By Jade Bennett.
Recruitment agencies tend to get a fair bit of bad press with ‘recruiter bashing’ rife on social media. Like most professions, be it legal, accounting, and even technology, there are great operators and, let’s just say, some not so good operators. But more often than not, recruiters are doing their utmost to connect jobseekers with great employment opportunities.
For jobseekers in the tech space there’s a lot to be gained by carefully selecting a professional tech recruitment partner to represent you. “Why?”, I hear you ask. Because if you build a good relationship with a specialist tech Recruitment Consultant, they will become your greatest ally as you navigate your career throughout the years.
I’d like to share a few tips on how jobseekers can partner with tech recruiters (in particular) to maximise their career opportunity, but first, I think it’s important to clarify some recruitment agent misconceptions upfront.
Firstly, recruiters do not derive fees from jobseekers; they are paid by their clients, whom they have more than likely had long standing relationships with.
Secondly, recruiters typically spend a significant amount of time mapping out the tech market landscape, locally and globally, to source the best people for their clients. When they contact you the jobseeker, take it as a compliment. They’ve identified something about you that’s made them think ‘wow’.
If you’re not actively seeking new employment or are not open to new job opportunities, that’s ok. Be flattered and politely decline. However, you should consider that it might be worthwhile spending a bit of time letting them know what type of opportunity might pique your interest in the future. We often find some of the most lucrative and rewarding career defining opportunities are actually a result of some of these conversations.
5 tips to consider when engaging a tech recruitment partner
If you are open to exploring new career opportunities, here’s my top 5 tips on how you can effectively identify and work with your tech recruiter:
1. Select an experienced tech recruitment specialist
There are a lot of tech recruitment partners to choose from, but I encourage you to select a recruitment partner who specialises in your field of expertise with a demonstrated track record, be it software engineering recruitment, product management recruitment, devops recruitment, etc.
Ask your friends and colleagues who they’ve worked with and would recommend. Taking your time to find and build a relationship with a specialist tech recruitment partner will not only make your job search smoother, but it will also increase your chances of landing your dream role.
2. Give them your time
They understand you’re busy and it’s not always easy to talk during office hours. More often than not they’ll make themselves available when you are. Recruitment is not 9-5, Monday to Friday; it’s often weekend work, happening over lunch and into the night.
3. Be forthcoming with information
The more information you give your tech recruitment partner about your career to date, your future aspirations and who you are, the better placed they will be in being able to successfully advocate the value you bring to their clients.
Believe it or not, CV’s don’t secure interviews. Recruiters do. Hiring managers ask them about you; what stood out, why they think you’re right for their team, and so on. The more your recruiter knows about you, the easier it is for them to determine if the role is right for you. This ultimately saves you, their client, and themselves a lot of time. Let’s face it, no-one wants the awkwardness of realising a few minutes into an interview that things aren’t going to work out. It’s your recruitment partner’s job to prevent these situations from happening.
4. Trust them
They’re working really hard to secure you an awesome role with a great company and sometimes things take longer to progress than anticipated, but they’re moving things along as quickly as they can.
They haven’t forgotten about you, but if you don’t hear from them in a few days, it’s typically because they simply haven’t heard back from their client yet.
5. Be transparent
There’s no need to be shy about your salary expectations. Your recruitment partner is trained to negotiate the best possible outcome for all involved and, more often than not, this is the part clients prefer their recruitment partner to handle upfront and not after the interview process. It’s better for everyone to be on the same page from the get-go so there’s no awkward situation at the offer stage.
So there you have it. It’s not an exhaustive list, but a few simple points that will help you build a positive relationship with your tech recruitment partner. I can’t speak for all tech recruiters, but I personally chose tech recruitment as a career because I love it. I love helping technology businesses grow by helping them find great people to build amazing products.
Once you find a recruiter you click with, you’ll cherish that relationship forever and they’ll go above and beyond anytime you need them. I know from personal experience. I’ve been working with the same people for over 10 years, candidates who were once looking for a new job have become clients, and clients have become candidates. Good relationships last.
Your specialist tech recruitment partner will be your greatest advocate in a highly competitive market when you need them, so take your time and find the right tech recruitment partner for you.
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