Top tips for working with job recruiters:
December 20, 2020
By: Lisandro Vazquez, PE
Working with a job recruiter? Not sure how the process works or what to say and do? If you’re new to working with job recruiters, or perhaps you’ve had mixed results in the past, Engineer Q&A is here to shine some light on the topic by bringing you key tips & recommendations to make the most of your relationship with a recruiter.
Some ground rules:
First: For our discussion we’ll be focusing on the do’s & don’ts of working with a third-party recruiter, which is different from an internal recruiter (a full-time employee of the hiring company). Though a number of our talking points may be pertinent to working with all types of recruiters, some of these may not directly apply to internal recruiters.
1. Our Focus: 3rd-Party Recruiters
(Not Internal Recruiters)
2. Be Honest & Transparent
(But Keep Your Cards Close)
3. Use Your Judgement
If you aren’t 100% sure what an internal recruiter is—or what recruiters do in general—you can check out our article “Should I use a recruiter to find my next job?” where we explore the most common types of job recruiters, what they do, how they get paid, and provide pros & cons for your consideration. We also address a few myths you’ve probably heard about the job search process.
Second: Honesty & transparency are extremely important—as we’ll revisit later—but do NOT confuse these mantras with divulging ALL your strengths, weaknesses, views, and concerns.
Obviously, it is imperative that we not mislead others about our candidacies as jobseekers, but it’s equally crucial to control what information you provide to others because once it leaves your mouth or keyboard you will lose control on how it will be promulgated and more importantly you’ll lose the ability to frame the context in which it is subsequently presented.
Third: Your judgement is your strength—use it! The advice presented here is based on years of personal experience working with recruiters both as a jobseeker and as a manager looking to fill open positions. But hey… it’s perfectly ok if you feel that some of these talking points just aren’t for you—or if you feel they might not be the right fit for your specific scenario. Make the call that’s best for YOU!
At Engineer Q&A it is our sincere hope that this article will illuminate new points for your consideration—or perhaps just a different viewpoint in general. Our goal is to help you arrive at the best decision possible for YOU by sharing the experiences of others.
Ok, let’s get to it!
Engineer Q&A’s Top Tips for Working with Job Recruiters:
1. Remember who the Client is:
In most cases the recruiter’s ultimate client is the hiring company, not you the jobseeker. You are a client of sorts—a stakeholder—but it’s the hiring company that pays the recruitment fee. So, do not expect the recruiter to be your personal job-seeking assistant wholly devoted to your beckoning. If this is a surprise, definitely check out our article “Should I use a recruiter to find my next job?” where we’ll get you up to speed with all the basics on job recruiters.
Sure, it’s in their best interest to be courteous to you and to help you along if you’re a somewhat qualified candidate; but remember, the recruiter does not work for you the jobseeker (with some exceptions).
Be respectful of their time and set your expectations correctly. It is unrealistic to expect them to be “on call” for your every question or concern.
If you’re a qualified candidate a skilled recruiter can be an outstanding asset in improving your chances of landing an acceptable placement and can be a great resource for industry insight. If you aren’t qualified, or if you’re switching to a new career for which you have limited or no experience, don’t be too upset if you aren’t getting much feedback from recruiters.
Managing your expectations well from the start will help you stave off disappointment or discouragement, especially if the responses or feedback you receive aren’t what you had hoped for.
2. Accepting Advice:
If you’re working with an experienced job recruiter be sure to give due respect to his/her advice.
Effective recruiters will know what factors have historically resulted in successful placements within your industry.
Though you don’t have to agree with—or even act upon—every word of advice given, adjusting your resume or LinkedIn profile based on input from your recruiter may materially improve your professional “attractiveness” to a future employer.
Accept Advice on
Resume & LinkedIn:
- Formatting & Organization
- Removal of Redundant Content
- Reduction of Lengthy Descriptions
(Try to Keep an Open Mind)
Word of caution: Though recruiters may have years of experience placing people within your industry, that does not necessarily mean they know exactly what it is you do for a job; nor does it mean they fully understand the technical requirements/skills your job demands. They may be able to “speak the lingo” but they might not truly understand the meaning… not a guarantee, but something to consider.
