As both an agency and corporate recruiter I have heard quite a number of opinions on my role in the business world. Candidates will sometimes seem weary of my phone calls/messages and hiring manager will write off a recruiting function as a second-rate operational function. At first it is really easy as a recruiter to think that you are being unfairly judged. Take a step back and really think about WHY they might think that way. Maybe we have used too many buzzwords, kept them out of the loops, or just didn't bother to ask them about their opinion on a specific topic. I have come up with three surefire ways to make sure you are viewed as a different agency recruiter.

Step 1: Be Honest

There is no reason to fill a conversation with a bunch of filler words because you feel like you need to accomplish a sale of some sort. As agency recruiters we are taught at an early point to illustrate how enticing an opportunity might be or how someone can benefit from working with our particular company, etc. Guess what? It doesn't matter! If your concern is whether a candidate will go to another agency, go to the company directly, or whether the manager will hire them without you then you seriously rethink your career path. Have an open conversation with all parties involved and don't withhold valuable information. Trust me when I say that an open conversation with lead to ethical business etiquette from all parties.

Step 2: Add Value

Why are we having that open and honest conversation? It better be because you have value to add to the hiring process and not just because you need to hit some quota for the month. You are connecting a candidate with their dream company. You are helping a manager by not making them sift through 100 resumes. You are contributing to the bottom lines of two different parties. Don't be afraid to say just that! Show whoever you are working with why you are a valuable piece of the puzzle by explaining exactly what it is that you are going to do for them. If you take the time to explain it to them, I assure you that they will listen.

Step 3: Follow up

Everything I have written is absolutely worthless if you don't have the decency and professionalism to follow up on a conversation. So what if your candidate didn't get the job? Who cares if a manager filled the job with a referral? Nothing beats saying the words "thank you." Take the time out of your day to thank whoever you are working with for their time and attention. You may not always be the person with all of the glory but at the end of the day you will have two loyal parties who will remember that you took the time to do business the right way. You were honest, you added value in some way, and you took the time to follow up!

A lot of the words you read might seem like they came out of some archaic training manual somewhere but the unfortunate reality is that the complete opposite is true. We have moved away from the principles of doing business the right way and have replaced those principles with buzzword fluff. Take the time to rethink how you approach your recruitment process and decide if you should try something just a bit different. Always remember that if you treat your business counterparts with the respect that they deserve you will absolutely see success as an agency recruiter. It also helps knowing that if you do business this way, you can sleep well at night too!