Sometimes I forget that not everyone really understands what recruiters actually do, and how recruiting works. Today I’ll try and explain a few things about what’s really going on.
First, a recruiter is paid by the Client. This means that there’s not really a demand for you as a candidate unless the other party, the Client, has the means to bring someone on board (contract or direct hire, it’s the same thing). If they have no budget or need, then it won’t matter how well your resume is written, or even how much talent you have. Since recruiters are paid by Clients, Clients call the shots on when they will interview, what sort of person they will interview and who they will hire. In fact, the sad part of this process is that you may actually be the person they need in that position but because the job description (which may or may not be written by someone completely unfamiliar with the actual day to day activities of the role), is inaccurately put together, you’ll never make it through the HR resume screening. There is also the succinct possibility that what the Client was looking for was not actually someone to hire, but rather a list of people, that if the situation demanded, they might want to hire. Just in case some one leaves. This happens, believe me.
The recruiter’s job is to make the Client happy. This means, that the recruiter will work with pretty much any person he or she can find that will satisfy the Client. If you fit (and it’s in your best interest to research every detail to see how you could best fit), then it’s the recruiter’s job to see you get fairly presented, and that the Client grants you an interview.
Now let me add a few caveats:
IF you have a talent or skill that is in extremely high demand, AND you have a great relationship (over a period of time) with a recruiter, THEN you may be fortunate enough to be the Candidate that your recruiter uses as bait to market to his or her Clients or potential Clients. In this case, he or she may be willing to promote you for the purpose of finding an unknown opening. This can work out, and depending on your skills, and the recruiters ability to put them across, it can definitely propel you to a series of interviews with different Clients and of course potential offers. Beware that if a Client does give your recruiter an opening for which you are qualified, you will perhaps not be the only candidate that is presented for the position. Sometimes recruiters will search for additional candidates just to provide some alternative (and competitive) possibilities.
This means that if you are getting called by your recruiter on a position that he or she has open, then there’s a good possibility that you are a fair match for the job. If you are not, or if the recruiter is not bringing up that Client in conversation, it’s probably not a match. Remember, there are plenty of cases where Clients are not in the same state of urgency toward filling their openings, as you may have in getting that job. Your recruiter is not probably going to get the Client to move any faster than they feel necessary. Naturally, if the demand is severe enough, or the skill set is rare enough, deals can be made very quickly, but don’t count on it. Finding out from your recruiter how long the job has been open, if it’s an expansion position or a replacement (and if the latter, as much as you can find out on what happened) can help you know the level of urgency.
Of course pretty much every career consultant today will tell you that your effort should be to find any and all avenues to learn about the company, the hiring authority, and the reasons for the opening. Given the plethora of online information available it’s likely that you can zero in on the company to research as much as possible thereby improving your odds of a successful interview. While the recruiter should be able to give you a lot of this information, it’s your career that’s at stake. In fact, given the players in this encounter, you have more on the line than anyone, so learning as much as you can is in your best interest.
Finally, again while your recruiter is intent on completing this search with a getting the Client to hire a candidate, recall that his or her income is based on the Client’s purse. This should factor into all things associated with the offer. Getting you a top dollar offer will enhance his fee (since most direct hire finders fees are paid as a percentage of first year’s annual salary, and contract hires are billed as a percentage of markup over gross pay), but getting an offer and getting you to accept an offer is required for the recruiter to earn anything.
It’s important to understand the basic economic principles at work here. Recruiting is the business of providing a service to satisfy a Client’s need. You, as a candidate are very much part of that business equation, and should be aware accordingly.
Next time, what you can do to improve your chances.