Understanding Your Recruiter

If you are looking for a new employment opportunity, chances are you’ll consider contacting a recruiter to assist with your search. Read on for insight on what a recruiter does and how we work to find you that #perfectfit role!

What a Recruiter Does

Recruiters work for companies (clients) to source people (candidates) for their vacancies, usually because the company is having difficulty locating these individuals themselves. A good recruiter understands what their client is looking for, whether it’s directly expressed or subtly implied. The recruitment consultant will search the relevant jobs market for individuals who fit their client’s specific requirements, in the hope of later presenting them to their clients for review.

A recruitment company might have a number of clients who are searching for similar types of profiles at the same time. In this instance, they will usually organise themselves into specific divisions recruiting for defined skill sets, as the more time a recruiter spends making contacts within a certain skill set the wider their talent pool will grow. As a result they become more efficient at matching candidates with the roles that suit them best.

Some recruitment companies might offer to send your profile to a number of clients at a time. However, our ethos is centred on finding the right candidate for the right role. As a result, we will only submit you for jobs that we think you are a suitable match for.

Catching a Recruiter’s Attention

Recruiters receive many applications/approaches every day, so it is important that you stand out from the crowd! We understand that looking for a job can be stressful, so my advice would be to apply for roles that best match your experience/skills in order to avoid disappointment. List down the reasons why you believe that your experience is the best match for that particular job vacancy.

At Cavendish, if you are not suitable for a particular role, we will do our best to reply to you with the result of your profile review and any other potential vacancies we think might match your credentials. If the response is a no, please don’t give up! New roles open every day and once you have registered your CV with us, we keep it on file for any roles that may arise in the future.

When sharing your personal information with recruiters, try to be upfront if it’s something you think they should know. In some cases, factors like your level of education, years of experience, marital status or visa restrictions can affect your recruitment journey if not disclosed right away – especially if you are relocating! Your consultant will be able to advise you on how best to manage the situation for the good of all involved.

How To Recognise Good Advice

Ideally, if a recruiter is presenting your profile to their client for review, they should advise you to tailor your CV to suit the client’s criteria. Understanding how the clients evaluate candidate CVs is part of how a recruiter assists in securing a role for you. This advice should also extend to how you approach the interview panel. A good recruiter can maximise your chances of succeeding at interview, just by understanding what their client needs and coaching you on your technique accordingly. Check out our knowledge centre for some helpful hints and tips!

Remember that it is the recruiter’s job to act as mediator between yourself and the client. Sometimes the process may slow down and you might not hear from your recruiter for a few days. This is normal. However, a good recruiter will always endeavour to give you regular progress updates and will follow up with the client about any concerns you may have.

How To Choose Your Recruiter

You might have encountered a situation where you felt that your recruitment process was not tailored to your specific needs. Don’t panic! The recruitment industry is always evolving and growing, which means that there are many more agencies for you to choose from – all with their own way of doing business.

With this in mind, if you are looking at a recruitment website it’s always a good idea to check and see if they have client/candidate testimonials on their website. Sometimes the lack of testimonials on a website can give you an excellent indication about the type of agency you’re looking at.

At Cavendish, we pride ourselves on providing our clients with genuine, honest, practical advice. Check out our testimonials page here to see what our candidates have to say about us.

It is always a good idea to ask the consultant you are speaking to about their recruitment process, as this is a good way to gauge whether or not their style of recruiting is right for you. As I mentioned earlier, some agencies will send your CV to multiple clients at once. If this is something that makes you feel uncomfortable, I would suggest that you register with an agency that takes a more tailored approach to recruitment.

If you follow some of the guidance above, working with recruiters can be a rewarding and positive experience. To speak to one of our consultants or for more information, give us a call on 020 3008 5212.