Advice on recruiting - from recruiters

If it is new to you then the ‘snapping wolves’ of highly motivated recruitment consultants trying to find their next placement can be a daunting world to enter.  Regular calls, emails and these days texts regarding everything from relevant or irrelevant job specs, CV tips, general enquiries or even interview requests ‘out of the blue’ can give you the feeling that you are not the one deciding your destiny.  It is pretty easy to become swamped, the process to fall out of control and leave you feeling you are driftwood caught in the tidal ebb and flow of job hunting.

As an industry we have to recognise that whilst everyone is actively providing advice on CV writing, interview techniques, offer negotiation and acceptance, resignation submission – in fact every step of the process once you have engaged - advice on how best to manage your own application process is harder to come by. So how do you get the ‘wolves’ working as a pack of sled dogs driving you towards a goal that you have decided upon?

Here are some basic tips for you to initiate and hopefully help to avoid the pitfalls:

1) Diarise:  This is an invaluable step to visualising, tracking and understanding your process and progress.  It does not take much of your time to maintain a spreadsheet of the date, client name, position, consultant and agency responsible as well as how that opportunity is progressing for you. You need to know where you are!

2) Control: At all costs you want to avoid your personal details (CV) being submitted to clients without your permission. The idea that having your CV spread as far and wide as possible will bring you more opportunities is simply wrong and from a client’s perspective receiving the same CV from multiple channels for multiple different roles within their organisation can cast doubts over even the most apparently suitable of CVs.  Better the approach of the sniper’s rifle targeting the perfect role than a machine gun approach hoping to find a target!  Make it very clear that none of your selected agencies are to submit your details to any client / vacancy without first gaining your permission for that specific opportunity.  It is your process and your responsibility to select the roles and clients that you feel are appropriate.

3) Tricks: a couple of scenarios to look out for:
“Our client wishes to remain anonymous at this stage” – this can be a hard one to manage, you have to rely on your own judgement and the strength of your relationship / level of trust you have with the recruiter concerned.  Just bear in mind that you could be giving that agent carte-blanche to send your details to any (or every) company they know.
“Congratulations, we have secured you an interview with…” – but it’s with a client or opportunity that you have not previously discussed.  Don’t be dazzled by the fact there’s an interview on offer – has this consultant / agency followed your instructions, should they benefit from working in such a manner?  Why not decline the offer of an interview through that company and contact a consultant you do trust, explain the situation and request their assistance?  They will gladly help, contact the client to explain and will manage the process for you with your best interests in mind. You are rewarding the person you trust and you will have the confidence that they are treating you as an individual, and not just a CV!

So the key message is that it is your career, your future so it is your responsibility to manage the process. By taking control, tracking the process, selecting specialist agencies and managing how they work, you will ensure that your chosen direction is the one that is followed.