Help My Resume's Blog

Employers look to recruiting agencies to try to find the right candidate for a job opening.  Can recruiters accomplish this goal?   As a software development executive, I’ve found that a good recruiter can do this and produce real benefits for both the employer and candidate.

The Value of a Good Recruiting Firm

A good firm working to understand everything the employer and candidates are looking for, and then presenting the employer a handful of very qualified candidates to work with.  They will take the time to really sit down and get to understand your background, goals and needs, regardless of which side of the interview desk you’re sitting on.  A good recruiter increases the chances for both employer and candidates of a finding a successful match.

Unless the internal HR department has experienced professional recruiters, agency recruiters have a better network to draw on to find passive candidates.  They also generally have more knowledge than the HR department about the specialized skills needed for a position, as recruiters focus on specific professions.

Making the Right Match, or Looking for a Quick Buck?

Unfortunately, some recruiters and agencies only seem to be after the placement fee, rather than working together with the employer and candidate.  I’ve developed an easy way to determine whether recruiters and agencies are trying to build long term relationships or are simply focused on the next placement. I simply find out how they treated the receptionist when they called. Recruiters that are polite and treat the receptionist with respect are the ones who build long term relationships and make the right matches. Recruiters that are rude, pushy or dishonest are just looking for quick buck and don’t make the list of people that I work with.

I still shake my head about one recruiter’s attempt to contact me: did he really think that I wouldn’t find out he claimed to be an old friend of mine?

Finding a Good Recruiter

Whether you’re a candidate or a hiring manager, the best way to find a good recruiter is to talk to your friends, and ask for a short list of recruiters that they trust and like to work with.  As one of my favorite recruiters says, “the best people know the best people.”

As a candidate, look for a firm that will help you when you’re not just looking for a job.  Will they help you negotiate a better raise for yourself?  It’s important to find a recruiter that will be honest with you – if an interview didn’t go well, getting truthful feedback about how to do better next time is crucial to landing the job you want.

Do your homework.  You’ll find that working with a good recruiter is definitely worthwhile.

Jenson Crawford is Director of Engineering for Fetch Technologies in El Segundo, California. www.linkedin.com/in/jensoncrawford

Fetch Technologies has a singular, powerful and revolutionary mission: To get the best real-time data so that our clients can make high-caliber business decisions.  Major corporations, business intelligence companies and news organizations use Fetch to connect with millions of real-time data sources for a myriad of applications including competitive intelligence, news aggregation, data analysis and background screening. www.fetch.com

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