How to Maximize Your Relationship With A Search Professional

As we’ve featured various voices on the blog over the past couple months covering a variety of subjects and specializations, it occurred to me that we had overlooked one of the more obvious elements of a search: your relationship with a recruiter. This week, I surveyed the recruiters at Chaloner to find out how to maximize your relationship with your search professional.

In an ideal world, how can a recruiter help a candidate inside or outside a search?
A great recruiter should offer far more to a candidate than simply introducing them to a hiring manager. They can provide insight on how to present your background, answer compensation questions, advocate for you, and offer feedback. They’ll be honest with you about what a client is looking for and the degree of flexibility they have with the hire (such as the minimum years of experience, direct industry experience, work from home days, etc.) A recruiter will help move things along to the next step in the process, and can make sure you’re prepared for an interview. And lastly, if a recruiter has a relationship with a candidate, they may recommend that candidate for a role that may not be the most obvious match to their resume.

What are ways candidates can strengthen relationships with recruiters?
Be straightforward and transparent with your recruiter about your employment status, reason for looking, and compensation information. Be responsive. Introduce or refer the recruiter to talented candidates who are looking or candidates the recruiter should know about. And stay in touch! Don’t be shy about updating recruiters on your career or job search.

What are the benefits of having a recruiter “in your corner”?
A recruiter can key you into industry trends, news about executive leadership changes, and corporate reorganizations, and will likely know about positions that are not being publicly advertised. If you’re clear with a recruiter about your ideal role, it’s much more likely they’ll come to you when that type of opportunity comes across their desk. Your dream job may fall into your lap without you having to actually go look for it! Having a recruiter submit you can often hold more weight than a candidate who submits their resume through an employment website.

Clients can look to recruiters for expertise about the talent market, and candidates can look to recruiters for opportunities and insight into those roles. If you’re beginning a job search, you can submit your resume to Chaloner.

Chaloner

Chaloner, founded in 1979 as Chaloner Associates, is a national executive search firm that focuses on recruiting mid- to senior-level communications, public relations, marketing and investor relations professionals.