If you seem to be stuck in a rut and you’re not securing a sufficient number of interviews, it simply makes sense to utilize a recruiter to expand your job search.

Using a professional recruiter can also make sense if you’re in a high-level position since executive jobs are not advertised at all times, or they are in an industry that normally uses search firms to fill their vacancies. Search firms are able to arrange contacts in industries and at companies you might not be aware of. They can also help promote your resume and supply you with enhanced exposure to potential employers.

More specifically, if you fit into one or more of these groups, you should consider using a recruiter to find a job.

• You’re employed in a field with a scarcity of talent. There are more open positions than talented people to fill them.
• You possess very precise and hard-to-find skills. Or plenty of experience in your industry. You’re an expert in your profession.
• You’re presently in a leading company that is recognized for having talented people.
• You’re a veteran manager or executive. Most recruiters get paid a percentage of your initial salary when they find you a job, so they’re eager to spend a bit more time helping you if the potential payoff is bigger.
• You’re a consultant or contractor who is searching for a temporary position, not a permanent job. If this is the case, you should talk to plenty of contract recruiters.

Keep in mind that recruiting agencies have come a long way. Historically known as headhunters, agencies have worked hard to become recognized for their professionalism. Most firms today practice what they preach. They hold a greater respect for the candidate and sincerely want to work towards creating a long-lasting relationship. Working with a recruiter can be a genuine game-changer when searching for your next career step. There are significant benefits to working with a professional recruiter that you just can’t fail to notice.

Regardless of the type of job search itself, a number of recruitment professionals will present you with these three top incentives for working with a recruiter as an integral part of your job search strategy.

1. Advocacy: If you send your resume to a job online, the one thing you have to help persuade the internal recruiter is that resume. When working with a recruiter, he/she has a direct line of communication with their internal counterpart. They will submit your resume alongside a pitch of why you’re a top-notch candidate for the job.

The next step is normally a phone call to talk over the submitted candidates. If the hiring manager has any reluctance about your experience, your recruiter can be your advocate. Recruiters are not simply a resource for candidates for their clients but are frequently reliable counselors when it comes down to the choice of candidate.

2. Advice: When you’re not working with a recruiter, do you adjust and tweak your resume, not knowing if it’s truly good enough? Do you come away from interviews with less than an upbeat perspective but have little or no idea when you may have made a blunder or two? When you interview without help, you have no individualized supervision available to you.

Truth is a recruiter will not only help you get ready for your interview but will debrief with you afterwards. He/she will review how to respond to questions and provide valuable insight concerning who you’re interviewing with, what they’re looking for and how to make an impression. Not only that, oft times, they obtain feedback from the client following the interview that you can internalize and use to enhance your interview abilities. This kind of advice is instrumental to you as a job seeker.

3. Access: So, this is what it really boils down to. When you’re searching for a job, the most significant thing is having access to employers ready to hire you. Recruiters and the firms they work for have spent their careers fostering a network of people in charge of hiring at some of the most looked-for companies out there. That in no way implies that working with a recruiter certifies you’ll get a new job in a week. It does means that working with a recruiter can be much more useful and more effective. Depending on the urgency of your search, you could probably do away with the need to submit to online job boards entirely.

Here are some additional reasons why you’ll want to work with a professional recruiter when it comes time to look for a new job.

• Get a foot in the door. Job seekers often labor to make it past the applicant tracking system meant to eliminate unsuited candidates and make it to the initial phase of the interview process, let alone lock up an interview. The ease of applying to an open position indicates there are more candidates applying to a certain position and at times it can appear as though the odds are stacked against you.

Recruiters maintain connections that can help you surmount this challenge. Those associations allow recruiters to put forward your experience and help you be noticed in an aggressive job market.

Recruiters normally expect job seekers to prepare an elevator pitch or brief synopsis of their experience and why they should be hired to communicate to hiring managers at firms with openings. If the recruiter pinpoints a job where you would be a suitable fit, they can pass on this backstory to the employer, which can help differentiate you from other candidates and position you further down the interview path.

• More opportunities. Often employers don’t bother to make known their existing positions and, as an alternative, partner directly with recruiters to find viable candidates. If you choose to work with a recruiter, you’ll have entrée to more opportunities for which to apply than you would if you searched for leads on your own.

