Your Essential Guide to Working with Recruiters
Natasha Jeshani, President & CEO of Career Contacts shares her 20+ years of experience as she addresses your most pressing questions on working with recruiters. Natasha demystifies the realm of recruiter fees, addresses the significance of hidden job markets, and offers guidance on aligning with the right recruiters. Gain valuable tips on LinkedIn optimization, recruiter legitimacy, and the intricacies of the application process. Whether embarking on a career or navigating executive roles, you won’t want to miss this guide to working with recruiters.
DO I HAVE TO PAY TO WORK WITH A RECRUITER?
This is one of the most popular questions we receive. As a licensed recruitment firm, we are hired by our clients (companies) to support their talent search. No payment of any kind is required to work with our team as a candidate. In fact, it's illegal for companies to charge job seekers a fee to place them in a role so it’s important to ensure you are working with reputable, licensed organizations. Be wary of any organizations that try to charge you to work with them as a candidate.
WHAT LEVEL OF WORK EXPERIENCE DO I NEED TO WORK WITH A RECRUITER?
Recruiters are able to support candidates at different stages of their career, so it really comes down to looking for one that aligns with where you’re at. For example, Career Contacts is a generalist firm with 3 recruitment divisions: temporary staffing, permanent placements, and executive search. This means that we support job seekers of all levels – from entry level through to executives. The best thing to do is visit a recruitment company’s job board and read through open roles carefully (not just the title, but the body of each role that feels aligned). Most websites also allow you to search by different categories, such as full time or vs. part time or permanent vs. temporary roles as well. As long as you have most of the required experience listed, it’s always worth applying.
HOW CAN I TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN RECRUITMENT COMPANIES?
Each firm is different and has different operating models so don’t be afraid to ask questions to understand. Career Contacts for example is not a commission-based company, so our team collaborates on searches. We are proud of our model and the way we can support our clients and candidates. It’s also a good idea to look up recruiters on LinkedIn and read the types of reviews and recommendations they receive. Google reviews are also a good place to get a sense of what most people have to say. In the end, the best thing to do is to simply reach out with an open mind.
WHY SHOULD I WORK WITH A RECRUITER AS A CANDIDATE?
Recruiters often have access to roles that are not posted or advertised – this is called the hidden job market. In some cases, recruitment companies may serve as HR departments for clients and if they have a robust candidate network, they don't have to go to market reducing job competition. When your profile is in a recruiter’s database, you are among the first calls made. It’s also important to update your profile with your recruitment partners from time to time when you change roles or industries, to ensure you are being called for the right opportunities. Many make this easy to do online simply by creating an online profile.
WHAT’S THE PROCESS IF I WANT TO USE A RECRUITER FOR MY JOB SEARCH AS A CANDIDATE?
All you need to do is apply. If there are not any current roles that align, you can often submit your resume proactively and when a role opens up, you’ll already be in the system. It’s also a good idea to engage with the recruiters, whether on LinkedIn or social pages, and build rapport. Look at the roles they are posting, the content and blogs, and take advantage of all the advice that is likely being shared.
IF I GET REACHED OUT TO BY A RECRUITER ON LINKEDIN, HOW DO I KNOW THEY ARE LEGIT?
It is very important to do your due diligence. For example, most if not all recruitment companies will never blindly WhatsApp candidates for job opportunities. Ensure that you have actually applied for any role you’re contacted about, look up the recruiters on the websites and ensure the role they are referring to is posted on their job board (and they are listed at the lead recruiter). Ensure you are calling a main line or email with a proper company name, and when in doubt, do not engage.
WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST MISCONCEPTIONS YOU OFTEN HEAR ABOUT WORKING WITH RECRUITERS?
There’s often a misconception that all agencies are alike. When I started my own firm, I was determined to do things differently and I am so proud of the team we have built, the reputation we have, and the relationships that continue to grow. Like any industry, one bad apple does not represent all, and we hope that more firms will begin to see that you can find success and still put people first.
The other misconception about recruiters is that we all compete, but there’s a lot of service differentiation in the industryWe are proud to partner and collaborate with our colleagues. This creates a higher level of service, and a lot of trust. We absolutely love what we do, and want others to experience that through our work.
Remember, recruiters are not career coaches, their role is to align a position to a candidate, not look for jobs for a candidate. This misunderstanding often creates a sense of a ‘bad experience’ that can be avoided.
HOW CAN I MAKE MY LINKEDIN PROFILE STAND OUT TO RECRUITERS?
The key is really to think about how you are creating your LinkedIn profile. Your goal should be for recruiters and hiring teams to either be to:
Find you
Qualify you for the role, or
See what others have to say about you
The best way for recruiters to find you is to ensure that you have fully updated your profile with current and past education, experience, volunteer work, publications etc.
You also want to ensure that your profile has keywords that recruiters would use to find you.
With searchability in mind, ensure your resume and LinkedIn are well aligned and that no information is contradictory when the recruiters do come across your profile. For example, a common mistake we come across is mis-matched dates and titles.
You also want to connect with past managers and colleagues to demonstrate your ability to maintain professional relationships and ask for LinkedIn recommendations, as they are more commonly replacing traditional reference checks.
YOU SEE A LOT OF RESUMES, WHAT ARE THE MOST COMMON MISTAKES YOU COME ACROSS?
Here are a list of the top mistakes we see on resumes that will impact your application process:
You’ve left out your contact information - phone number or email.
You have provided too much personal information (e.g. date of birth, SIN, or religion do not belong on a resume)
Inconsistent formatting - too many fonts, different ways of writing dates, bullets not aligning
Spelling and grammar - running a quick spell check is crucial for roles that require strong attention to detail, communication skills and word processing experience
Not taking a few moments to ensure you are actually qualified for the role (far too often we get applicants who apply to all our roles - from admin, to accountant, to engineer and property manager). Positions have requirements and the less time you spend reading the job description and ensuring you are aligned, the less time a recruiter will spend on your application.
While resume reading and writing are both subjective, the goal is to avoid mistakes that most, if not all recruiters will catch and be deterred by.
ABOUT NATASHA
Natasha Jeshani is the President & CEO of Career Contacts (a Fractional Recruitment and HR Consulting Firm) and the Founder of Training Arch (a Corporate Training Company). Natasha and her team of 20 support organizations throughout Canada and the US to recruit, retain and develop top talent. She is also the Author of the #1 best-selling book, The HR Insider; How to Land Your Dream Job and Keep It. Natasha holds a Sociology degree from UBC, an HR Management Certificate, with distinction, from BCIT, and has her CPHR and SHRM-SCP. She recently received the Business in Vancouver’s Top40UnderForty and a nominee for the Women of Distinction Award. Natasha is also passionate about service, currently serving as Board Member and HR Chair for the Vancouver International Children’s Festival, an Advisor at Venture for Canada, and recently completed 2 terms as co-chair of the Dress for Success Luncheon.