The following is part two of a four part series outlining the value of utilizing a Recruiter in your job search.
Hopefully at this point you have read Part One and you are ready to move forward and find a Recruiter to assist you on your job search. At this point I recommend searching the following resources to find a Recruiter.
Your Current Network
Ask around your network of friends and family and you will be amazed at how many people have either worked with a Recruiter or know of a person who works in the recruitment industry.
Having a referred Recruiter allows the candidate to feel comfortable having a personal career talk with a trusted source that can be vouched for by a friend. This situation is also positive for the Recruiter, as it is a warm lead with a built in sense of connection due to having the same mutual member of their network.
Industry Events
Each major city has a networking group of local professionals for just about any industry these days. Go online and research when and where these groups meet. Some are more formal and could require membership while others could be more of a social group for people with similar interests.
Take advantage of these events and attend local industry meetings to network. Odds are good that there will be industry Recruiters and or direct Hiring Managers in attendance looking for new prospective employees.
Linkedin is a social networking website popular for people working within professional environments. This website is used heavily by Recruiters to scout potential candidates and post jobs. Candidates can also use the site and it’s search function to look for Recruiters that meet their ideal requirements for working together such as location, industry experience, mutual friends and even personal interests.
Taking the time to investigate possible Recruiters allows for the candidate to get a better understanding of each Recruiter’s background and view if you have any mutual connections to help facilitate an initial conversation.
Post your Resume on a Job Board
Arguably the easiest way to make contact with a Recruiter is to simply post your resume on a busy job board site such as Monster.com or Careerbuilder.com. These sites are frequented by both Internal Recruiters working for a company, in addition to Staffing Recruiters looking to fill an opening for their client. While this way can attract multiple Recruiters to contact you, it can also lead to many calls from unqualified Recruiters looking to sell you on positions that might not be in line with what you are looking for.
Taking the time to speak with the Recruiter to make sure that they are looking out for your best interest and not to pitch you a job not related to your career field is important here and will be discussed in part three of this four part series. Please note that if confidentiality is something you are looking for, this approach is not ideal as your current employer could also have an account to one of these websites and they could potentially come across your profile as they are searching for additional employees with a similar skill set to you.
Smart Professionals are constantly networking and putting themselves out there regardless of if they are looking for work at any given time. Constantly being in front of Recruiters and Hiring Managers to build rapport is important so that when a need arises, the Hiring Team will think to reach out to you prior to the job even being posted externally and bring the job to you, rather than forcing you to be reactive and starting a long search process from the very beginning when you find yourself in need of work.
In part three of this four part series we will look at how to screen a Recruiter to make sure that you are working with someone who is reputable, respects your job search and will take the time an effort to ensure you are being presented to the right opportunities.
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