3. Be Honest and Clear:
Don’t tell the recruiter what you think they want to hear. Remember, if you’re working with a third-party recruiter he/she is not an employee of your future company. You can be open and honest about what you want in your next job and what you do not want (keep it professional).
Avoid wasting their time with intimate details and drawn-out stories. Be very clear about your expectations and the true state of your experience (but don’t sell yourself short).
They need an accurate accounting of your experience and what you’re looking for so they can best align your skills/aptitudes with open positions which you’ll likely be successful at. Remember, it’s in recruiters’ best interest for maintenance of business relationships that their hired candidates are successful as it builds trust in their “brand.”
To expand on the topic of what to say, it is highly recommended to work through a few conversational scenarios if you know in advance that you’ll be discussing your goals & experience with a recruiter (especially with respect to pay; see the segment later in the article on this topic).
Think of questions you would ask potential job candidates if YOU were the recruiter. Which questions would you ask to figure out their experience level? Which questions would you ask to determine why they’re leaving—or have already left—their most recent position?
What would you ask about a candidate’s near-term to intermediate-term career goals? What would you ask to ascertain if the candidate gets along with others or is overly confrontational?
Would you ask what they like and don’t like about their current job? If so, which sorts of responses would be concerning to hear?
Going through this exercise will help in formulating answers which communicate a more accurate representation of you and will help you avoid sending the wrong signals.
Finally, you can be honest and transparent WITHOUT volunteering too much information. Put together some mental notes or bullet points—write them down if you need to—on what you’ll say regarding your experience level, your reasons for changing jobs, and what you’re looking for.
Do your best to abstain from straying too far off-topic, especially when it comes to opinion-based subjects. It is very important to be mindful of this consideration because you have to keep in mind that the person you’re speaking to likely has no prior knowledge of you and does not know your personality. Their opinion of you is being formed in real-time and is very fluid since it’s based on so few data points. It’s exceedingly easy to give off the wrong impression in situations like this. So stay on-topic. Avoid long-winded tangents (like this one).
4. Be careful what you say:
Though you should be honest with your recruiters, be careful with what you say and particularly careful in what you put in emails and/or messages. In addition to the cautionary note mentioned earlier about volunteering too much information, you might end up dashing your own chances at landing an interview by inadvertently communicating the wrong “tone” or “meaning.”
Proofread Your Emails
Avoid Jokes or Sarcasm
Maintain POSITIVE Tone
Be Aware of Email Chain Content
Be Concise & Get to the Point
Recruiters are gatekeepers to potential interviewers and WILL screen you out of their pool of candidates if you give them reason to doubt your character and/or competence. So, take the extra time to proofread ALL your emails/messages before sending them. Maybe ask a friend or spouse to take a quick look before hitting send.
You’d be surprised at how helpful this can be.
And be especially cognizant of email chains. If you’re forwarding an email or replying to an email chain, scroll through the previous messages and make certain you aren’t sending sensitive or personal information to recipients for which you do not wish to receive such material. You should definitely read through the email chain. If someone has volunteered this information to you, whether inadvertently or not, it may yield crucial data to you. Of course, you must be mindful that sometimes email chains contain sensitive information for which the initial sender has NOT given permission to share.
What you choose to do with that information is your prerogative, but to ignore it can be self-defeating.
5. What to Say about Pay:
Why is it that some of us will think nothing of haggling over the price of a plastic trinket at a flea market, but will readily accept the first salary figure offered without even attempting to negotiate? Sure, the trinket might seem important in the heat of the moment, but the value of negotiating your salary cannot be understated.
For a quick example, imagine you’re offered a position at $50,000/yr salary. If you’re able to negotiate for $55,000 instead, in ten years’ time that $5,000/yr difference will have earned you an entire extra year’s worth of pay! In reality, this number is actually an underestimation since it assumes that your wage will be stagnant over ten years. And think of it… you might have been able to manage this entire extra year’s worth of pay simply by sending a single email or making a 5 minute phone call, and then waiting for a response… that’s it. Are you going to accept that first number offered to you now? Maybe… if it’s really good… but at least now you might think twice.
So what number should you be looking for? Well, you’re going to have to do some research. Don’t skip this vital step. If you’re in a professional career there are likely professional societies specific to your field which may have surveys on salary data for their members. Further, you can find rough salary data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics or from non-governmental online sources such as PayScale or Glassdoor.
