How to Successfully Work with External Recruiters to Advance your Job Search - CareerMetis.com

How to Successfully Work with External Recruiters to Advance your Job Search Creating professional relationships with external recruiters can significantly advance your job search and career. Knowing proper etiquette when dealing with recruiters In today’s job market When you do speak with the recruiter, do not treat the conversation as a “transaction.” You don’t want to be treated like that and neither do recruiters.However, if you get the feeling the recruiter is treating the engagement as a transaction Once identified, the good recruiters are those you want to align yourself, be connected on LinkedIn, and develop a line of communication. Recruiters can provide valuable information on a host of industry trends and career topics that can help direct your career path beyond actually placing you in a position.5. Make relevant referralsRefer talented colleagues to recruiters. The key here is to make your referrals relevant. Only refer colleagues that match the specialty of the recruiter.Referring people that are not within a recruiter’s specialty is a nnoying to the recruiter and could result in the recruiter not responding to your referral’s outreach. This is simply the recruiter protecting his or her time and could reflect poorly on you when your referral tells you the recruiter did not respond.If you truly want to ingratiate yourself to a recruiter, refer a potential client-company. You will be forever remembered by the recruiter if you refer the recruiter to a potential new client When contacted by a recruiter, it is bad form and unprofessional to ask the recruiter “who is the company?” This is especially true if you do not have a previously established relationship with the recruiter. Moreover, recruiters resist putting the name of their client in writing Pay Equity LawsThere are a growing number of jurisdictions that prohibit employers and recruiters from asking about your compensation. If you live in one of these jurisdictions, you are granted the right not to disclose your compensation. All of these pay equity laws allow you to volunteer your compensation, if you choose.If you live in a jurisdiction that has a pay equity law, it is up to you whether you want to disclose your compensation to a recruiter. Most recruiters will still provide you with the general compensation range for the position they are looking to fill, even if you choose not to disclose your compensation. 3. Do not lieSounds simple but sadly some candidates do not tell or stretch the truth. Recruiters talk with a lot of people. This includes your colleagues, upper management, competitors, vendors, and so on. It is remarkable what recruiters learn that will reveal a lie or a stretch of the truth.When your misrepresentation is discovered by the recruiter, your candidacy is dramatically diminished. If the misrepresentation is severe, the recruiter may discontinue the engagement and not contact you in the future.4. Avoid asking for a meeting or a callAvoid asking for a meeting or a call from a recruiter (especially a recruiter yo u do not know) to discuss how the recruiter can help you. It’s permissible to offer your availability if the recruiter has an opening or would like to discuss your candidacy in more detail.However, asking that the recruiter call you can be viewed as poor etiquette. Recruiters do not work for candidates. They work on behalf of their client-companies.5. Do not decline or reject InMail messagesIf you are not interested in a position, either reply with a professional “not interested” or do not respond. Recruiters understand and are not offended if you remain silent or simply indicate that you are not interested. Avoid declining or rejecting an InMail message from a recruiter.When you do, it creates a record in LinkedIn that the recruiter can see. The recruiter may choose to not contact you for future opportunities. Someday when your circumstances change (and circumstances will always change), you may be thankful that a recruiter reaches out to you.Regardless of how secure you are in your current role, it only makes good career-sense to have a flow of opportunities coming to you regardless of whether you pursue them. 6. Never insult a recruiterNever make a derogatory remark, either directly or in a passive-aggressive manner to a recruiter. This could be done in conversation or in writing. Doing so is incredibly unprofessional and will result in the recruiter not contacting you in the future.In the event that a recruiter “has done you wrong” and the behavior is significant and can be traced directly to the recruiter and you need to distance yourself from the recruiter, take the highroad. Disconnect on LinkedIn, and professionally inform the recruiter that there are other candidates that would be better aligned to working with him or her.Wish the recruiter well in future endeavors. Then, take solace that unprofessional recruiters seldom survive very long when they conduct themselves inappropriately.By following proper recruiter etiquette, you will enhance y our relationships with recruiters, advance your job search, and potentially shape the future directions of your career.