Keep your career on track by knowing how to work with a recruiter.

To begin, figure out how to find the right recruiters and reach out.  However, sometimes recruiters reach out to you before you find them. So, it's a good idea to be ready for that conversation and and figure out what to say when the recruiter calls - dos and don'ts. Always keep in mind that a recruiter is an additional resource you can use to succeed in a tight job market or to get sound advice anytime. 

This post will help you understand how recruiters operate and gives ideas on how to work with recruiters in both general and specific circumstances. 

​Recruiters work for the employers who pay them, but they can still provide you with valuable benefits if you understand their role and needs. Get to know the top recruiters in your field and tap into opportunities you might otherwise miss.

SOURCE: ​https://www.market-connections.net/blog/work-with-a-recruiter-to-diversify-your-job-search

Recruiting, retained or contingency, involves (or should, anyway) directly approaching individuals who, based on their title or position, might well have the experience to handle the position their client (employer) is seeking to fill. The individuals who are approached are often employed at one of the client's competitors.

You may have wondered about how to find the right recruiters. But now recruiters are calling and if they are seeking you, what would you do? What would you do when a recruiter calls and briefly outlines an opportunity with an unnamed company? If you're unhappy where you are and the opportunity sounds interesting, you'll want to know more. 

But I'm not talking about that scenario. I'm talking about the response when you ARE happy where you are. Because there's a smart way to respond and a not-so-smart way to respond. And either choice impacts your career far more than you'd think it does!

So there you are, sitting at your desk working on an important project when the phone rings. And you pick it up. It's a recruiter, who introduces himself and his firm and asks if you have a minute. What do you say? "Thanks for calling, but I'm happy where I am." And hang up the phone? WRONG ANSWER!!!!

Why? Because you just cut yourself off from knowing what's moving and shaking in your industry, which means you just cut yourself off from learning how to access the hidden job market that could potentially leverage your career.

You've just decided to limit your options. And if you don't have access to information, you won't know how to evaluate a job offer and you can't make an informed decision, can you? 

What should you do instead? No matter how happy you are with your current company, listen to what the recruiter has to say. You have a far better chance of leveraging your career when a recruiter calls  than when (and if) you contact a recruiter.

Some people are truly happy with their current position and not interested in currently making a change, regardless of the opportunity presented to them at that moment. But you listen anyway; this is when it is beneficial to practice listening as a skill. Not because you want you change jobs, but to develop a relationship and keep yourself informed and in control for when you do need to change. 

A friend of mine went with a company that had statewide offices. She began in their corporate office right out of college. Over the years, she obtained her MBA and continued moving on up through the ranks. For TWENTY-FIVE years she was with this company.....until she was laid off a few months ago. She hadn't seen it coming. And she freaked out.

If YOU aren't in control of your career, then your company IS. Corporate restructuring, layoffs and downsizing are taking place with alarming frequency as companies tighten their belts and look hard at who is contributing and who isn't. 

Sometimes it isn't even a matter of contribution. Sometimes it's simply eliminating an entire department - and it has nothing to do with YOU, individually, at all. For instance, it's not uncommon for a new manager or president to come in and bring his people with him. 

It can happen quickly and it can happen to you.

Will you have a network to fall back on if it does? Will you have relationships developed with recruiters that you can tap into at a moment's notice? Develop it before you need it. The time to take control of your career is exactly when you think it isn't necessary: when you are happy and successful where you are.

Find recruiters who specialize in a given field. As with advertising, choosing an effective recruiter might be just a matter of targeting, particularly for a managerial or executive position. These positions can be very hard for in-house personnel directors and human resource managers to fill. While these people do have responsibility for hiring, the search for a new employee with skills beyond the norm for their company can best be targeted by a professional executive recruiter.
 
The same can be said for specialized fields, such as Accounting or IT. For example, in-house human resources staff in a pharmaceutical company might know all about pharmaceutical skillsets required for a multitude of research positions, but they may not know as much when it comes to hiring staff to track money or to keep the computers functioning. That's when recruiting agency services specializing in IT, Accounting , or any other specialized field can come in handy. ​

 My own experience as a Recruiter

I have interviewed more than a few thousand job seekers. My icebreaker questions would vary often. For example:

• Tell me about yourself.
• What brings you here today?
• What do you want to do next?

