Five ways to work with your recruiter and secure your dream role

As a London recruitment agency, we’ve been accused of all sorts over the years. We’ve been likened to used car salesmen, chastised for calling too often, calling too little, been too quick to act, too slow to act, too thorough, or not detailed enough. The reality is we work with people. Our clients are living and breathing beings, as are our candidates and sometimes, we just can’t please everyone. But we certainly try.

The recruitment sector has sometimes been referred to as an industry clouded in mystery, the secrets of which are only available to a select few. It’s not intended to be that way, but because we’re in the business of people, much of our role involves discretion and the protection of confidential intellectual property. This means we’re privy to a whole lot of information that is entrusted to us to keep private.

That being said, one of our most favourite things in the world – and the reason we do what we do – is the moment we can offer a delighted candidate a role on behalf of our client. From virtual assistant jobs to close protection roles, we can feel satisfied that for all parties it’s a game changing move for the benefit of all involved. However, there’s a huge amount of work that goes into the process leading up to that point. In order to be as effective as possible, we rely on you, the candidate, to uphold some key points. It truly makes for a significantly better outcome for you as well as us.

1. Honesty is the best policy

Sounds obvious but genuinely, we come across a number of people who prefer to be dishonest about their job hunting process because they believe it will benefit them in the long-term. It really doesn’t. After years of interviewing and meeting new people, we’ve learnt to read (pretty quickly) a genuine character from someone who is insincere. When faced with putting the shortlist together, guess who makes the cut? Equally, our database records all of our interactions whether they be electronic, face to face or over the phone. The reason for this is because we rely on the information to help make informed decisions about shortlisting future roles.

2. Don’t play hard to get

Do you want the job? Show us you care by showing a little enthusiasm! Just as an employer wants to know that you want to work for them, given we’re acting on their behalf, we want to know the same. This means promptly returning calls, keeping us updated on your job hunting process and responding to messages when you can. If you’re unresponsive, it leads us to believe you may not care about the job, which will mean we’re less confident about representing you.

Have you recently started looking again or would you like to be kept abreast of opportunities? Get in touch and let us know! Similarly, if you would prefer not to be contacted about upcoming roles, just send us a note to say so.

3. We’re a team

We want to work collaboratively with you. This means talking openly with one another about the pros and cons of the job, about your CV, interview techniques and what other job roles you might be applying for aside for the one we’re working with you on. We’ll give you as many tips and pieces of advice as we can when it comes to CV formatting, interview preparation and career guidance as possible – after all we want you to get the job! Equally we expect transparency and open communication from you around any concerns you may have, interview feedback and so on.

4. Trust

We trust that you possess all the skill and experience indicated on your cv and in your interview with us. We trust that you want the job just as we trust that you’re open and honest in your communication. But trust goes both ways. We know you need to trust us as well and like any relationship, that that can take time. We’ll try and earn this trust by calling when we say we will, by responding promptly to your messages and by giving you honest feedback about the recruitment process.

When we talk through potential roles with you, we need to trust each other that we’re both comfortable it’s the right fit for you. We understand the culture of the client and the job requirements as they have specified in the briefing process, so please trust us if and when we say that it might not be the right role for you at this stage in your career. Together we’ll find the right role, but it might mean waiting for the right opportunity.

5. Be patient

While we’re often busy and lucky enough to work with a number of diverse businesses and role types, sometimes we don’t have the right role for you at this time and it may mean that we need to hold out for a little while before the right one comes along. Be assured that we won’t forget about you. Be assured we will call when the right role comes across our desks. It’s just that sometimes it takes a bit of time. With each and every new role we recruit, we conduct a database search based on key skills and experience so you can be safe in the knowledge that we will call you if and when a suitable role is called in.

We love our jobs and love nothing more than to work with you to win you your next exciting career move. If you would like update us on your job status, please do get in touch!

Author David Morel Tiger Recruitment Team