Why it makes sense to include recruiters in your search – and how to find the right one

Searching for a new job can be a lonely process. With the right recruiter or headhunter in your corner, and by building a productive relationship with them, you can make a big difference in your search results.

Here’s five benefits to working with one:

1. You can extend your reach to organisations that you have no connections with. Your name can get before people you might not otherwise.
2. They can coach you to get ready for the first interview with the organisation. They will know what the organisation is looking for and steer you as to exactly how their recruitment process will run and the answers you should prepare. Because they build relationships with their clients they can give you inside info on who is in the team, and the parts of your CV that will be most in demand helping you to knock it out of the part in the interview.
3. They can give you inside information on the culture of the organisation and how the role came about. Asking about this can help you decide whether this role is worth pursuing further – or should be avoided at all costs!
4. A great recruiter works in genuine partnership with their client organisation, and so is able to challenge biases the company think they need (such as 5 years experience in their sector working for the competitor) and put forward people with new perspectives and skills that the organisation actually needs in order to be able to fulfil their vision and goals.
5. They can be good at telling you the bigger picture for the job market for your function, seniority and location including where the growth is coming from (particularly useful in these times). They can give you feedback on the salary range you can expect (which might surprise you) and tell you which gaps to close to maximise your desirability to other employers.

They’re not always easy to find but here’s five tried and tested ways you can.

1. If you have been placed by a recruiter before who you had a great experience with, find out where they work now and give them a ring. Good recruiters like to maintain long term relationships with great candidates – as well as with hiring companies.
2. The flip side is if you have hired staff yourself and had a great experience with a recruiter or headhunter when you were seeking to fill gaps, reach out.
3. Ask for recommendations from colleagues.
4. If you don’t know anyone and can’t get recommendations from colleagues, or the recruiters have moved on, a very effective Ninja move is to join a relevant industry or role group on LinkedIn and ask the question, “Who has had a great experience with a recruiter/headhunter? What made them so great?” You’ll be getting ideas for yourself as well as helping out other job seekers on the same LinkedIn group. You then follow that up by PM’ing the person who posted the recommendation, having a quick offline chat with them about this recruiter and asking to be referred on LinkedIn
5. Finally, you can just reach out cold. If you have found that the same recruiters names come up again and again on jobs boards, you can reach them directly by email or LinkedIn message, BUT, and here’s the important thing, mention a job already advertised on their website as the reason you want to have a conversation with them.

For more strategies and done-for-you email templates on how to capture a recruiter’s interest, and to learn about the other four routes into a new job, why not look up our Find Your New Direction 8 week group coaching programme? Our next one starts this coming Monday 6th July, so you’ll have to be quick. Ticket sales close Saturday night at 5pm. Book at EventBrite