Top 15 Things Job Seekers need to know about Recruiters

By | August 15, 2023
Job Seekers
To boost your chances of getting the desired job from a recruiter, you need to learn how they operate.

Top 15 Things Job Seekers need to know about Recruiters

Recruiters are like a link between job seekers and employers, so it is important you have good knowledge about recruiters before approaching them for your job related issues.

This is because of the role recruiters play in finding and hiring quality employees.

For a job seeker, it is important that you understand the role and types of recruiters you may come across.

So, in this article, we will give you some useful tips about recruiters that you need to know to be successful with them in securing the job that you want.

Top 15 Things Job Seekers need to know about Recruiters

  1. Recruiters are employees too

Most recruiters are not the main employers. They only serve as representatives of organizations in need of employees of certain qualities.

They are contracted by employers to help them find the best candidates for a particular position.

They get paid at the end of their contract.

For this reason, recruiters don’t do their work with sentiments, rather, they work with directives.

The directives could be the type of employees an employer wants in terms of certifications and experience needed for the job.

So basically, recruiters are contracted employees who may or may not be seen working inside the organization on regular basis.

Their mode of operation could differ depending on the organization they work for. But they are employees.

  1. They are the link between you and your potential employer

Most employers do not desire to do the recruitment process themselves and for that reason have people whose job is to take up the responsibility of hiring employees on their behalf.

So, recruiters serve as a link between you and your potential employer.

A recruiter conducts interviews on behalf of the organization and makes recommendations to the employer on who is qualified for the job from the list of people that have been interviewed.

Also, a recruiter could be charged with the duty of intimating new intake with the dos and don’ts of the organization.

This is the stage after the interview process. At this stage, the recruiter orientates a new employee of what to expect on the job and in the organization.

  1. You can discuss your goals with a recruiter

One advantage of having a job recruiter is that they will always have time to listen to your goals, especially during the time of interview.

In fact, it is one of the things your recruiter will like to know before deciding whether you are qualified for the job or not.

So, a recruiter offers you the opportunity to discuss your goals and ambitions and also offers you pieces of advice on how to go about your career in case you end up being selected for the job.

But then be sure you know what you want.

Your recruiter must have seen a lot of people with similar interest and ambitions as you and therefore stands a better chance of advising you on how to build your career.

You just have to be close to them to know what they think about your goals.

  1. A recruiter saves you time if you know what you want

Time is an important factor to the success of an organization. This is recognized by employers and as such transmitted to recruiters who also value time as a big factor in their own jobs every day.

A job recruiter will not tolerate wasting of time. He/she will do everything possible to speed up all processes and save time for both parties (potential employee and employer).

However, how far a recruiter could save you time as a potential employee is when you know what you want.

A recruiter could tell if you know what you want or not during a job interview.

If you know what you want and know what you should know, there wouldn’t be need to waste time in the hiring process.

  1. Recruiters wish you can stay in touch with them

Recruiters desire that you stay in touch with them always.

There is something you will need to learn from recruiters which you may not get unless you stay in touch with them.

Staying in touch with them is not only applicable to when you submit your CV or resume, it could mean having a close friendship with recruiters, nothing personal but purely on the basis of business.

As a job seeker, you should be able to stay close and get some hints from recruiters always.

This is what you will need to do to get the best advice from them.

It is not wrong for you to ask questions from recruiters when you are confused about a job related issue.

Remember they know what employers want and can give you genuine advice on how to get on the good books of your potential employer.

  1. Recruiters are advisers too

This is one of the basic duties of recruiters. Most job seekers always assume that recruiters are mean and wouldn’t have time to talk with you about your career goals and what you will need to do to be able to achieve your futuristic goals.

Contrary to that, recruiters are one set of people that can help you succeed in your career if you find a way to get some advice from them.

This is because they are professionals who have accomplished so much in the industry you are looking to start up a career.

So, you can get far better services from recruiters more than just a channel through which you can submit your CV or resume.

They do far more than that.

Many successful employees today can attribute their success to some advice and guidance they got from recruiters.

  1. Recruiters are different depending on the industry or agency involved

This is very true of recruiters. The types of services they render depend on the type of industry under consideration.

This could affect their disposition sometimes.

So, what you should expect from recruiters is dependent on the industry you want to build a career in.

You can say that recruiters are different in their mode of operation owing to the fact that different employers have different demands and timeframe given to recruiters to get the job done.

A recruiter that has been given a short timeframe may not afford to spend so much time on potential employees who are not up to standard.

So, you don’t generalize the behavior and mode of operation of recruiters.

Whichever one you happen to meet, work with them on how they desire to work.

They may not be kind, or may not be too kind, either way, just do your best to follow through.

  1. They only accept excellent CVs and Resumes

No recruiter wants to render a bad service. That is why your recruiter is the first to go through your resume and other documents before it goes to the table of your employer.

Your resume must be excellent before it can get beyond the recruiter.

If your recruiter finds a fault with your resume, then you don’t need to complain.

All you need to do is to apply the necessary corrections and try again.

Don’t ever forget that a recruiter is also an employee who wants to do a good job.

