How can you find the right recruiter when you’re job hunting? What are some of the biggest mistakes candidates make when working with recruiters? What really makes the difference when it comes to getting invited for an interview? Ben de Grouchy taps into his 10+ years of recruitment experience to explain how to work effectively with recruiters and headhunters during your career transition. In the Mental Fuel® segment, I’ll address a listener question about what tweaks you could make in your career to improve your career satisfaction.

Key Career Insights

1. When you’re working with recruiters as a candidate, honesty and transparency are key to having a solid relationship.
2. Remember that attitude and interest can trump skills and qualifications if you’re really passionate about landing a specific role.
3. Being on LinkedIn is close to mandatory for any serious professional right now, as it tends to be one place recruiters consistently go to quickly learn more about candidates.

Interview Summary

How do find the right recruiter to work with?

• Find specialist recruiter who aligns with your specific professional aspirations (industry, role, geography)
• Consider Google & LinkedIn as a starting point to find the key recruiters who specialise in your specific area
• Don’t be too concerned if you haven’t heard of the recruitment agency you identify. Some of the best recruiters run very small, boutique operations.
• Trust is key!

What’s the best way to establish contact? 

• Email- great place to start for a first introductory point of contact. Be specific about what you’re seeking.
• Phone- can be especially effective if you have a less traditional background, or if you’re making a nontraditional change.
• Face-to-face- the most powerful way to connote whether you’re a good fit for a specific company. If you take the time to do this, you might also have the opportunity to receive some guidance & feedback on your interviewing skills

How much follow up is effective? 

• There’s no exact rule of thumb
• Best practice is to clarify what cadence is best with the specific recruiter you’re working with.
• Generally, no need to follow up multiple times a week.
• Make sure you check a recruiter’s website, and if you spot a role, it gives you a good reason to reconnect with your recruiter and drive top-of-mind awareness with them.

Where do recruiters go to find candidates?

• They start with their known network
• Referrals from other candidates
• Advertising network
• LinkedIn is an incredibly powerful tool these days. Make sure you keep your profile up to date and ensure you’ve indicated you’re open to opportunities.

On LinkedIn how much info should you include?

• When your profile’s more complete, you will be more searchable and findable
• Having a more detailed profile may allow you to be easier to find, so err on the side of including more rather than less detail (within reason)
• Having a bare structure is better than nothing at all

Do you HAVE to be on LinkedIn?

• Recruiters will almost always check LinkedIn for a profile. If you’re not on there, it doesn’t allow recruiters to as easily perform some quick research on you.
• Recommendations can also be a very powerful signal of your effectiveness as a professional.
• LinkedIn allows you to further improve your credibility online