Your average job seeker just doesn’t “get” what a recruiter does. This is apparent to anyone that’s ever heard a friend or relative complain about a recruiter “not finding them a job.” If you’re planning on working with recruiters or with a staffing firm, here are a few things to keep in mind.

Tips for Working with Recruiters

Recruiters don’t find people jobs: The average job seeker has it all mixed up – recruiters don’t go out and find jobs, recruiters find candidates. They match candidates with open positions given to them by their client companies. Recruiters are tasked with filling these job requisitions. If you’re planning on working with recruiters, understand that they are often looking for very specific types of candidates – don’t get offended if you don’t match.

Recruiters are part of the bigger picture: With this in mind, job seekers should embrace one or more recruiters as part of their overall job seeking strategy – not as an end-all solution. Professional networking, social media sites, and other job seeking channels should still be utilized to maximize individual job leads. Job seekers should recognize that recruiters can open additional doors for them and are inevitably part of the larger job market landscape.

Recruiters and job seekers need to work together: It’s all about teamwork. Job seekers should be honest about their credentials and in turn, recruiters will work hard to push their profile towards befitting opportunities. Be open and upfront about your current compensation and future expectations and recruiters will get the interviews rolling. If everything works out, the recruiter makes a placement and you get a new job – both sides win when there’s mutual respect and understanding.

All too often, job seekers throw themselves at recruiters and expect royal treatment. Candidates have a hard time accepting the fact that recruiters don’t work for them, but with them. Recruiters always have your best interests in mind (and they want you to get hired), but they can’t make individually tailored jobs appear out of thin air.

Seeing eye-to-eye with recruiters isn’t all that complicated when you use their services as one of many valuable resources in your job seeking toolbox. If you are looking for a job, make sure you pursue every avenue available to you – and that working with recruiters in the correct fashion is part of your job search strategy.

With the economy in a tough slump, it seems as if jobs are becoming scarce. Coupled with so many people out of work and others having obtained a high degree of education, finding a job can be even more difficult. To facilitate your job hunt and make it more successful, you might want to know a little more about the job hiring process.

Inquiries

Finding a job first begins with seeing if the business in which you are interested in working for is hiring. Sometimes businesses will post announcements advertising that they are in need of employees or you can choose to contact them to see if any positions are going to soon become available.

Applying

If a position is open and you think that you would be a good fit for the job, you will most likely need to fill out an application. Most job applications are online or available in paper form and ask for general information such as your contact information, previous work history, education and references. Some may also request that you write a short personal statement or cover letter explaining a little more about yourself.

Review

Once the employer receives all of the applications, they will begin the review process. This involves reading through all of the applications, verifying that provided information is correct and contacting references. The employer selects their top choices, and contacts the applicants to request an interview.

Interviews

If you are selected for an interview, you will meet with an overseer from the business. The interview serves the purpose of getting to know you in person and gives the supervisor a chance to ask you questions about your personality, work ethics and job experience. If the interview goes well but the interviewer feels as if they need a bit more information, they might request a second interview to ask more questions or have you meet with other people from the company.

Decisions

After the interviews, the employer may consult with others in the company and compare you to the other applicants to decide who would be the best fit. A background check or drug tests may be requested at this time as well. If the company likes you and selects you, you will need to fill out final paperwork and tax forms, and agree to the job.