Choose Your Recruiter like Your Friends, Wisely.

Not all companies are alike, and neither are recruiters. When in the market for a new job, recruiters can seem like the easy road to fast employment, better firms, and interviews made simple with insider information. While that’s true with some recruiters, it’s not always the rule.

Like dating, not all recruiters are created equal.

Protect your resume like your credit card.

The most crucial first step when starting a job hunt or when a recruiter approaches you is this:

Only give your resume to recruiters who understand your skillset & goals and prove they can connect you with the right role.

Why? Once a recruiter sends your resume to a company, you are that recruitment firm’s candidate. If you’re hired, the finder’s fee will go to them. Recruitments fee are not small and can range from 20-25% of your first-year salary. In many ways, your resume is like a credit card; protect it.

Before a recruiter sends your resume to a company, they must ask your permission. Only approve that decision if you feel the role and company are right for you and if the recruiter is someone you trust, brokering this relationship on your behalf.

Choose your recruiter like you choose your friends...

Choosing your recruiter is just as important as deciding what kind of role you want and where you want to work. It’s best to take a strategic approach and find 2-3 top-rated recruiters who have placed people you respect in companies where you want to work. It may seem simple to mass apply to multiple recruiters and firms, but that approach can backfire.

If you spread your resume across the industry and all recruiters in between, you could unknowingly eliminate your candidacy for great jobs. Once your resume is in a recruiters possession or with your target company’s HR team, it can be hard for them to know who received it first. If there’s a debate between the recruitment firm and the company hiring, you may be passed over to avoid the firm paying a finder’s fee or because they don’t want to argue about who got to you first. In a tight job market, these are conflicts you can’t afford.

Great recruiters are connected, industry insiders.

The best recruiters are good listeners who have strong industry connections. They are trusted ambassadors for both the companies they work with and their candidates. In ideal circumstances, like Iris Scientific, your recruiter has worked in the industry and knows both the work and the best companies, personally. Research every recruiter before you partner with them and only release your resume to the ones you trust to represent your brand and your future work life.

Interview potential recruiters as they interview you. Make them earn representing you and cultivating a job search that benefits both you and the employer. You both have to believe in and trust one another to find the right position for you. It requires discernment and work, but the result is a mutually beneficial relationship that can span multiple roles in your career.

How do you know if the recruiter has your best interests in mind?

They tell you the truth.

They’ll listen to your skills, experiences, and your accomplishments. They will know when things were hard for you and whether you want those kinds of experiences again. They’ll look in their database of companies that hire for what you do, and they will know the ones that will mesh with your disposition and goals.

What won’t they do? They won’t push you toward a position that doesn’t resonate with you. Your needs and wishes will come first.

Good recruiters respectfully steer your focus and connect you with people who think similarly to you. Your values will align, and that means you will “fit” at a company. We often hear about the elusive company cultural ‘fit’. Good recruiters know the culture of each company they represent and the particular alchemy it takes to be a good hire there. Your recruiter will identify who you are and what you have and match it to the right employer.

It isn’t an instant decision. Talk to people who have used recruiters in your industry and find the ones that consistently get good marks. Call them and request a phone call. Get to know each other. The stakes are high because your career progression and your daily happiness are worth it.