Don't listen to recruiters
It is a common misconception that recruiters are working in the interests of the applicants/candidates...WRONG, WRONG, WRONG!
Recruiters are not working for you. They owe you nothing, so do not rely on their counsel or advice. Recruiters are paid by the organisation they are recruiting for. Treat them like real estate agents…if you buy a house through a real estate agent they are not working for your, rather the owner of the house that is paying their commission. The role of recruiters is often confused by job seekers and whilst they are part of the chain, there is much more for you to do to drive your job search.
One can hardly blame job seekers since over the years many (and we stress not all) recruiters have been branded as uncaring and money-hungry who have their eyes set only on the bottom line. Whether there is a grain of truth to that belief or not, we can’t say for sure but we certainly hear it a lot. However, what is known is that recruiters have been, and will continue to be, a viable resource for candidates. For this reason, recruiters shouldn't be dismissed, but instead appreciated for their role.
- Respect what recruiters do. Although recruiters don't work for you, the good ones will work with you. Recruiters have insider information on the specifications the hiring organisation is searching for, and the clues they provide are based on that knowledge.
- Respect what recruiters can't do for you. The recruiter's allegiance is to the hiring organisation. Therefore, he or she is going to spend his/her time and resources on scouting a candidate that fits the hiring organisation's specifications, not on finding you a job. That’s why it is important to realise that recruiters are just one source of getting interviews. Your job search plan should include other methods of gaining employment as designed by your AMCA consultant.
- Respect the interview with a recruiter. Save your war stories for your local bartender. When you contact recruiters, be discriminating about the type of information you provide. A meeting with a recruiter is an interview. Don't allow the informality of the conversation to convince you otherwise. During a meeting with a recruiter you will be judged on your performance; therefore, be professional at all times.
- Respect a recruiter's time. When a recruiter has recommended you for a position, that means he or she has invested time in your career; therefore, respect their time, return their phone calls, and provide them feedback on the company after an interview. Recruiters are especially interested in knowing your interest level, your thoughts about the interviewer, the rundown of the interview process, and the next step agreed to by you and the company.
- Respect a recruiter's reputation. Recruiters aren't just out to fill a job order. Their credibility is dependent on the calibre of candidates they send on interviews. As a result, recruiters look for candidates who know what they want, present themselves professionally, and are out to win job offers.
- Recruiters want to work with candidates who want to work with them, not candidates who are having difficulty finding a job and want to be rescued. If you can effectively convey to a recruiter that you have a sincere interest in working with him or her, you'll find yourself in turn treated with respect. And remember recruiters often know about upcoming job opportunities long before they are generally publicly known so having a good relationship with 2 or 3 recruiters can put you ahead of everyone else.
Your ACMA career management consultant will guide you through this confusing job search maze!
ACMA creates successful career paths through detailed individual assessment, research and job market analysis, combined with expert personalised coaching.
Note: A Career Development Association of Australia research paper found that when professional career guidance occurred that the participant was 2.67 times more likely to secure a job.
All program services can be delivered via our interactive online cloud-based career management "Career Talk" system and/or "one-on-one" in our Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Canberra, Melbourne, Cairns or Auckland offices.
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