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What should I know about recruiters?
I just started looking for jobs again, and I am out of practice. What has changed recently in regards to what recruiters are looking for in a candidate?
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2 Answers
There are many different types of agencies out there, but the main thing for any applicant to be aware of is never, never pay a fee. If a recruiter attempts to charge you, see if they are bonded and licensed in the state that you are in, and make sure to contact your local Attorney General's office.
Protect yourself, your data, and your career from individuals who are not professional recruiters but call themselves as such.
I wrote an article about the Candidates Rights in the Recruiting process.. http://www.hirecentrix.com/candidates-rights-in-the-recruiting-process.html
'Real' Recruiters really have not changed much. The market has, but professional Recruiters have not.
This question is too broad, so I'll try to add some value in my answer.
It is always important to recognize that Recruiters have both financial and contractual obligations to those that are paying for their services. If a Recruiter is being compensated by the hiring company (the most common kind of Recruiter), then recognize that their legal obligations are to that hiring organization. If the candidate is paying a fee (not very common in the US), then the Recruiter is then obligated by that agreement. Understanding both the legal and fiduciary relationships is critical to understanding and navigating the relationships with knowledge.
With all that said, Recruiting as a profession has multiple niches. There are:
Corporate Recruiters - Employees of companies
Corporate (contract) Recruiters - similar to corporate Recruiters, but are more temporary in nature
Contingency Recruiters - Receive a fee upon a hire by the hiring company
Retained Recruiters - Fees based on either time and objectives, objectives and expenses, time only, or similar.
It is always a good idea to ask "what is your relationship with the hiring company?" If they say they are a Contingency Recruiter, ask if they have a signed vendor agreement with the company, and in all cases, make sure that they will not submit your resume to anyone in the company without your prior approval.
WHERE a recruiter finds you may be one of the most important things to consider. LinkedIn is a very important place to present your candidacy, show that you are a participant in the field (join groups!), and shows your career progression. Additional sites like Spoke & JigSaw are also important places to be 'found'. Finding you on Monster, HotJobs or similar job site actually DECREASES your candidate value. All companies like finding employed candidates over those that are actively looking.
Recruiting as a profession HAS seen some drastic changes over the past 10 or so years. Overseas recruiting (RPO: recruitment process outsourcing) has been embraced by a large number of multinationals as well as by the IT/IS industry. This has resulted in quantity over quality / high volume and low-touch recruiting processes. What is important in this kind of situation is to recognize that that your conformity is better, VS standing out in some other situations. While I try to not generalize, Corporate Recruiters, Contract Recruiters, Contingency Recruiters and Retained Recruiters that are based in the country of the actual hiring manger may be more hands-on, have closer relationships with the hiring team (and HR of the company), and be more engaged with your candidacy.
As a general rule, ask questions about any Recruiter that approaches you. Be sure that they do have an active job order, have a legal/binding agreement with the hiring company, are reputable, and will be responsive. Basically, a Recruiter is no different than any other service provider... research before you put your career in their hands.
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