that they bring you the right opportunities and use your time and their time wisely. Know where your resume is being sent by you and other recruiters. If you resume has been submitted to a company that the recruiter is working with, make sure you advise the recruiter. Having your resume submitted to a company multiple times does not increase your chances of securing an opportunity. In fact, it usually raises a red flag with the company and they may eliminate you as a potential candidate for the position.
4. If you are truly in a job search, please do not call your recruiter daily or weekly to "check in." Recruiters will call you if they have an opportunity that is great for you. Discuss with your recruiter how often it would be beneficial for your two to speak. If you are in the interview process with a recruiter, communicate often. Make sure your recruiter has every possible phone number to communicate with you.
5. If you are interested in evaluating your current position and compensation and want to "test the waters" out in the open market, please let your recruiter know this. We may be able to tell you your market worth without you ever exploring other opportunities or speaking to companies that you do not intend to work for. If you do not plan to leave your current company, please do not have a recruiter schedule outside interviews for you.
6. If a recruiter calls you to help them with a search, please try to think of names that might be qualified for the position. We would not be asking you to encourage a co-worker to leave their job; we are merely trying to talk to as many people as possible to find someone that is interested in a new opportunity. Our success is dependent on speaking with lots of people who know others in the industry. This often leads to other names and ultimately someone makes a great career move.
7. When a recruiter calls you, please do not assume that they want you for a position. Often, when a recruiter calls, they do not know a lot about you or your background other than your name and title. As a result, the first call is typically an opportunity to tell you about a great position and see if you know someone that is qualified. An added bonus would be that the recruiter gets to know you a little better. You may or may not be perfectly qualified for the opportunity, but the recruiter does not know that until a conversation takes place.
8. Be realistic about your compensation expectations, career progression and the process and length of time involved in finding a new opportunity. We will be honest with you about these aspects of your search in order to help set reasonable and realistic expectations.
9. Be respectful of your time, your recruiter's time and the company's time. If you decide that you are not interested in an opportunity, for whatever reason, please inform us as soon as possible. "No" is a very acceptable answer, and is preferable to "maybe" if it means you are not committed to the opportunity or the process.

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