Five Traits That Will Make You Popular With Recruiters

Having the recruiter on your side can be crucial in securing your dream job, here are five traits that will make sure you are top of the recruiters list when an exciting role becomes available.

#1 – Be Honest

Honesty is crucial in all aspects of the exchange, both from the recruiter and the candidate. You need to be honest about your expectations, both role and salary; your availability and your experience. It can take a long time for recruiters to build up trust with their clients and separate themselves from the pack, this takes hard work and dedication. All of that can be undone with one misjudged placement. It is therefor integral that the recruiter (your representative) has an accurate portrait of your experiences, strengths and weaknesses. Even if that means sacrificing one or two opportunities, it’s the recruiters job to find you the right one.

Never lie to your doctor, lawyer or recruiter!

#2 – Communicate

The term communication is slightly ambiguous, however, it is helpful to split this in to two sections. Punctuality/responsiveness and linguistic capability. Recruiters understand that people can’t be available at all times, candidates have jobs, family and general life commitments, however, taking a week to respond to an email is not going to win you a spot in the recruiters ‘go-to shortlist’. Similarly, a large percentage of your interaction with the recruiter is going to be over the phone. They need to be able to understand what you are saying – mumbling can be a major turnoff.

#3 – Be Open to Feedback

Being open to feedback  is a great trait for candidates to have when searching for a job. You are not always going to ace interviews. If you have a recruiter who has a good enough relationship with their client to get you some meaningful feedback it is a really good idea to take it on board. I’m not saying let it get you down and by all means challenge it if it is completely wrong. However, you should think about why they might have come to this particular conclusion about you and come up with ways to make sure it doesn’t hold you back in the future.

#4 – Trust Your Recruiter

It’s no secret that recruiters have a commercial interest in placing you in a role. But at the end of the day, any recruiter worth working with should be looking more long term. There is not a bottomless pit of high calibre candidates, they will be looking out for your best interests and by doing that everybody can be happy. Trust in them and you will be repaid with a long-lasting, fruitful and mutually beneficial relationship.

#5 – Keep Your CV Clear and Your LinkedIn Up To Date

This is absolutely vital. If you ask any recruiter what the most frustrating part of their work is it is putting forward a good candidate, who comes across brilliantly on the phone, only for them to be rejected by the candidate because they don’t look good on paper. CVs need to be clear, concise and accurate. Additionally, having a strong online profile is great for your job prospects. Often LinkedIn is the first place recruiters will look when starting work on a tough role.

Recruiters often have a bad reputation, however, they can level the playing fields between companies and candidates and having a good relationship with a good recruiter will make sure you get the best deal possible and that your next career move will be your most successful.

Article by: Kieran Roche, HR Recruitment Consultant at Williams Kent Ltd
31st August 2017

Tags: HR, Personality, Recruitment Categories: Uncategorized