The modern job market is tricky terrain to navigate, and it’s not getting any easier to contend with the competition. Researching potential companies, updating and preparing your resume or CV, and fine-tuning your interview skills are a lot to tackle, especially when going at it alone. However, there is often much more to the job search than meets the eye.
Electrical Search Group highly recommends using an industry-specific recruiter, for both active and passive job searches. The benefits could not only be positive to your current situation, but also your long term career goals. In this article, we will discuss some of those benefits in more detail.
Recruiters Have an ‘In’
A trusted, industry-specific recruiter will have lots of resources at their fingertips – much more than you’ll ever have access to on your own. They have developed relationships with select companies and understand those individual companies’ culture, expectations, and goals. As your recruiter gets to know you, they’ll be able to match your skillset, disposition, and personal goals with the right company.
Recruiters also have established relationships with employers’ hiring managers and HR departments, plus a history of presenting the highest-qualified candidates. They’ll be able to best prepare you through the application and interview process. Also consider that if you are preparing to apply to various companies on your own, you may be competing with candidates who are being coached through the process by a recruiter, putting you at a disadvantage. The best way to even the playing field is with an industry-specific recruiter in your corner.
It’s important to note the importance of using an industry-specific recruiter over a generic recruiter. An industry-specific recruiter will have more relevant and stronger connections to companies you’re more likely interested in, and even those you may have missed on your radar.
Standing Out Amongst the Outstanding Crowd
When applying for a position to a company on your own, more than likely your application will get lumped into a pile or a file (digital or otherwise) with other candidates. No matter how qualified or stellar you may be, unless you have something extraordinary or radically outstanding on your resume or CV, you’ll probably get overlooked or never even seen.
A well-connected recruiter can help bridge that gap. Their established connections afford their candidates a leg up in the job race, especially if the candidates they’ve sent over previously have been hired into permanent positions. They can assure that the hiring manager’s eyes will be on your resume, instead of potentially getting filtered out by a machine. The recruiter acts as your advocate and is always there to professionally represent you.
Don’t Lose Out on Multiple Opportunities
What’s worse than losing out on a position with your ideal company once? Losing out on potential opportunities with them or other companies in the future as well.
When you prospect for a job on your own, whether or not you make it to a qualifying pool, your information remains on file with that company for some time. Even if you decide later on that you want to enlist the help of a recruiter, they might not be able to help if you decide to go back to those companies again.
Understand that recruiters are also performing a job, and part of their compensation comes from incentives paid by companies when a successful placement is completed. Recruiters have a harder time and can have less incentive to help you apply for a position with a company that already has your application on file. This is why it’s good to engage with a recruiter early in your career and be open and honest about your prior job search efforts so they can best strategize an approach to your situation that is mutually beneficial. Working with a recruiter should be a win-win situation, but the best recruiters also know to always put their clients first, regardless of their personal stake in the outcome.
Negotiating the Best Compensation
Few people have the confidence to negotiate the salary they deserve, and it can be even more intimidating since your new boss is often involved in those negotiations.
However, no one wants to lose out on the compensation their knowledge and experience have earned. With a recruiter on your side, they not only handle those negotiations on your behalf, but they can professionally advocate for more competitive salary and benefits packages based on their placement history and industry experience.
Plus, the relationship with your recruiter doesn’t always stop at the time of your placement. Even down the line once you’ve settled into your new position, your recruiter can still be a great person to consult with regarding compensation trends in your industry to ensure that you are not missing out on a possible opportunity to increase your marketplace value.
Confidentiality Concerns: Recruiters Keep You Safe
With privacy concerns continuously becoming more important in our professional and personal lives, it is important to always know your exposure level and how to best protect yourself. Applying directly to multiple companies and organizations can often leave your personal information largely exposed. This is an area in which a professional recruiter can act as a source of protection by presenting your credentials to potential employers, but withholding personal information until enough interest in shown that warrants moving the process forward and disclosing those personal details.
Additionally, a recruiter is a great resource for the candidate who is actively or passively keeping their options open for a new position or career change, but is not ready to reveal that to their current employer. A candidate can confide in a recruiter for advice with their current job or career situation without fear of negative consequence. Even if you are gainfully employed, a recruiter can still keep a look out for opportunities that may help advance you in your field. Refer to our blog ‘Why Not Be Professionally Open-Minded?’ for more information.
More From ESG…
Explore our blogs for more ideas, insights, and advice from our professional recruiting team. Electrical Search Group is an electrical construction industry specific recruiting firm, but our blogs are great resources for anyone looking to position themselves forward in their career.
Visit our contact page to get in touch with a recruiter who can personally help you strategize your next move.
