In this article Karen Silk, our CEO discusses How to Get The Best From a Professional Recruiter.

I think the first place to start is by getting a clear understanding as to how recruiters earn their fees. It is important to realise that a Recruiter, in providing his/her services to you, is doing so in order to earn a fee from the recruiting client company. The client will only be prepared to pay a fee if they believe they receive a valuable service which enhances their ability to reach and recruit the best candidates available in the market.

The recruiters job therefore, is to match the most employable candidate with the most attractive role. Each recruiter can only manage a finite number of roles at any one time; they therefore look for clients who offer competitive packages to their employees, a pleasant working environment and the opportunity for training and career advancement. Once they have established a relationship with a number of companies within their niche market, it is then incumbent upon them to engage with the potential candidate pool. This is where you have to position yourself as the most employable candidate and this is where your ‘Personal Brand’ is important.

The next step is to ensure there is a match with technical skills, cultural compatibility and candidate and client have shared goals and aspirations. The recruiter will now present the client with the top 3 most employable candidates for the role. To get to the top 3, they will review, depending on the scarcity of the skills, anything up to 30 candidates and have detailed conversations with 15 – 20, until producing a short list of their top 6 candidates. The next part of the process is to qualify each candidate in detail, to draw out any impediment to a successful placement. Once this is complete then a detailed candidate profile is written to support each of the 3 candidates and this is presented to the client.

How do you ensure you are one of the top 3 candidates? Firstly build a relationship with the Recruiter and this is best done by restricting the number of staffing agencies you work with, it increases your chances of success especially if you use a specialist. It gives you time to research the opportunities presented, avoids confusion and builds trust between you and the Recruiter.
You can help yourself by utilising the Recruiters’ knowledge, listen to the advice they give to you prior to interview, they are working in your best interest as it is also their best interest. They can prepare you with an understanding of what is important to the hiring manager. They will also understand the soft skills that the client is looking for and this will give you a competitive advantage.
The Recuiter needs to believe you are going to be a good ambassador for them and their company, so make sure you play your part in thoroughly researching the client, by visiting their website, Linkedin and Facebook pages and following them on Twitter. You need to demonstrate you knowledge and commitment to the interview process and your ultimate goal of receiving a job offer. It is very important to be open and honest at all times as this will enable the Recruiter to overcome any objections the employer may have, either when reviewing your Resume or following interview.

Finally, remember you and the Recruiter are in this together and you landing the job of your dreams is the outcome you are both working towards.

Key points:

• Build Rapport and a Relationship with the Recruiter.
• Restrict the number of Recruiters and Specialise.
• Listen to their Advice and Use their Knowledge.
• Show you are going to be a Great Ambassador for them.
• Keep the Recruiter Informed be Open and Honest.

Karen Silk
Managing Director
Capital International Staffing Ltd