If you know people in your field who are working at other companies, it’d be a great idea to ask them about pay at their company—or even their own pay if their willing to share. Don’t be shy… ASK.
Whatever you do, just be sure to make a concerted attempt at identifying a fair “market value” for your desired new job.
Next, take into consideration the needs of your family, your specific skillset, and the exact position for which you are seeking. Based on this, select the salary figure that meets your requirements. If you plan on relocating don’t forget to consider cost differences in housing, insurance, food, taxes, etc. for your new city or state.
When speaking with a recruiter it may be a good idea to refrain from giving your number first. Be vague at the beginning. Say that you’re taking another look at it and that it’s really going to depend on the specific company and the total compensation package, but you’d be interested to know how pay is trending in your field.
Ask the recruiter what salaries have been associated with their most recent three to five placements in your specific field. It’s ok if these placements aren’t an exact match to your own experience level. If they’re slightly less experienced or slightly more experienced, it’ll still be invaluable information to corroborate your targeted salary point… or perhaps it’ll catch you by surprise.
When you’re ready to give a number, don’t give them your exact figure. Say a higher number. And if you’re going to provide an acceptable range of salary, keep the range narrow. If you’re really looking for $65k, don’t say that you’re looking for something in the range of $60-70k… you’ll probably get offered $60k, and it’s way harder to work your way back up.
Maybe say that you’re looking at $72-74k, but that it’s the total compensation package that you’re looking for and that you’re willing to consider any reasonable offer (but you’ll need to keep your own number within reason as well… you don’t want to get rejected outright).
This makes it clear from the start that vacation time, 401k, and other benefits are important to you and are on the table for negotiation. So, if you get offered less than your stated range of $72-74k, let’s say $65k, any further negotiation from your end will result in MORE than your actual minimum acceptable salary. Maybe you can counter with $68.5k with five extra vacation days; or, maybe you can accept $65k but on the condition of receipt of a $2,500 signing bonus and three additional vacation days (a higher salary may be more desirable since the bonus is only a one-time payout… but it’s better than nothing).
For other tips on salary and pay—including how to correctly read your paystub—check out Engineer Q&A’s “Salary, the full story—how you could be missing out on your full earnings.”
6. Control Your Job Application Submittals:
YOU must be the deciding authority for whether or not your application is submitted. If a recruiter tells you that a perfect match for you has been found and that he/she is going to put in your resume for consideration, don’t leave it at that. Ask for the name of the company and the specific job posting or description prior to granting permission.
Politely tell the recruiter to hold off for little bit so that you can review the job description and take a quick look at the company online (unless you’re already familiar with the firm).
Try to get more information from the recruiter besides what is already spelled-out in the job description.
The person who cares the most about your future is YOU.
CONTROL YOUR SUBMITTALS
What’s the reason for the open position? Is the company expanding? Has somebody recently left the firm? Why? How long has the job been posted for? When does the company intend on filling the position? Does the recruiter know how many other applicants, if any, are currently being considered?
Ask something… just make sure you’re providing yourself with the opportunity to make the decision. Even if you don’t think you need any additional information—perhaps you already know of the company and you actually want to work there—don’t just passively say “ok” to the recruiter’s intent. Make sure YOU give explicit permission to submit YOUR resume. So, rather than saying “ok” perhaps you can say:
“Oh, ABC company? Wow, that’s great! Yes, I’m definitely interested in ABC Company. Can you tell me a little bit more about the position? Besides what’s in the job description, has your contact there mentioned anything specific that they’re looking for, maybe some particular prior experience or proficiency in certain software? No? Ok, well… I’m definitely interested, so please go ahead and submit my resume and let me know once they’ve confirmed receipt. Thanks!”
Word it however you want—however best matches your persona—but the point is to actively, rather than passively, grant submittal permission.
It might not sound like a big deal, but keeping submittal authority with YOU may prevent avoidable problems (double submissions, applications to firms you DON’T want to work at, submissions to jobs which you aren’t actually qualified for, etc.).
