Selecting a Recruiter Specialist

By TechNix Inc.

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There are different types of recruiters and many positions on which type of recruiter is better for particular candidate levels and the various industries. For definitions of types of recruiters, visit http://www.recruitersdirectory.com/definitions.htm.

How does a candidate decide which recruiters are best for them?

Firstly, make an effort to discover who the top headhunters are that are active in your field and market yourself to them. A good recruiter should essentially be easy to find “out there” in all of the regular social media and job posting sites. You can Google phrases like “tech vendor recruiter” or Toronto tech vendor”, “sales recruiter”, “technical consultant positions” to get an idea who’s active. A blog is a good way to get-acquainted with a recruiter. Search engines do site rankings based on their complicated algorithms that may not be relevant for you so don’t just look at the top names of the list. You can also find numerous sites listing recruiters in Canada & the USA. Some examples include:


http://www.directoryofrecruiters.com
http://www.headhuntersdirectory.com
http://i-recruit.com
http://www.recruitersdirectory.com


You can also ask your peers for the names of recruiters that have:

a) longevity (i.e., they’ve been around for more than a year or two),
b) have in the past and are currently able to present quality openings with top employers or even had success in placing them into a solid career position and
c) operate with a high degree of integrity and professionalism.

Most recruiter profiles are well-documented on either their web site or LinkedIn. If not, you have to ask wonder what they are hiding. In the event you’d like more details on their experience, you may wish to take a unique approach and comprise a list of relevant interview questions to pose to the recruiter. Inquire as to their backgrounds, strong client relationships, and their industry specialization. In the technology world, the better choices are recruiters with some real life tech industry experience, with enough years in the search business to have established their own networks and client base. You might also consider recruiters who have achieved a higher education (a lot of the same qualities recruiters are looking for in their applicants). It says something when a person has taken the time to complete an advanced degree at a recognized university. It speaks of more than their intellectual capacity. That type of person is generally less likely to take shortcuts and bend the rules, and take chances with your career, areas where the search industry’s reputation has been soiled numerous times in the past.

How many recruiters should you work with? There is no golden rule but one or two recruiters is probably not enough. No matter how the size or how well-networked the recruiter, there are way too many prospective employers for the coverage offered by such a small group to suffice. As long as they are reputable and have a track record of professionalism (and here’s where your referrals will give you comfort), there is little downside to working with as many as three more recruiters. Top recruiters are solidly aligned with certain employers. If you are looking to target a particular employer, get creative. See if you can find out who does their recruiting and work towards developing a relationship with that recruiter or firm.

Stay tuned for some great ideas on how to market yourself to a recruiter.

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Our group of specialists are an organisation that helps our clients boost their online marketing by offering social media management services on a monthly basis.

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