When many people start to work with a recruiter, they have no idea what our jobs really entail. Lots of candidates like to assume that we only work on one position opening at a time, talk to a few select candidates, and then place one. This often leads well-meaning candidates to do things like leave us frequent voicemails, expect constant communication updates, and know every detail of their resume and work history without being told.
Unfortunately, that couldn’t be further from the truth. We are frequently working multiple placements, buried in emails, and talk to hundreds of people a week who all want to know what the latest update on their position is. While we would love to give each and every candidate in depth individual attention, we simply don’t have time to do that in the beginning stages. So, how do you endear yourself to your favorite recruiter and make sure that you don’t get lost in the fray? Follow the following five tips to help us help you!
- Tell your recruiter any details that are important to your job search, whether it is a list of companies you are interested in or salary expectations, it can help us call you with the right roles. We all get LinkedIn messages or emails occasionally for roles we are not interested in, but a great way to help us narrow down our job presentations to you is simply to let us know what you are looking for! If you are not open to relocation, we know to not call you for roles outside of your current area, or if you have a set amount in mind for your next opportunity, we know what range you would consider.
- Send updated resumes. There’s nothing worse for a recruiter than telling a candidate they aren’t moving on because of a specific lack of experience or qualification, only for the candidate to chime in that they just recently acquired it. More experience and more credentials will always make you a more attractive sell to companies. Don’t be shy about sending an updated resume to your recruiter whenever something significant changes!
- Follow up via email. Many people in the business world complain that no one picks up the phone anymore. We’re begging you: please, DO NOT leave us a voicemail! We get hundreds of voicemails a week that we just don’t always have time to listen to. You have a much higher chance of hearing back from us if you follow up via an email that we can’t ignore or for us at Legacy MedSearch, you can text us to our direct office lines and we get a pop up on our computer that we can easily respond to.
- Let your recruiter know if you’re getting close to another job offer. If you’re engaged in the job hunt, we don’t expect you to treat us like the only game in town. However, if you’re going to turn down our placement because you’re concerned that our offer won’t come through in time, please let us know so that we can try to expedite things. We can’t guarantee it, but more often than not we can speed things along to give you other options.
- Think long-term. We may not have the perfect job for you right now… but we may have your next one. Often, when we work with a candidate for a specific position and it doesn’t work out or we don’t have anything for them right at the moment, we never hear from them again. The best recruitment relationships are long-term. Maybe we can’t find the perfect Regional Manager position for you today, but we might have a VP of Sales position that you would be perfect for a few years down the line. Keep in touch with us and don’t get upset if we can’t help right away. Long-term relationships are the best way to succeed!
Keep these tips in mind when working with your recruiter and they’ll look forward to connecting with you!
