Have you ever worked with an external recruiter? If you have, you’re very familiar with the benefits. You gain an advocate in your job search and an expert in recruitment in your corner. We can advise you on how to best present your materials to the companies we work with. We can help you prepare for your interviews. We work for the hiring company, but we want you to be satisfied with your experience with us too. Nothing makes us happier than helping a candidate find the right fit.

We review everyone for the skills our client is looking for in a candidate (and we’re much more flexible in what that looks like than you might expect), but we’re also looking for a culture fit. We want to find someone who fits into the culture of the organization, and we want you to be happy with the management and relationship styles. We want our client and our candidate to be satisfied with the end result.

The majority of the roles we fill fall within the communications, marketing, and PR industry. Typos greatly detract from the impression we receive of your fit whether they’re in your resume, cover letter, or your LinkedIn. We also look for people who know how to articulate their own story of why this role has interested them. If you can’t convey that narrative to us in a persuasive way, it’s more difficult to see how you can do the same for the organization you’re applying to. 

You may have received the advice before to not apply to multiple jobs at a single organization, and the same rule applies with recruiters too! If you apply to several open roles with us at once, it can be harder to believe in your passion for any one of the roles you applied to. Besides, you’ll be in our database, and we talk to each other. If you aren’t a fit for the role you applied for, we’ll still consider you for any other open roles you would be a fit for. Or you can ask your recruiter about them proactively. 

We prefer to maintain relationships with people who are responsive. While we understand if you’re busy or don’t see our emails, we appreciate the courtesy of a response even if it’s just a polite, “thanks for thinking of me, but I’m not interested in this one.” It’s also possible that, even if it’s not the role for you, it might be a great fit for a friend or a loved one who is looking, and we love referrals.

Last month, in our counteroffers post, we said that candidates need to be honest with us, and it still holds true. If you’re honest with us, we’ll be in the best position to help you with your job search. We strongly advocate for our candidates, and when they can be transparent with us about whatever circumstances or position they are in, it helps us build more credibility as a recruiting partner working across the aisle between candidates and clients.

Ultimately, relationships are a two-way street. We love to hear about projects you’re working on, changes at your company, promotions, and job changes. Those things also help us keep in mind what you have to offer our clients if we have a role we think would be a great fit for you.

We might be a little biased, but we think you’ll agree that there are many benefits to you in having a good relationship with a recruiter in your industry. If you’ve worked with us before, why don’t you reach out to your recruiter? If you haven’t, check out our open roles or submit your resume!

Elizabeth

Elizabeth Houde is a Project Manager at Chaloner. After graduating from Guilford College where they majored in English and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and minored in communications, Elizabeth started their career in New York City in publishing as an editorial coordinator.