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By Lily Sachs on April 1st, 2022

Key Points:

  1. How Recruiters are Professional Matchmakers Finding the Perfect Fit for Jobseekers & Companies
  2. How to Find an Elite Recruiter
  3. Mistakes that Job Seekers Make and How to Fix Them

Whether you’re seeking a new position or contract, agency recruiters can help mold your message to the labor market.  This can happen with resume writing, crafting a LinkedIn page or ways to best prepare for client interviews. 

When adding a recruiter to your job search, there is some advice that can help make the process better for all parties.  Here’s a little tidbit that gives you a great place to start while beginning your recruiting process with any agency.

  1. How Recruiters are Professional Matchmakers Finding the Perfect Fit for Jobseekers & Companies

Recruiting is a lot like matchmaking.  There are two parties that are searching for one another.  The recruiter must be able to mine good information from both and sharp enough to recognize the myriad of wants that would complement one another. 

Client Wants:

  • 5 years of C#
  • 3 years of SQL
  • $120K
  • Product Management
  • Open to Travel

Candidate Wants or Has:

  • A perm job paying $115K to $125K
  • A small team environment
  • Good communication
  • Application Development

A recruiter will take these bits of information and ascertain whether there should be an introduction.  This is when the flow of information between the recruiter and the candidate begins.  Our goal is full disclosure.  Much like catfishing, no one wants to be sold a bunch of lies, only to find out you have been had. 

Once the candidate has explicitly given permission to be presented, we share all known information with the client.  If we have done our job, there will be an interview. 

Savvy recruiters do more than vetting their candidates’ abilities, experience, and qualifications. They are also required to keep you engaged, teach clear communication skills, and learn everything there is to know about you. – and situational questioning is typically where to start. Questions like “Describe a situation when you had to work alone and then when you had to work on a team? How did you accomplish your tasks in each situation? Which was easier? Why?” help recruiters navigate how you work on a team or your ability to problem-solve. These are also great practice questions to remember for upcoming interviews.

In today’s talent market, recruiting is more of a courtship than a resume ranking exercise. We don’t nurture our romantic relationships by submitting a list of qualifications and negotiating terms; we seek those who share our visions and passions.

2. How to Find an Elite Recruiter

All elite recruiters know that clear communication skills are the secret sauce to their success. The first step to streamlining those skills begins with establishing a list of critical touchpoints with your applicants. But how do we find this elite recruiter? A great place to start is with recommendations on LinkedIn. Recruiters are reviewed just like businesses are, and that’s always a great place to begin your research. But once you’ve compiled recommendations, you’ll need to narrow it down from there.

Like yourself, recruiters too experience burnout, especially when working with big-box agencies, so reviewing the agency is also something you should consider. Finding no-pressure atmospheres within staffing can be rare, but they do exist. So, look out for agencies that aren’t busting their recruiters ‘backsides’ to maintain ridiculous KPIs, have tenured employees, and a must; ask about their relationships with the clients that interest you. If it’s not a Tier 1 relationship, it’s time to skip to the next. The relationship between a hiring manager and your recruiter is crucial to your chances when applying.

The final step is to find a recruiter that is willing to be transparent with all known information so that you can prepare and discern whether to move forward with a new position and that data should be collected and organized neatly.

Those data points should look something like this:

  • Salary
  • Location
  • Remote or Onsite?
  • Contract or Permanent?
  • Vaccine Requirements
  • Top Skills

3. Mistakes that Job Seekers Make and How to Fix Them

Every recruiter typically informs candidates that some of their historical job-seeking tactics are a little outdated. But looking for a new job is hard. It takes a monumental amount of effort, concentration, and work. – No matter the level of your career.

So, take a look at the common mistakes that job seekers make and how to avoid them!

  • Beginning your search without a plan
  • Submitting a one-size-fits-all resume – no pictures, please.
  • Not utilizing your online presence – and with consistency!
  • Being unprepared
  • Not following up

Overall, recruiters are looking out for both the job seeker and company (hiring managers), and ultimately, they are professional matchmakers. If you’re interested in having a ProTek Partners recruiter help you find your next career move, reach out to info@protekpartners.com