Having a recruiter or headhunter provide professional help for an individual's career can prove to be a huge advantage. A recruiter can help someone climbing the corporate ladder secure a position at a larger, more prestigious company. He or she can help someone get the promotion they want, or land a coveted position elsewhere on the fast track to career success.

Although there are many benefits to having a recruiter in one's corner, these people aren't super heroes, and there are things they cannot do for a person's career. Set reasonable expectations by reading further to learn more about the things a recruiter can't help people with as they strive to advance their careers.

Recruiters can't do everything, no matter how proficient they are.

Things a Recruiter CANNOT Do

• Help People Change Fields.
  
  A recruiter won't invest time in helping an individual switch to a different field or industry, such as changing from banking institutions to roofing companies. Their highly specialized focus is best used in assisting an individual who's staying in their particular niche, but wants to change companies.

• Change an Individual's Career Function.
  
  An individual who's worked in real estate acquisitions for the past 15 years isn't going to find a recruiter who will help him or her switch to real estate accounting procedures. Similar to remaining in the same field, the recruiter also helps people whose job functions are going to remain the same.

• Help Outside of Their Specialties and Understandings.
  
  Recruiters are good at what they do because of their specialized knowledge and focus. For this reason, there are often recruiters who specialize in IT, while others focus on banking. Anyone looking to work with a recruiter should ascertain that the person specializes in their industry.

• Push a Person to Expand Skills and Expertise. If gaining new skills, experiences, and expertise is what a person wants, they aren't likely to find encouragement from a recruiter. The recruiter capitalizes on what the person can already do. Pushing them to explore other functions would be counterproductive.

• Assist in Building Longevity with One Company.
  
  Staying with the same company for a long time might be a person's goal, but it won't necessarily be the recruiter's goal. Their focus will be on finding the individual a better, higher-paying position with a more prestigious company.

Building a career within the same company is sometimes a better choice.

Choosing the Right and Wrong Times to Work with a Recruiter

Like many other career moves, it's important to consider whether or not the timing is right to use a recruiter. These professionals are often called in at the midpoint of an individual's career, after that person has accrued experience and gained credibility. Utilizing a recruiter at this point makes good career sense because the person is likely to want to take the next big leap around this time. A recruiter can be instrumental in helping someone make that leap, but they're not the only option available for career growth, nor should they be treated as such.

Businesspeople in growth mode should always know where they want to go, understand their options, and act with an eye on the present and the future before making the decision to work with a recruiter.

Mary Ylisela, a former recruiter, is a veteran writer who works with businesspeople as a motivational coach and also writes on many topics pertinent to the business arena.