• Save time. While applying to jobs online can be an effective strategy for acquiring a job, it may not be the most efficient approach. A recruiting agency works with candidates to secure a job that is the correct fit and puts forward their career objectives and current skills.

Recruiters possess the know-how and the perspective to appraise candidates for open positions swiftly, meaning if your experience and skillset align with a position being proposed, a recruiter can link you with the hiring manager quickly.

• Extend your reach. A recruiting agency continually looks to meet open positions, so that with each new opening, they may well think about indorsing you as the best available candidate. While you might cover a lot of ground on your own, a recruiter’s assistance can exponentially boost the likelihood of landing you your next job, especially if they cast a bigger net owing to their connections.

Even if you don’t match up with a job soon, recruiters will maintain you in a database so you can be considered for other related down the road.

• Increase visibility. If you apply for jobs on your own, your application most likely goes into the pool of possibly dozens if not hundreds of candidates. This, regrettably, escalates the risk of being filtered out or not noticed at all. A recruiter helps boost your profile to hiring managers since they have a straight line of communication and will personally endorse you and deliver your resume.

• Understand both parties. Recruiters understand both the hiring company and your professional objectives. This mix makes them exceptionally qualified to provide insight into the company’s culture and the job fit. They possess background knowledge on the company and the job you’re considering.

• Specialization in one field. It just makes more sense to work with a recruiter who specializes in a particular field. Recruiters who focus on one field or area become specialists and are more apt to find you a great-fitting job. They can also offer critical insight into the current job market if you’ve been at one company for a period of time and are just beginning a job search. Plus, if your present boss isn’t aware that you’re in the process of job hunting, recruiters provide a level of confidentiality so your resume isn’t plastered all over the internet.

• Keep you connected. Working with a recruiter can advance your career whether or not you take a new job immediately. That’s because they’re frequently asked to do the impossible: find the perfect candidate with the appropriate experience who can start tomorrow. By maintaining a connection with a recruiter, you just might be that ideal candidate they’ve kept in mind when the job posting comes up.

Okay, you’ve decided to work with a recruiter. So, let’s look at some tips on how best to work with a recruiting firm to make the process succeed for both you and the agency.

1. Treat them as you would any other professional contact. Would you ever begin calling other professionals you don’t know and anticipate them finding you a job without knowing anything about you? Highly unlikely. So, we would recommend picking a few recruiters to try to develop a connection with up front, before asking for any assistance.

2. Don’t wait till you’re no longer working to connect with them. Recruiters would much rather work with candidates who are employed or freshly unemployed. You can’t create relationships with every recruiter who contacts you. Pick a few and make certain you remain on their radar.

3. Stay in contact, but don’t hound them. First, many recruiters would rather receive emails over phone calls so they can manage their day better.

Second, there’s a fine line sandwiched between remaining in touch and calling obsessively. Calling every two days to find out whether or not there’s an opening for you doesn’t make you seem eager, only frantic.

4. Be upfront if you’re working with other recruiters. If you decide to work with several recruiters, it’s essential to let them all be made aware you’re doing so. Otherwise, they just might both promote your resume to the same employer, which can be a problem down the road when the recruiter wants to collect their fee.

5. Be honest. We’ve observed candidates who weren’t completely upfront about what they do at their present job, that they’re currently unemployed or that they only just got a new job, but they aren’t fond of it enough to announce it.

Likewise, be straightforward about your salary history, the responsibilities you held at previous positions and why you left past employers.

In due course, the truth will come out by way of reference checks or employment background checks and being deceitful means you’ve trashed that connection with your recruiter.

Moreover, first impressions set the tone for your relationship with a recruiter and being forthcoming demonstrates trustworthiness.

6. Don’t expect recruiters to do your part. Recruiters are there to offer support and guidance. You can ask them for tips on polishing your resume, for example, but it’s not their job to rewrite it for you.

Recruiters can provide an objective view of your chances of landing a certain job, which is important to you as you move forward. Ask for a candid appraisal of your strengths as a candidate. If they’re doing their job, they’ll give you unvarnished feedback. but that means you need to listen without going on the defensive – and then be willing to take action based on their advice.

Ready to put these tips to the test? Contact our recruiters today at PDDM Solutions to get going with your job search.