I often see a lot of posts on newsgroups and job boards about recruiters. Are they useful? Will they give me a fair shake? Why should (or shouldn't) I use them? I have used recruiters off and on throughout my career so I figured I'd share a few tidbits about what to expect and how to cope.
Bad Recruiters
Here are the symptoms of bad recruiters:
- They try to get you to interview for jobs you aren't qualified for. This means they either don't understand your skillset or that they care more about their commission than putting you into a job that you'll be successful at.
- They are pushy. Never tolerate pushiness from a recruiter. For example, I was once dealing with a recruiter who was hot to get me into a position in a location that I wasn't comfortable driving to. It was a long drive and very expensive on my time and costs and very frankly I told the recruiter that it just wasn't worth the impact on my family life. The recruiter in question wouldn't take no for an answer so I ended up ending the relationship after saying no for the third time.
- They aren't honest about the position. They either mistate the goals and expectations, or more commonly they mistate the culture at the company in question. Always make sure that when you interview that you fact check what the recruiter has told you about salary, benefits, and culture.
Good Recruiters
Here are the symptoms of good recruiters:
- They take the time to explore your skillset and personality. I have much respect for recruiters who bring multiple positions to the table and then pull some off the table just based on our conversations. It shows that they are not only trying to find a good fit for me, but also a good fit for the company they represent. A career recruiter realizes that positive long term relationships are the most profitable and as such focuses on good service to both the company and the employee.
- They actually know something about the field. Certainly I do not expect the recruiter to be able to code. But I would expect them to realize that ASP .NET and J2EE/Websphere are totally unrelated skill sets. I would expect them to notice that the majority of my professional work is in ASP .NET and that it would be unlikely that I'd be interested in jumping ship to the winforms world.
- When they present a position that has been open for a while it's a warning sign that it has been hard to fill. A good recruiter will tell you why. Are the requirements out of the norm? Is the culture challenging? I tend to generally be wary of posted positions that are more than a month or two old. It implies that no one wants the job.
Why do I need a recruiter?
Many companies simply do not want to deal with the flood of unqualified candidate's resumes that come in when they post jobs directly on boards etc. Recruiters serve as a buffer and filter such that only candidates that have a chance of getting the job are let through to the actual employer. That being said recruiters may hold the keys to positions that you would otherwise be unaware of.
A recruiter that gets to know you well enough can also put you to the front of the line when it comes to competing against other candidates. Recruiters with long term relationships know their clients needs and culture and can put forward candidates that they feel will fit well. In this way an experienced recruiter is almost like a reference.
Recruiters often know when positions are opening up in the future. When you're just thinking about finding a new job or at the beginning of your search you can start the ball rolling with a recruiter. If they know you are going to be available in the new future they can start passing you postings and information which takes some of the burden off you in your search.
In the end, recruiters are people. And like all things that deal with people there are good ones and bad ones. Just keep in mind that they are getting paid a good fee to find the right employees for companies, but also keep in mind that because of that some of them will value the commission more than the relationship. If you keep on your toes and demand honesty and respect you will end up working with the good recruiters and you will likely benefit from it.