7. Coordinate your Applications:
If you have already applied to a company be sure to communicate the fact to your recruiter. This prevents them from “double submitting” your resume to a company, and it also allows them to be more efficient with their own time. Some companies may actually disqualify your application if they receive a duplicate submittal. Keeping secrets or working in a vacuum is unlikely to benefit you in the long run.
8. Ask for Industry Insight:
Speak with your recruiter. Ask what he/she thinks of the local industry with respect to trends and staffing. First of all, this is a savvy way of getting a feeling on whether your recruiter is actively engaged in the industry; and second, it’s a great way for you to gain some invaluable insight on the actual state of the job market particular to your field. It’s possible that your specific experiences in your current position & firm may not be indicative of the industry as a whole.
Remember, because recruiters’ clients are companies with open positions they cannot disclose specific details about those firms which may be proprietary and/or “sensitive.” But, they can give you a good overall perspective. This can further aid you in determining the real market-value in dollars for your unique skillset and experience.
- Quick note: The intent with this advice is not to interrogate the recruiter on his/her in-depth understanding of the local job market nor is it to have an entire drawn-out conversation on the topic. That misses the point. Worse, your recruiter will likely find it a drag on his or her time and may become irritable. The true intent is to ask one or two questions on the subject… weave it into the rest of your discussions with the recruiter as a means to raise your level of awareness of the industry and better position yourself for negotiation.
9. Working with Multiple Recruiters:
Though working with multiple recruiters might increase your exposure to potential employers, this isn’t a guarantee. There are only a finite number of companies within your industry and in the geographic area you wish to work who are hiring people at your experience level. Recruiters should know who these companies are.
Further, working with more than one recruiter might lead to double submissions of your resume which in some cases could cause your application packages to be disqualified… OUCH!
Even if your recruiter doesn’t have a long-standing relationship with a specific hiring firm, he/she will likely be plugged into a wider network of recruiters who share information with each other (and split commissions/fees) in order to expand their own applicant pools and access to clientele. In my opinion, it’s more important to work with an experienced recruiter who is motivated and well-networked than to indiscriminately hedge your bets across many recruiters.
There are of course other reasons (or opinions) for not using multiple recruiters at the same time, but we’ll just leave it as-is for now. It’s not necessarily wrong (unless you have signed some sort of contract prohibiting it), but it doesn’t necessarily increase your chances of getting a job.
But what if you’re already working with multiple recruiters, or perhaps you have applied to different job postings from different recruitment firms? No worries! Just make sure you are transparent with all parties. Let each recruiter know you are working with the other and be sure to communicate which positions you’re applying for. In cases such as this, it’s crucial for you to communicate to your recruiters that you must give explicit permission for any application to be submitted on your behalf since this will help avoid duplicate submissions to the same firm. See the previous bullet point regarding this topic.
- Word of caution: Do not apply for the same job via different recruiters. Do not try to foment competition between recruiters over your candidacy for a specific position. This can backfire on you on so many levels. Keep in mind… the recruiters are the ones with the “inside scoop” from the company, not you. And they are the ones with a direct line of communication to the hiring persons.
Summing it all up:
The key to getting the most out of working with a recruiter, as with most things in life, it to be intentional, thoughtful, and deliberate in your dealings. Conduct yourself as if you are ALWAYS in a state of congenial negotiation, even when you haven’t yet found a position to apply for or if it’s the first time you’ve spoken with a recruiter. Your goal is to accurately & positively present yourself and to get the best deal possible for YOU!
A recruiter can be an invaluable source of current industry insight with respect to salary & hiring trends. Take advantage of this opportunity. Ask questions—specific questions. Be an active participant. Do your research. Proofread emails. Practice your “speeches” or “calls” or whatever language you intend on using. If you don’t have an answer for something—or if you aren’t sure of something—insist on having some time to “think about it.” DON’T BLINDLY ACCEPT OR AGREE TO SOMETHING.
If you proceed with facts, specific goals, and a positive outlook you’ll be almost certain to succeed—even if it turns out different from what you may have initially planned.
From Engineer Q&A, we wish you the best in your many pursuits and sincerely thank you for sharing your time with us!
Explore more great reads from Engineer Q&A:
Should I use a recruiter to find my next job?
How to Improve Work Life Balance: 9 Ways from Easiest to Hardest
Salary, the full story—how you could be missing out on your full earnings