 
While interviewing candidates I might ask any or a combination of the above-listed questions or other similar questions, mostly with the same purpose. I needed to hear how this person presents him/herself when they know they only have a chance to use a few words. How do they even “conduct” themselves when answering my initial question?
 
From there on, I would have a slightly better idea about the person’s vibe. I always knew that an open-ended question from the start will very easily set the tone. Moreover, it is a compelling way to set competitors apart from one another who are applying for the same job. My point is that more often than not, the vibe was almost as important as the quality of the answer itself. In other words, the answer could be genius but if it came with a really bad attitude, it was not that genius anymore.
 
The truth is that interviewers often decide whether or not they want to continue interviewing someone, based on the answer to this casual icebreaker: “Tell me about yourself”
 
There are almost as many ways to answer this question as there are people. But much is at stake and you want decisions to be made in your favor. There are right and wrong ways to answer these tricky questions. It is a good investment of your time to learn about the right and wrong way of answering this question so that you can open more doors for yourself.​

Be receptive 

• Stand out from the crowd. It can be difficult in these situations to say much about yourself, but you should really play your cards right and learn to take advantage of this opportunity. This is an excellent opportunity to show what makes you stand out from the rest. You can actually outshine your competition right here.

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• Show your ability to guide this topic. Show that you are able to pick the right moment to say what you want to say. Show that you were able to prepare ahead of time and that you are not caught off guard. If you give an answer that leaves room for follow-up questions, you’ve done a good job. But if your answer is so detailed that leaves nothing for the interviewer to ask, you haven’t done yourself any favors.

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• Prepare your elevator pitch. People hardly ever ask you to talk about your five-year plan. Real-life conversations are random and often casual. So, it will be easy to be impressive if you know how to sound articulate in these unstructured conversations. You will certainly leave a good impression behind if your elevator pitch comes so authentically that it doesn’t even sound like a pitch. 

Answering the Question
 

• Do not get personal. What the employer/recruiter wants to know is whether or not you are qualified to do this job, and whether or not you will mesh well with the company’s mission and culture. Please be professional. Do not talk about your personal background, your family, your children, etc. Explain to them not only how well you could do the job but also how you will fit within their company.

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• Be prepared. Write it down before-hand. This should not be a spontaneous answer. You have about a minute to make a point. Practicing on paper allows you to make sure you have covered every point without going off on tangents or becoming redundant.

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• Practice your elevator pitch. Practice builds your confidence and makes your answers fluid. With enough practice, you will learn to sound natural and not rehearsed. Ask a friend for feedback.

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• Be realistic. Remember, the person asking you this question is just another human being, after all. Please do not deliver your pitch in a robotic way. Don’t be monotonous. You must have heard the saying “Personality wins”! Right?

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• A customized approach works best. Your resume is not one-size-fits-all. Your interview shouldn’t either. Before you go to the interview, read the job advertisement first. Pay attention to the employer’s list of priorities. Depending on the position, you may emphasize your accounting competencies or your expertise in client relations or training others. Spending a little time to research the company will help you fine-tune your pitch.

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• Talk about your achievements. It’s now or never. Tell the interviewer what your prior managers or colleagues have said about you. If you have any praise from people who report to you, people you have trained, clients, especially competitors, or even vendors, this is the time to mention it. By doing this, you will also show that you work well with others and that you know how to build professional relations at work.

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• Learn to tell your workstory. You are more than your resume. Create a professional Interview Brag Book and share your bragworthy victories with style. Create interest and engage your interviewer to want to hear more...

