Find a Good Recruiter and Let Them Do Their Thing!

Your recruiter is good at making the best pick!

Our blog often includes true stories that give you an honest picture of what’s happening in the hiring world (of course, we always alter names and details to protect anonymity). Here are two recent occurrences that struck me as worth sharing:

1) I was asked to fill a critical position for a manufacturing company. One of my candidates–let’s call him Jim–interviewed with the hiring manager, who decided the candidate was not a good fit for the position. Frustrated and indignant, Jim took it upon himself to contact the hiring manager and pester her to try to get more information. As you can imagine, Jim’s lack of boundaries ended up burning a bridge and angering a good employer (not to mention a good recruiter!). If another position were to open up there for which Jim was a perfect match, neither the hiring manager nor I would consider interviewing him again.

2) Another client needed to make a hire right away. I submitted some solid candidates, and the client made an offer to one of them. Unfortunately, candidates often have other factors besides job searches going on in their lives. So when the chosen candidate was slow to give an answer, the client contacted her directly. Instead of speeding up the process, their ensuing conversations ended up causing confusion and delaying the process further. I had been in the process of uncovering a deeper reason for the candidate’s hesitancy, and ultimately, when it emerged, she ended up not lasting very long on the job.

What is the one thing these two stories have in common? These experiences both illustrate the poor results that happen when your recruiter’s work as an agent is not trusted. Am I biased? Well, I am a recruiter. Yes, I have a vested interest in communicating the lesson these stories illustrate. But yes, I sincerely believe it’s true. If you use a recruiter in your job search, then you should have a reasonable trust in their competency and ability work for you. You as a candidate should trust them to advise you on interviewing, on finding a good fit, on negotiating, and on resignation. You as an employer should generally trust them on preparing candidates, negotiating with candidates, and extending offers.

Let me offer a few qualifications here. The above should be true of good, qualified recruiters who have proven to be honest, consistent, and friendly. Not only do good recruiters produce results (shown by repeat business, good recommendations, and previous success), but they produce a positive experience. Sure, they may push back on you from time to time–but only in an effort to better help and serve. A recruiter who is dishonest, inconsistent, or mediocre should not be trusted with such important things as hiring and job searches!

You may be an excellent candidate, or an employer who interviews and negotiates and onboards superbly. But more often than not, the tenured recruiter deals with these items much more frequently than you do. As experienced recruiters, we deal with hands-on negotiations all the time. We handle sensitive items like resignations and job changes all the time. We have built a relationship with the candidate or with the company that we will leverage for your good–if you will trust us. So find a good recruiter, and let them do their thing!

Ever look at your calendar and feel overwhelmed? Here’s how to be more productive.