subject: Think Like A Recruiter To Be Recruited [print this page] There are countless reasons why you might be on the lookout for pastures new. If you're searching for a new position, you feel undervalued where you are currently or simply need a change of scenery then you need to be as creative as possible in identifying any potential opportunities. An energetic and imaginative approach to job hunting will give you every opportunity of forcing yourself to the front of the queue and help you fend off the competition when it comes to being offered the job that you want.
You'll need to keep your ear to the ground and your eyes peeled. Ask around and employ your contact network to see what sorts of positions are coming up on the job market and where. Knowing what's out there is vital of you want to get your foot in the door. Hunt online and use as many sites and services as possible to obtain a clear picture of recruitment in your industry or sector. Online tools such as LinkedIn and Twitter are increasingly useful for finding out what people are talking about and identifying vacancies. Join groups and conduct searches on appropriate terms and keywords. Check relevant offline publications too, and depending on how serious you are you could even compile a database of potential employers and try some cold calling. You never know - you might get lucky. After all there's nothing more frustrating than finding out about the perfect position having just been filled. If only you'd known about it...
What about recruitment? Once you've found a suitable vacancy what can you do to strengthen your chances of being offered the job? What can you do that might give you the upper hand? Well here's something that employment agencies across all industries and sectors from HR recruitment agencies to Health recruitment agencies will recommend.
Get inside the head of the recruiter. Think long and hard about they are thinking. What is it that they want to see form a prospective employee? What are the qualities that will compel them to offer you the position?
Here are just a couple of considerations that most recruiters will have at the forefront of their minds, aspects of the recruitment process that really matter to them. If you can adequately address these you'll be well on the road to a successful interview.
Recruiters realise that the cream of candidates are usually hard at work and happy in their exiting positions. They know that they'll need to entice or incentivise you to look elsewhere. Whether you're particularly enamoured with your existing position or not, at least play a little hard to get. Let them woo you a little. Good recruiters know only too well that someone worth having is worth having a little fight over. Obviously you shouldn't overdo it you wouldn't want then to ultimately think that you were indifferent or not interested at all, but by the same token don't just throw yourself at them either. Don't tell your prospective employers what you CAN do. Tell them what you WILL do. Recruiters want people who WILL deliver results, not maybe. It's a WILL do not a CAN do attitude that gets jobs.
If you've been snared in a mass-market recruitment net be wary. The more targeted and the more personal the relationship, the more chance of both parties will end up satisfied. Make personal relationships and nurture them.
Realise that professional recruiters aren't put off by people who move on after only a couple of years. They need a vacancy filled now and they'd rather have an ambitious person who's working hard to develop their career than someone happy to simply along for the ride.
Check out some of the star employees in the recruiter's company. See if you can present your abilities with those that make them successful. Make it easy for the recruiter to recognise the added value that you're bringing to the table.