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• Leave room for curiosity. Your answer should serve as an introduction, not a speech. Remember, the vibe is what really matters. Please do not give your entire story. As recruiters, we find it overwhelming when we have to retain an entire career history or life story, with one question. We have to be able to carry the conversation….. So, please don’t take that opportunity away from us. I remember a job seeker in particular who simply wouldn't stop talking without taking a breath, just for that first question! He gave me SO MUCH information while answering the "Tell me about yourself" question, that in response I just had to say: “Thank you very much. Now I know everything I needed to know from the day you joined the workforce as an Intern, until today. I know exactly why you joined each company, why you left every position, how much you were paid, what didn’t work, the reasons behind your decisions along the way, and more. I honestly don’t have any other questions. You really said it all. Thank you very much. We will call you.”​

 

• Additional  ideas. For a list of what not to say in an interview and additional ideas on how to answer "Tell me about yourself",  I suggest you also review "Tell Me Something About Yourself," The Easy Way. 

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Recruiters are looking for candidates that are a close match to what an employer has outlined as the hiring requirements for the position. In essence, they are looking for square pegs for square holes. If your work history and accomplishments meets their current or future needs, they may add you to their database. Recruiters may contact you if they have a position that fits your profile — or they may make contact to ask you to recommend other people who might be interested in an opening they are recruiting for.
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​There are many ways to connect with a recruiter. Sometimes, a recruiter will find you. This is particularly true if you have specialized, in-demand skills. If you post your résumé to an online job board, you are likely to receive contact from recruiters. Others may identify you through a professional association you’re a member of, or through mentions of your work that appear online (for example, blogs, articles, and publications).

LinkedIn is also one of the most common ways to be “found” by a recruiter. Recent surveys indicate that 95% of recruiters use LinkedIn to identify candidates. You are more likely to be found on LinkedIn if you have a complete profile that is optimized with specific keywords and accomplishments. Recruiters are always looking for good candidates to add to their database.
 
But you don’t need to wait to be found to work with a recruiter. Proactively making a connection with one or more recruiters can be a good strategy, even if you are not currently looking for a new position.
 
LinkedIn can be an effective way for you to make a connection with a recruiter. Use the “People Search” function on LinkedIn to find recruiters in your field or specialty.

Search the “Keywords” or “Title” field for recruiter and keywords and industries relevant for your field, like “engineering,” “manufacturing,” or “technology.” You can then narrow down the search by other criteria, like location. You can continue refining the results until you come up with a few names to contact.

Google can also help you find recruiters. Search Google (http://www.google.com) using a search such as “IT Recruiter Las Vegas” or “Engineering Recruiter San Antonio.” You can also search Google and job boards for jobs posted by recruiters. If you find postings for positions similar to the one you’re interested in, you can contact the recruiter and present yourself for other opportunities.

You can also use a résumé distribution research firm to identify targeted recruiters to contact. For example, Profile Research (http://www.profileresearch.com) can research and develop lists of recruiters that are looking for candidates with your qualifications and expertise. For a fee, they will identify the recruiters and distribute your résumé and cover letter to these individuals (either via e-mail or offline).
 
You can use free and paid online directories to access recruiters as well.
 
Custom Data Banks (https://www.customdatabanks.com/) maintains an online directory of recruiters. 

Online Recruiters Directory is another resource that you may want to explore here: 
http://www.onlinerecruitersdirectory.com/.
 
SearchFirm
One free directory option is SearchFirm (http://www.searchfirm.com). Designed to help executive search firms connect with corporate clients, jobseekers can search the database by specialty, geography, and recruiter name.​

NPA (The Worldwide Recruiting Network) - Jobseekers can also search the online directory of The Worldwide Recruiting Network (http://www.npaworldwide.com/DIRECTORY/) to find member firms.

​The NPA website also has a job search to tool for jobseekers to view listings posted by recruiters within their network. Search the NPA Job Board by job title, keywords, and/or specialties (https://npaworldwide.com/for-job-seekers/ ).

Often the best way to find a recruiter, however, is through a referral from someone you know. Talking with co-workers in your field to see who they have worked with is a great way to find a recruiter. If there’s a specific company you want to work for, you can also make a connection with someone in their human resources department and ask if there is a specific recruiter or recruiting firm they work with often. Learning proven networking strategies will always help you be more effective.
 
Research your recruiter. See if he or she has been involved in any high-profile searches in your industry (these are sometimes profiled in industry publications). Google your recruiter’s name and see what job postings he or she has listed online. You are trusting your personal information and reputation to your recruiter, so trusting him or her is essential.