When to Meet a Recruiter

The best time to meet a new recruiter in your market is when you don’t need their services. This might seem counter-intuitive but hear me out. Background Everybody, at some point in their lives, has to find a new job. Whether that’s through necessity, wanting quicker progression, a salary boost or any number of other reasons. Yet many will wait until they’re in a position where they want to start interviewing but don’t have any opportunities lined up and no one they can call that they trust to help them. I’ve spoken to a lot of people recently who have spent 25-30 years in STEM industries, who have seamlessly been promoted throughout their tenure or been headhunted by competitors, without ever really having to think about searching for a new job. They’ve found themselves in a position where they need to find themselves a new employer, but they’ve been applying for job after job on LinkedIn, Indeed and every job board Google presents to them, yet they continue to hear nothing back. Now, there’s nothing wrong with applying to jobs online. In fact, it’s a natural starting point for most casual job seekers. But for those who need something a bit quicker, it’s a painstaking and often frustrating process that requires a lot of patience. Most jobs are over-applied and many people’s applications simply slip through the cracks. This is where a recruitment partner comes into play. Why Working With a Recruiter is a No-Brainer It’s hard to say what the exact figure is; there are a handful of studies which state that 70% of all jobs are not published publicly on job sites and as much as 80% of jobs are filled through personal and professional connections. Whether or not those numbers are entirely correct we can’t be sure, but as an experienced recruiter, I can say for certain that there are LARGE numbers of jobs that never land on job boards and are filled directly through recruiters or existing networks. So, if you can get yourself acquainted with the recruiters who have exclusive access to these jobs (often the more lucrative and exciting roles) then you’ll be ahead of many others you’re competing with for similar opportunities. When To Start Working With a Recruiter (before you need them)   𝐶𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑠𝑒 𝑡𝑤𝑜 𝑠𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑜𝑠…   𝐒𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐨 𝟏. 𝐘𝐨𝐮‘𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐣𝐨𝐛 𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠. You agree to speak with a recruiter you’ve never met before. They give you a call for 5-10 minutes and ask you questions specific to the job they’re hiring for. They say you’re not the right fit and but they’ll let you know if something more suitable comes up. Unsurprisingly you never speak with them again. Why? Because they know virtually nothing about you. They might be speaking to 100s of candidates a week, quickly screening them for jobs that they’re racing against other recruiters to fill. How are they supposed to know if you’re suitable for another role in the future if you don’t get to tell them your story, your career ambitions and where your skillset lies?   𝐒𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐨 𝟐. 𝐘𝐨𝐮‘𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐣𝐨𝐛. It might not be perfect, but it’s everything you need in your life right now. But, you know that life can change in a heartbeat. You want to be prepared in case you suddenly need to look for a new role or decide that in order to progress you need to make a change. You decide to connect with a recruiter who works in the same industry as you, who is well connected and comes with good recommendations. They take 30 minutes to get to know you, you meet them for coffee and get to know each other on a personal level. You chat regularly and catch up at industry events. 6/12/18 months later you get a call from that recruiter saying ‘Hey John, I know your goal long term was to XYZ, I have something that I KNOW you’ll want to hear about that will offer you that’ All of a sudden you’re having relevant opportunities come to you when you need them most. It’s worth taking a look at how strong your recruitment network is, especially if you’re settled in your current job. If you don’t have at least 1 recruiter (ideally 3-4) who you trust that you could call tomorrow if you need them, then NOW is the time to start networking.