Career Resources

Career Resources

How to Help a Recruiter Shorten Your Job Search

Posted April 23, 2014 & filed under Job Search

How to Help a Recruiter Shorten Your Job Search

Want to use a recruiter in your job search? It can increase your chances of success.

Recruiters can open up new jobs. They can act as a megaphone, making your name and qualifications heard by businesses that pique your interests. With the right selling points, recruiters can even distinguish you from steep competition.

So, keep these tips in mind and you can substantially shorten your job search.

 

Be specific – Recruiters want to get to the bottom of your personal brand. They want insight into your work history, your aptitudes, and your career goals.

At first, you both will play the equivalent of 20 Questions. Each of your answers should be as specific as possible. Terse responses will only prolong your job search unnecessarily.

Ultimately, a well-informed recruiter is one who can narrow down the field of pretenders and find the perfect position for you.

Stay in communication – Employers can be cautious during the hiring process, but when they decide to move, they move fast. Recruiters need several channels of communication (phone, email, social profiles) for when new openings, interviews, and job offers pop up.

You don’t have to drop all other obligations; just respond as soon as you can. Otherwise, you might find yourself choking on the dust of someone else’s success.

Be forthcoming – Have some skeletons in your closet? Want to keep an ace hidden in your hand? It’s better to lay everything out on the table. That way, your recruiter can help you to mitigate their negative impact.

Here are a few things to never keep hidden:

  • Salary Requirements
  • Employment Gaps
  • Anything that Would Make You Leave a Position
  • Involuntary Termination
  • Felonies

There are very few issues that a recruiter can’t eventually help you overcome if given advanced warning.

Be open to suggestions – Sometimes, there are opportunities that are off your radar. Either you’re unaware of a certain field or haven’t given that field serious considerations. Here’s where being specific and forthcoming can majorly pay off.

A recruiter informed about your full credentials, interests, and career goals can sometimes connect dots that you’ve otherwise missed. In those instances, give their suggestions a chance. Ultimately, you have the final veto, but a recruiter’s experience and insight can open you up to a new world of possibilities.

by James Walsh

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