What Makes A Good Recruiter For Me

How to help me apply for new roles

I am looking into what makes a good recruiter, I have only been experienced the candidate or future employee side, so I can’t really say what they should be like for the business.

Photo by Clem Onojeghuo on Unsplash

Organised

I want my recruiter to call when they say they’ll call, to email when they say they’ll email and to know what’s going on when they talk to me. I have had recruiters send me to a job with the wrong job description, I have had recruiters forget which company they are recruiting me to and I have had recruiters just plain forget to contact me when they said they would.

Positive

Recruiters bring a human element to the job application process, that a google doc can’t. I like when my recruiter is (at least pretending to be) really happy to talk to me and gives me a positive spin on an interview I didn’t feel went as well as it could have. They don’t have to be an annoying cheerleader, but a little positivity can help a lot.

Willing to Fight

When your recruiter backs you and tries to get you that salary bump, it can mean literally thousands more pounds in your pocket, also their pocket, as they work on commission. I have had recruiters not even entertain the idea of negotiating, which is frustrating. Show me the money!

Knowledgeable About The Role

I mentioned above that I once had a recruiter send me along with the wrong job description, they sent me for a Business Analyst role but told me I was applying to be a Data Analyst, so I said I was looking forward to analysing large complex datasets and the interviewer said “errm… we don’t do that here”. Queue my embarrassed face.

They then explained to me what a Business Analyst does, asked if that sounded interesting, I said it sounded even better than data analysis. Then my enthusiasm and background were enough to land me an offer, after I passed some technical tests, as it was only a graduate level role.

Knowledgeable about the Company

You could have the exact skills needed to thrive in a given role, but if the company’s roles and culture clash with your style of working and values, you could be a terrible fit for each other and end up having a terrible time if you do get the role. On the other hand, the recruiter knowing the culture can suggest better companies to suit your temperament if they know any.

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