Top Tips on Working With Recruitment Agencies to Secure a Job

Optimise your job search by using recruiters to find your perfect job for you!

By Craig from Jobulo

During your job search it may not have occurred to you that working with recruitment agencies can really supercharge your opportunities. Recruitment agencies exist on the strength of the applicants they place within employment – generally they work by finding an applicant, that’s you, a job with a company they have an existing relationship with. As they know the company they have a great understanding of the type of applicant that would excel. They also work with a wide range of companies who always require staff, so they know of many more job opportunities than you! Recruitment agencies make their living finding you a job so you’ll most likely find them very motivated and a pleasure to work with. However, if you’ve never used a recruitment company, it can be daunting- how do you get in touch with them? Will they want to work with you? Our top tips will give you the answers and open up a new avenue for your job search.

#1 Get Your CV Updated

In preparation to working with a recruitment consultant one of the first things you should do is update or create your CV. This will give you a recent document which will encapsulate you as a job applicant – exactly what a recruiter will need in order to find you the right job. When creating your CV you should be treating it similarly to applying for a new job because in a round-about way that’s exactly what you are doing. You’re providing the recruiter with the tools to sell you as a potential employee and to that end you need to be sure to highlight all your best qualities and qualifications. Be mindful of any common CV mistakes that you should avoid and remember the better your CV, the easier it will be for the recruiter to find you a placement. You also should consider the kind of roles you want to be offered and be sure to target your CV to these positions. In turn this will then ensure the recruiter finds you a suitable placement. So be sure to include your most recent work experience, skills and contact details on your CV, it should really get you off to the right start. At Jobulo you can get some great CV designs.

#2 Find A Recruitment Agency & Get In Touch

Once you have your CV prepared you should begin your search for some recruitment agencies that you could work with. Try searching through BrokeinLondon’s list of recruitment agencies or browse through job newspapers or industry magazines. Try to pick a couple of agencies that align with the industry or type of job you want. Also be sure that the agency looks like one you’d like to work with and ensure they’ve got a good presence in your local area. All these elements will mean you have a better chance of a long standing and successful relationship with the recruiter. After you’ve identified some companies there’s only one logical next step- get in touch! Either call or email the recruiter initially, explain a little bit about yourself and the kind of work you’re looking for and offer to provide them with a copy of your CV. Depending on the agency you may then want to organise a meeting so that you can get better acquainted with the recruiter. You can also use the meeting to discuss in depth the job roles that would suit you and your career aspirations. When speaking to recruitment agencies remember to be courteous and professional at all times – you’re representing yourself as a job prospect at this stage and you want to be sure to make a good impression!

#3 Stay In Touch

This one’s easy. After you’ve established your initial requirements the recruitment agency will set to work looking for job roles that would be ideal for you. Hopefully they’ll be in touch every now and then with information about new job opportunities and potential job interviews. However you should never be too shy to give the recruiter a call yourself, it doesn’t hurt to be keen. When calling you can ask if there are any new job vacancies that might suit you and remind them that you’re still motivated to find new employment. Doing this may also mean that you get the opportunity to apply for job vacancies that have only recently become available.

Tip: When using recruitment agencies to find a job speed of response tends to be important, recruiters move fast and like to get swift replies from job applicants. With this in mind be sure to put your mobile phone to good use by monitoring your emails and calls regularly – you don’t want to miss out on any great job opportunities.

 

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You may also want to check out our job hunting tips.