Using Recruitment Agencies to your Advantage

If you have never registered with an agency before it can be a daunting experience, but it shouldn’t be! Any job seekers should use all options available to them, so get down to your closest recruitment agency and take advantage of all they have to offer. You can get great benefit from meeting with a Recruitment Consultant. Here are some things both you and your recruiter can do to make the experience as smooth as possible.

What can you do?

• Be responsive – one of the best ways to get a role as quickly as possible is to be responsive. In recruitment agencies jobs often move very quickly, so not getting back to your recruiter in the same day can lead to you not being able to be put forward for a role. So, when you are looking for a role, ensure you check your emails and phone regularly and try to reply in the same day.

• Take control – if you are serious about your career you must take responsibility for your job search. A recruitment agency is there to find you the right role, but you must make it clear what you are looking for in order for them to point you in the right direction. Keep your recruitment agency updated with jobs you are interested in as well as continuing your job search on your own.

• Communication – this is everything when it comes to working with an agency. Agencies are aware that requirements change over time so keeping them up to date with this is important.  This may seem small but it can lead to you finding a new role even quicker than you first thought. This is also just as important when you are attending interviews, you should be following up with your Consultant after interviews to let them know how you got on and keeping them up to date with how you feel about the companies you are being put forward for.

What can your recruiter do for you?

• Set expectations – Consultants are great when it comes setting salary and job role expectations. You may be looking for a certain type of pay or position and in this scenario your Consultant can really break down what you should expect. For example, moving from a job in London to a job in Stevenage may involve taking a pay cut or you may experience a change in culture. You may not know what is realistic, but your Consultant should be an expert in the area they cover and be able to offer you some sound advice.

• Support rewriting your CV – you may not have written a CV before or it may have been a long while since you wrote one. It can be difficult to know what to include. Your recruitment agency will be able to help with this. A Consultant will give you guidance to ensure your CV is easy to read and really fits the job and company you are interested in. From helping you write a CV, to helping you understand skills, experience and transferrable skills that you may not have thought about, your Consultant will help you identify what to include and what to promote on your CV.

• Interview preparation – your Recruitment Consultant should get you to your job interview feeling confident. They will know the company well so preparing you for the interview is all part of the service. Think of your interview preparation meeting as a mock interview, agencies can help you prepare answers to common interview questions and give on advice on how to structure your answers. Use this time to perfect interview answers and any follow up questions you have. A Recruitment Consultant would usually have worked previously with the company you are interviewing at, take their advice!

• Roles – you may also be put forward to roles which are not available on any job boards. If a company, for example, is looking to recruit for a short-term contract or is asking the recruiter for confidential help they may give the roles to the agency only and not advertise anywhere else. Building a relationship with a recruiter is beneficial in this way as you will be top of mind when these roles become available.