Whether you are actively seeking a job or merely open to new opportunities, the more effective you are at interacting with expert executive recruiters, the better your chances will be. Following are a few insider recruiter tips for maximizing your experience.
Know Your Value
Even if a recruiter reaches out to you personally, it is never enough to rely on your resume alone. You need to know what makes you different from other candidates and what will make you valuable to a company that is hiring. Just as an individual business needs to differentiate itself from its competition with a value proposition, so do you as a candidate need to know why you are the best choice. The more you can make this distinction using concrete evidence -- that is, evidence where you generated additional revenue or cost savings for your company -- the better you chances become.Be Strategic
If you are currently out of work, it stands to reason that you would want to find a new position as soon as possible. Unfortunately, the tactics that many job seekers take can sour a relationship with expert executive recruiters from the outset. It is a mistake to apply to every job opening you find, regardless of how qualified you are. Instead, you should develop a game plan that targets specific companies and positions where you know you could hit the ground running and have the most impact. When you submit to jobs for which you are highly qualified, you make the recruiter’s job that much easier.Make Your Recruiter Look Good
Even the best executive recruiters will not necessarily place you in the first position that looks promising. Because there are many applicants for most positions, you should work to cultivate a relationship with a recruiter that will last until they find you the right job. One of the best ways to cultivate a positive recruiter/candidate relationship is by holding up your end of the bargain. Show up to interviews on time, conduct yourself professionally, and do your utmost to give a good impression. The way that you behave reflects directly on your recruiter and the better they look, the keener they will be on submitting you in the future.Recruiters Don’t Work for You
To go along with the fact that you should work to cultivate a positive relationship with your recruiter is the fact that they are not necessarily inclined to do the work of foster that relationship themselves. As a job seeker, when you work with expert executive recruiters, you should never forget that ultimately they do not work for you. Recruiters work for their clients, and their top priority is ensuring that their clients are happy. If they find that you are a perfect candidate for a particular position, they will certainly push for a meeting, but if you are not they are unlikely to fight for you and instead will spend resources finding someone who is. By staying in contact and keeping your resume current, you will have a better chance to get that call when the perfect position does come up.Being Employed is Always an Asset
While it may not seem very fair to those qualified candidates who find themselves holding a figurative pink slip, the fact is that employed candidates are almost always looked upon better than those without jobs. Even if you are laid off, it is best to find some employment in your field as soon as possible while you work with a recruiter to find the perfect position.Expert executive recruiters can be an asset to job seekers, but unless you know how to work with them well, you might not even get a return call.