Demystifying the Role of the Recruiter
Demystifying the Role of the Recruiter

As a veteran recruiter in the Seattle market, with a fairly public persona as a blogger and freelance writer for Seattle Times, I receive a few LinkedIn requests weekly from job seekers wanting me to help them land their perfect job. I’d love to help, but unless they’re a fit for a role I’m recruiting for, I generally can’t because of the constraints of my corporate recruiting position.

However, since virtually every job seeker works with a recruiter at some point in their search, one way I can help is to share some insight into what a recruiter does and how best to work with them.

Working With a Corporate Recruiter

Corporate recruiters work for a single organization, hiring people directly for that company. They can be full-time employees or contractors, working on-site or off-site, but when they’re recruiting, it’s specifically for that one company. Due to ethical and legal guidelines, they cannot share candidate information outside the company.

The best way to work with corporate recruiters is to target specific companies and types of jobs, then network with recruiters in those companies. LinkedIn is the de facto networking site for recruiters, and more and more are taking to Twitter to advertise jobs. Recruiters are usually very open to networking, but if you don’t have a specific idea of what you’re looking for, you can go from a shiny new contact to being an annoyance.

Working With a Staffing Agency

On the agency side, there are two avenues for a job seeker. Agency recruiters place candidates in permanent roles and also in contract positions, which are jobs that last for a specified duration.

Many candidates get nervous when an agency recruiter asks for personal information, such as their social security number and references, before actually having interviews lined up. It’s important to remember that when you seek work through an agency, you become an employee of the agency. If you’d rather hold off on that commitment, you can tell your recruiter that you’re happy to fill out paperwork once they have an actual position to present you for. Of course, if you’re looking for short-term opportunities, you should fill out the paperwork immediately. The more flexible and available you are, the more quickly and broadly you can be considered.

Some agencies will also ask candidates to fill out a Right to Represent form, which is an agreement that says you will not sign up with their competitors. This form is usually for specific clients or positions, and sometimes it’s the corporate clients asking for them. Amazon, for example, will disqualify a candidate completely if that candidate is submitted by multiple agencies. A broad Right to Represent form, though, can hinder your job search. Tell the recruiter you’re happy to sign a separate form for each position they’re submitting you for, but try not to limit yourself with a blanket agreement.

You can find a fairly good list of Seattle-based agencies, listed by industry, on VocationVillage.com. The best way to vet agencies is to call on your professional network of recruiters, HR representatives and hiring managers and ask what agencies have stellar reputations or what agencies they would recommend.

Understanding the Goal of the Recruiter

The main client for any recruiter is the hiring manager. I find that many job seekers don’t understand why an agency recruiter will not scour their contacts for specific jobs for them, but the truth is that it’s much easier to find a large number of candidates that match a specific opening than to comb through client lists, job boards and career sites to find a job for a candidate, then try to convince a hiring manager to look at them.

Recruiters get paid when candidates are hired. Even if you’re willing to pay a fee, finding you a job still isn’t practical for recruiters because they generally are working on several openings at the same time.

Ultimately the best thing you can do is to become aware of the recruiters working for your target companies or hiring for roles you have the skills to do, and let those recruiters know you’re interested.

Talking Numbers

One of the biggest questions I hear from job seekers about the recruiting process is how to respond to salary requirements. Understanding the financial side of recruiting is a great way to prepare for that question.

Corporate recruiters generally have salary bands, or salary ranges, for each position. Keep in mind that full-time corporate offers include base salary, but there are also other factors to consider – such as the value of any health benefits, stock or equity, annual bonus potential, paid time off and retirement matching.

Agencies representing you for a full-time role are motivated to get you the most money possible since they are paid based on your offer.

Temporary contracts, on the other hand, generate money based on the difference between what you are paid and what the client is billed. So agencies will try to offer you the lowest amount possible to increase their profit margin. This is where you really want to negotiate as much as possible.

Negotiating

When you start negotiating on a full-time salary, make sure you’ve done your homework. You can identify the salary band you should fall into based on your level of experience and education by using sites such as payscale.com and salary.com. Look at the median, or average, and base your own requirements starting higher than that, knowing you may have to negotiate down to the median.

With many companies, you may be able to negotiate within a few thousand dollars on base salary, but probably not tens of thousands. Sign-on bonuses are often used to help bridge a gap in salary ranges. This area is where most job seekers need coaching and help. For example, when I worked at a previous job, I took a 30 percent base salary hit but the benefits were easily worth 15 percent of that total. Understanding total compensation is HUGE.

Building a Relationship

If you are not chosen as the hire for a position, it’s perfectly appropriate to ask a recruiter if you can send them a LinkedIn invitation to continue the relationship and take advantage of their professional contacts at other companies. You can also ask them if they would be willing to endorse you for some of the skills you have on your LinkedIn profile.

Your relationship with a recruiter is based on mutual trust and benefit. You should expect transparency and honesty from recruiters – and give the same in return.


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Author Kristen  Fife

Kristen Fife

Guest writer Kristen Fife is a seasoned tech recruiter in the greater Seattle area and a freelance writer, blogger and active member of the Seattle online community. Her specialties include effective resume writing and counseling job seekers.

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