SelectOne Blog

4 Common Myths About Working with a Recruiter

Facts_Myths.svg

There are many misconceptions about recruiters and the staffing industry. These myths keep people from realizing the true benefits of partnering with staffing agencies.

Before partnering with a recruiter for your job search, it is important to understand how the process works and what you can expect from the recruiters point of view.

1. MYTH: Recruiters don’t care about establishing long term relationships with candidates.

FACT: Staffing agencies are built around relationships and maintaining a strong professional network. We remember talented, friendly, and professional candidates and will likely want to assist that person later on in his/her career. One of the best ways to get a recruiter's attention and build a long term relationship is offering to provide names of former co-workers and industry professionals that may be good for the position the recruiter is filling.  

2. MYTH: It is a recruiter’s responsibility to help a job seeker find employment.  

FACT: Recruiters work for their clients (those trying to fill a position), not the job hunters. Recruiters' efforts are focused on finding the best possible candidate for their client’s role. They aren’t paid to help job seekers transition into new roles but rather to find talented individuals in their respected fields and match them up with one of their client’s role. It’s great to be able to assist people in finding jobs, but their main responsibility is not to be a career counselor or a life coach for candidates.

3. MYTH: Recruiters don’t really care what role they place you in, they just want to place you.

FACT: Good recruiters take into careful consideration where a job seeker is in their career and exactly what they are looking for in their next role. This includes location, salary, title, industry, responsibilities, etc. Placing a candidate into a role they are not a fit for or interested in is a lose/lose situation. The candidate won’t be happy and will likely leave the role in a short period of time or not perform to the best of their ability. That in turn will make the client unhappy and has a negative impact on the staffing agency.

4. MYTH: Recruiters are only for unemployed people or people struggling with their job search.

FACT: These days, with the majority of resumes, applications, and job boards all being online, it can be hard to make a personal connection with the company you’re looking to work for. This is where a recruiter can be an asset. Why add your resume to the stack of online submittals when you can have it hand delivered directly to the hiring manager? Working with a recruiter gives you a direct path to the hiring manager. An interview isn’t guaranteed, but at least you will have the confidence that your resume was seen and reviewed.

Not every job seeker will have success working with a recruiter, but if you are skilled in your field and know what you want in your career, building relationships with recruiters who specialize in your industry will be a great asset to your job hunt.

Job-Seeker

No Comments Yet

Let us know what you think