I recently came across an article on cio.com called 10 Rules For Working With Recruiters And Search Firms. The general tone of the article makes me believe that the author had a negative experience working with a recruiter or is only looking through the lenses of a job seeker. I don’t disagree with everything in the article but for those of us in the industry who really believe we do things differently, we would like our voices to be heard in response to these “rules.”
The opening paragraph the article states, “Firms work for employers, not for you – and they are merely channels through which you may secure an employment opportunity.” Well, that’s not what we do. At entreQuest, we don’t work for anyone other than our team and the people we are impacting. This includes both job seekers and clients. We value our partnerships with clients and candidates because without one or the other we wouldn’t be able to help anyone grow, and helping you Grow Regardless is our mission. Yes, we are a channel for helping you in your search, and trust me that is not the only value we serve up. We aim to do more than help people “secure employment.” The goal is to put someone in a role where they can grow personally and professionally. Today I’ll cover the first five rules discussed in the article, and will finish up the last five rules on Thursday. Hopefully throughout this 2-part blog series, you will see the value companies like ours can bring to the process.
But first, let’s look at the rules outlined in the article:
1. Be selective
2. Be honest
3. Never pay for anything
4. Confirm the job is right for you
5. Demand respect and communication
6. Play the field
7. Maintain control
8. Retain editorial control
9. Handle salary negotiations yourself
10. Don’t rely entirely on recruiters
Rule 1: Be selective. I totally agree with this. Job seekers need to do their homework on companies before they trust them with their resume and personal information. There are some organizations that may send your information to companies without you knowing. Assuming your search is confidential could be a mistake. As a job seeker you may be wondering how you can do some research before working with a Recruiter. Here are a few pieces of advice:
• Does the recruiter have recommendations on their LinkedIn profile and from whom? Are they clients, candidates, peers, managers or a combination of both?
• Does Glassdoor have any reviews on the interview process with that company?
• Look for mutual connections on LinkedIn and ask your connections for their input or experience working with that person.
• Send them a message on LinkedIn or by email and see how quick they are to respond.
Rule 2: Be honest. Of course I’m not going to disagree about being honest. Where I disagree is the comment about holding back some of the details with internal/corporate recruiters. Why waste everyone’s time? If you aren’t disclosing everything that’s important to you in regards to compensation and geographical preferences, aren’t you setting yourself up for possible disappointment at the offer stage? Why not tell the HR team what salary you need to make a move and what your expectations are for year two and so forth? Maybe what the author meant was that HR is often given strict guidelines on salaries and the concern is if you overprice yourself, you are automatically taken out of the process. Yes, I’ve seen this happen, but if a hiring manager really likes someone, they can fight to have the salary adjusted. I’ve seen this happen too. So, I can understand why the advice may be to hold back. My suggestion is to let HR know where you are financially and where you need and want to be, but before committing to a salary you would like to learn more about the role. You probably don’t want to work for a company who is going to take you out of the running if you are one of the best candidates they have spoken to simply because of a $10k discrepancy. That’s not a place you want to be.
Rule 3: Never pay for anything. I wouldn’t advise someone to pay a fee to a recruiter for helping them find a job either, but there are certain services that might merit a fee. Most recruiters are happy to help make changes to a resume, but if you are expecting a recruiter to write this from scratch, depending on your level of experience, this could take hours. Web portfolios that require a developer are starting to trend, especially for positions in the c-suite. This may be an investment well spent if you are standing out in a crowd of hundreds of applicants.
Rule 4: Confirm the job is right for you. If you get blindsided on your first day with unexpected job responsibilities, I’d say the recruiter is likely the last person you should blame. The recruiter should prepare you for the interview and coach you on what to ask to understand expectations, but ultimately it is your responsibility to uncover the depth of your role during the interview. If you leave an interview unclear, ask for a follow-up conversation. Even if you took all of these steps and you still get blindsided, the recruiter has no control over this. It’s up to you to have a conversation with the leadership to get clear on uncertainties.
Rule 5: Demand respect and communication. Demanding rarely gets you what you want; so right form the beginning, I didn’t love this rule. Respect, communication and trust should be expected of any professional. If you have to demand communication from anyone, my guess is that it isn’t a healthy or equal relationship. If a recruiter isn’t getting back to you, I say cut ties and I’d say the same to a recruiter who doesn’t receive communication from a potential candidate.
That covers the first five rules listed in 10 Rules For Working With Recruiters And Search Firms. As promised, the second part of this series will cover the last five rules of working with a recruiter. I look forward to having you come back on Thursday.