So, before you get your resume across to your recruiter, ensure that it is up to standard and contains all the necessary requirements needed by the employer, else you may not get what you desire as long as job search is concerned.

You can learn how to make a great resume here.

  1. Recruiters can only help you in the roles you are best suited

As an improvised advisor, a recruiter could be of great assistance to you before and during your job.

This is one of the sweetest parts of going through a recruiter.

They can help you keep your focus, and with sound advice help you succeed.

One way the recruiter could be of help to you is to look at where your skills are best suited and advise you to take up opportunities where your skills match.

Though that is not to be done forcefully by the recruiter, yet it is good you heed their suggestion.

If you are confused about what career to choose, especially as a young graduate trying to find his/her feet, finding a good recruiter could help you to kick-start your career as quickly as possible.

Recruiters are good career advisers whose advice works most of the time.

  1. Build a positive relationship

Building a relationship with recruiters should be strictly on business purposes (though you never can tell the outcome of some relationships, but it should be business before pleasure).

Business or career goals should be the basis of your relationship with your recruiter.

Adding positivity to such relationships could actually benefit you both in the short and long run.

When you stay close to recruiters, you draw from their well of experience and also avoid some mistakes that are inevitable if you are not close to them.

However, ensure that you are not a nuisance to recruiters lest their interest in you will go on the downward path.

Therefore, let the relationship be healthy and positive, which will eventually put you in a good position to land your dream job.

  1. Be punctual and organized

Recruiters hate lateness and unserious job seekers.

Understand that recruiters have many people to attend to and so cannot bear dealing with anyone who tries to undermine their job through lateness to appointments and unorganized arrangement of documents.

Even when you have instructions given to you online by a recruiter, ensure that you stick to the timing of those instructions and ensure you don’t give the recruiter a reason not to take you serious.

When you are punctual and organized with appointments, you could be doing yourself a world of good.

Also, learn to arrange your files accordingly as specified by the recruiter.

Recruiters are too busy to start babysitting you to do what you are asked to do.

Ask the right questions and do as you are told without delay and need for unnecessary corrections.

  1. Recruiters consider who they partner with

Recruiters have employers and partners. Partners of recruiters could be different.

Some recruiters work for some organizations as part of the staff of the organization while some work as independent agencies who partner with organizations to hire employees.

So, it will be good to avail yourself the knowledge of both the employers for those of them working for employers and partners, for those working as independent agencies.

This will help you know the level of standard a recruiter operates with.

The essence of this is not to bypass a recruiter because that may not work out but to help you gather some relevant information you need to know if you are invited for an interview.

One of the questions a recruiter might ask may be centered on the background of the organization you desire to work for.

  1. Take their advice

It is to your advantage to take the advice of a recruiter.

There are two stand-out reasons why you need to listen to a recruiter if you want to shorten the days of your job hunt.

The first reason is experience.

Most recruiters you come across are people that have been in the job that you are seeking for some time.

This is true and that is why they stand a good ground to advise you on what your choice of career should.

Experience matters, and so you must listen to what a recruiter has to say.

The second reason is that a recruiter knows exactly what most employers want.

If you are not convinced about the first point, then this point should catch your interest.

A recruiter tells you exactly what to expect from an employer and what to expect working in that job.

  1. Expect a feedback

Your recruiter will surely get back to you; that’s a guarantee.

If you have sent a message across or maybe your resume, then be rest assured that your recruiter will get back to you, though it could take a long time considering other people in need of his/her attention.

So, you should expect a feedback probably through the mail.

As you know, most recruiters will demand for your email address as the most reliable means of giving you feedback on your request.

You have to keep your eyes fixed on your mail box always.

Don’t be tempted to call or text the recruiter except you are asked to do so, else you could be portraying yourself as someone that lacks patience and discipline.

And you know what it means to start failing from the view of a recruiter.

  1. Recruiters want you to land a job

Sometimes, you may feel like your recruiter doesn’t want you to get the job, but the truth is that it is the desire of the recruiter to help you get it.

If you understand this, you will not baulk at some of the things they may ask you to do.

A recruiter’s job is to ensure that qualified candidates get the job, but he/she has to be careful with all the processes involved to ensure that his/her selection is down on merit and not based sentiments.

A recruiter wouldn’t mind going extreme to ensure that he/she gets the best candidate for the job.

So, don’t see some of the processes as waste of time.

Your patience could have a bearing in the outcome of the whole process.

Wait patiently and ensure that you stay tuned to the feedback from the recruiter.

He/she may be the last hurdle you may need to overcome to have that job.

Conclusion

Recruiters serve the purpose of bridging the gap between employers and job seekers.

They are the ones that play the role of middlemen in job search and recruitment in most industries.

It is therefore important that every job seeker knows the behavior and mode of operation of recruiters as things can provide a hint as to what to expect and how to work with them.

Author: Team

We are a team of career experts and hiring professionals with many years of experience who are passionate about creating quality and helpful content for job seekers, recruiters, and all those interested in career-related information, including job description samples, resume and resume objective examples, etc. Learn more about us and how we create our articles: About US.