JobSeeker tips when working with your Recruitment Agency

As the Managing Director of a highly successful, regional recruitment agency, I
am often asked about how many applications I receive and the quality of
those applications. If the following can be taken on board by just a
few, it will make the life of jobseekers easier when working with their
local Recruitment agency.

•Research local Recruitment agencies websites. Type in the search “
Recruitment Agencies in[enter place name] You will first of all notice
that there are a lot of aggregator sites, then jobboards, then
Recruitment Agency directories and the like. Keep looking and the
Recruitment Agencies will start appearing. (They don’t spend as much
time and money on getting the main search engines to find them) Check
the website. Do they have jobs? Do they have a testimonial page? (How
often is it updated?) Is there a contact us page.
•Prepare you CV, (a whole other blog entry here!) there is no excuse
nowadays not to have a well laid out informative and eye catching CV.
Look on the internet, it’s all there. Free of charge.
•Contact Recruitment agencies and listen carefully to their responses to
you. Are they professional and knowledgeable? Do they listen to what
you are looking for? Would you want them to work on your behalf? If the
answer is yes, let them know that you will be sending in your CV and get
a contact name for future reference.
•Send your CV when you say you will. Include a short cover note
explaining who you have spoken to and a brief idea of the job that you
are looking for. Where and approx what sort of salary you will be
looking for. Follow up with a phone call (24 hours after sending it) ask
about going in to see them and get registered. Be prepared to go in and
see the various agencies.
•Arrive 5-10 minutes early. Dressed for an interview.
•Be prepared to answer questions, fill in forms, complete psychometric
tests. Allow around I - 2 hours per visit. Some Recruitment agencies may
ask you to make a short video of your interview with them.
•Have an idea of what you want to do in the future or with your career
and tell your consultant. I meet many people that say “I don’t mind”
What we as recruiters hear is “I don’t care”.
•Ask how they market their candidates. It’ll give you an idea of what to
expect.
•Follow up call after one week and weekly thereafter. Ask what the
market place is doing, more jobs less jobs. At this point Recruitment
Consultants may want to get you off the phone – PERSEVERE!! You deserve
to be listened too.
•If you can, pick up to 3 local recruitment agencies that you feel that
you can work with and keep on at them (weekly)
•Send Recruitment agencies an up to date CV (if you have changed it)
•Don’t ever be rude. Plain good manners are expected from you as well as
your recruitment consultant.
•Working with Recruitment agencies in the United Kingdom is totally free
of charge for JobSeekers. Make us work for you!

Comment by Thyaga on April 13, 2010 at 12:21pm: Good set of instructions.
I don't understand why recruiting agencies like to meet with candidates in person. Every evaluation they like to perform can be done over phone, email and IM. I feel these kind of meetings will influence the hiring process purely based on each other's appearance, which is nothing to do with the qualification. This practice may constitute violation of some anti-discrimination laws.

Comment by Richard Johnson on April 14, 2010 at 4:09am: Hi Thyaga, I suppose there are a lot of ways of dong business. I have chosen (for my Recruitment Business) to have a local attitude. We work closely with local businesses and local candidates. We are becoming known for working closely with each. I, personally, would not meet with a candidate that is recommended by a Recruitment Agency if they had never met with them. Remember, Recruitment Agencies charge a good price for a good service.Still everyone has different ways of working. :-)

Comment by Roseanne Stockton on April 14, 2010 at 8:49am: Hi Rich....I agree with everything you've said above - I'm sure many Agencies can get by without the face to face meet, but I've got 18years in the Industry & yet am aware that I still can't guarantee the quality until you sit with them & explore the 'soft' skills & the body language etc. I'm not ashamed to admit that even with all my experience I can occasionally meet a candidate & they were just NOT what I was expecting. Candidates are my Brand Ambassadors & we need to confirm their suitability as they are our 'stock on the shelves' & we can't live without them! Finally - my job wouldn't be half as good or as interesting if I didn't meet candidates - the people I meet are the best part of this job!

Comment by Richard Johnson on April 14, 2010 at 9:01am: Hi Roseanne,
I was starting to feel that mine was the only business where we meet with EVERY CANDIDATE that we send out. Your comments are appreciated.
We have a great job and yes, I would agree that meeting candidates is a great part of the job! I gain a lot of my "insider" knowledge when chatting with candidates. I look at benchmarking ourselves, what's happening in the marketplace etc. This in turn is used when I speak with clients.
p.s. You have a new friend on Twitter x

Comment by Deb McClanahan on April 14, 2010 at 10:55am: Such a good comprehensive article, Richard. It really sounds like we do business the same way - not all recruiters have the same model.

Comment by Steven G. Davis on April 14, 2010 at 10:58am: Hi Richard,
Great information. You hit the nail on square on the head. I too thought I was the only one that would actually meet face to face with candidates but also clients! I like the advice on the the "interview" with an recruiter, too often I have to tell the candidates, that in fact this was an interview and you should have prepared appropriately. Again great info and I would welcome the opportunity follow you on Twitter as well @Recruit4U...Thanks again for sharing this information, I feel vidicated that we too are doing the right thing for candidates and clients as well!!!
Steven

Comment by Andy Young on April 14, 2010 at 11:23am: Hi. Good general advice. However, I could not disagree with Thyaga more. How can a recruiter whole heartedly and comprehensively recommend a candidate to their client if they have not met them? How would they TRULY know that they are a good cultural fit for a particular organisation? How would they gain that extra, invaluable insight that you can get when you meet someone face to face.

Ultimately, this is a people business. Yes, by all means embrace technology and other support tools that make the life of the recruiter, the client and the candidate easier and more effective, BETTER. But I would encourage all recruiters out there to never, NEVER replace the need for meeting a candidate face to face.

In the past I've conducted comprehensive telephone interviews, very often from industries that I've worked in myself and they have had a positive impression on me. Then I follow up and meet them and this can occasionally be a very different experience. Don't take short cuts, meet the people, get to know them and advise and counsel them. That way you also build relationships. Relationships however are not achieved through telephone screening or email. Interviewing is not as simplistic as being a measure of someone's appearance!