“Who do recruiters work for?”
A reader recently asked this question, and I think it’s helpful to discuss this, because there are various types of recruiters . If you understand their roles, you’ll understand what they can — and can’t — do for your job search.
A recruiter typically is paid by the client company, and the recruiter is helping a company find qualified candidates to fill a specific position. The majority of the recuriter’s time will be focused on meeting the client’s needs rather than those of a candidate.
The recruiter’s fee may be based on whether the client chooses a candidate the recruiter presents to them. Should the recruiter consider you a strong candidate, you typically will be presented to the employer along with several other candidates. From there, the selection process continues with interviews with the client.
A professional recruiter will want to coach you through the presentation and interview process.
The No. 1 comment I hear from job seekers working with recruiters is something like “Recruiters don’t return my phone calls.” Job seekers can set themselves up for disappointment if they base their job search on returned calls from recruiters.
Recruiters receive hundreds of resumes each month, and they simply can’t return all candidates’ phone calls. Their time must be spent serving the client’s needs.
If you are selected to be presented to the recruiter’s client, he or she likely will become more hands-on as they guide you through the next steps.
Most job seekers expect the recruiter to take a personal interest in helping them with their job search, and with this explanation in mind, you can see why job seekers might be disappointed.
Recruiting is both a quantity and quality issue, and a recruiter screens a lot of job candidates to select only a few to present.
It might be helpful to remember recruiting is a business transaction and is only one aspect of your job search.
I’d like to hear what you’ve experienced as you’ve worked with recruiters.
