You may have heard about these mythical recruiters before. Maybe your friend was approached by one, and that’s how he landed his current job. But what do they do, and can you use them to your advantage?
What is a recruiter?
A recruiter is a person who finds qualified people who would suit a specific job opportunity. They negotiate salaries, review a person’s experience and put them forward for jobs. A recruiter will reach out to you.
Often people use a recruiter when they are looking to shift into a new industry for work. Alternatively, those looking to reenter the workforce often benefit from using a recruiter.
Why should you use a recruiter?
Recruiters want you to get the job: Recruiters’ jobs are to place people in positions. With each person they place, they get a commission. For this reason, a recruiter will be very motivated to get you this job. You know they will be in your corner and argue for you to get the job.
This means they won’t put you up for jobs they think you can’t get. Plus, it will give you the self-confidence to know you are suited for the role. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have picked you.
Specificity: Recruiters often work within a particular industry. You can get tech recruiters, marketing recruiters or even legal recruiters, like Origin Legal. These companies will know all the ins and outs of the industry and the kind of job you would be perfectly suited for.
When a recruiter puts you up for a job, they know you have the skillset for that specific kind of job.
Time-saving: Looking for a job is a time-consuming process. When you work with a recruiter, they do most of the work for you. The process is often quicker anyway because the recruiter has a direct line to the company the job is with.
More jobs available: Recruiters often work directly with jobs to hire for them. For this reason, these jobs aren’t always posted elsewhere, like on job sites. By working with recruiters, you are accessing jobs that you wouldn’t know existed otherwise. The more options you have when applying, the more likely you are to get a job.
Your details are kept: Even if you don’t get the job the recruiter puts you forward for, your details are kept on a database. This means that, though you didn’t get this job, you might get the next one.
The recruiter might think of you the next time a job posting comes through, and – voila! – you have the next job. Recruiters use specialised software to sort through applications. If a job comes up that suits you, the recruiter could pick out your application again.
Should you use a recruiter?
Using a recruiter comes with plenty of benefits. For those looking for a career change or to get back into the workforce, a recruiter can bolster your application and get you that next job.