Managing your job search alone can be an arduous and demoralising task. According to Career Search, job seekers spend an average of 11 hours a week looking for the right role. Yet today those hours trawling through job vacancies and perfecting your CV/resume are not enough. Your online presence must also be impeccable. That means investing time maintaining your Linkedin profile, and curating your social media sites. No wonder many people say a job search is a job in its own right.
When it comes to less difficult tasks such as cleaning or gardening, we don’t think twice of enlisting extra help. When you consider that success or failure in finding the right role has a huge impact on your quality of life, it makes good sense to get the support of a professional recruiter who is a specialist in the market you are seeking a position. Especially since their expert help and inside knowledge is provided absolutely free. More and more professionals are discovering this secret to landing plum roles without the headache.
Added Perks
A good recruitment agency not only lifts the burden of conducting a job search. They’ll support, coach and motivate you from your first contact right through to landing your perfect role. Many people invest hundreds of pounds getting help to create a new CV. However, a good agency can advise you in updating your resume, preparing for screening processes, and shining in your interview.
More Tailored Job Search
Specialist recruiters want to know all about you to ensure you find a job that you’re happy in. They can help you get clear on what your career goals are and what sort of environment you thrive in. This creates a win-win situation for all involved. Placing you in a role where you get maximum job satisfaction means increased performance for your employer and satisfied clients for the recruiter.
Access to Positions Not Advertised on Job Boards
Not all recruitment agencies use job boards, especially if they have found them not to deliver good results. Good, specialist agencies will provide exclusive access to roles you wouldn’t otherwise hear about. Having built good relationships with top employers they can offer you access to better quality roles. Being on their books means you can be put forward for roles before they are advertised.
Support and Guidance
Specialist recruiters have an excellent understanding of their market niche. They can advise you on everything from salary expectations to what skills are most in demand. This inside knowledge on what employers are seeking can help you to stand out from the crowd. In this way, developing a relationship with a good agency can actually boost your career progression. Specialist recruiters such as ourselves offer video recording facilities, where you can use our platform to create a 30 second advert about yourself, highlighting your key skills and experience and what you are looking for. We can discuss what clients can have access to this as well as supplementing with additional information such as your CV, qualifications and references.
Making the Job Hunt more Manageable
Keeping track of your job search can be complicated. It’s common to send out multiple applications which makes it difficult to keep track of where you are in the process. Plus, it can be difficult to recall the job requirements of each role should you be offered an interview.
In comparison, a good recruitment agency has an organised system. This means never missing out on an important email or being unsure how to prepare for a particular interview. They also keep you motivated by giving you updates and feedback, which helps keep your confidence high while seeking your ideal role.
An Ongoing Relationship
Forming a good relationship with a recruiter is never wasted time. Even after you have landed a role, they will also prove a useful contact for the future when you are ready to make your next career move and should you move in to a senior managerial role in future, you might need someone you have tried and tested as a candidate to recruit on behalf of you.
Qualities to Look for in a Recruitment Agency
Reputation: A good agency can tell you about candidates they’ve placed and the length of time they spent in roles. This should suggest to you whether a recruiter wants what is best for their clients rather than simply gaining their placement fee. Good agencies will have worked for clients for many years and the stronger the relationships they have, the better your chances of finding out about exclusive roles. Being put forward by a recruiter the employer trusts could also help you land an interview.
Experience: Work with an agency that has substantial experience in your sector. Find out how long they’ve been established and which specialisms they have, so you know if they will be a suitable partner for you in your job search. Work with an agency that can help you and offer advice in terms of yours and clients expectations, how to present yourself and can offer interview advice. Often you will find candidate testimonials on their website if they have provided good service.
Enthusiasm: Look for agencies that are interested in learning about you, your ideal role plus your ambitions for the future. Recruiters that make you feel motivated and uplifted about your job search will make the whole process a lot more enjoyable.
