Top 10 Recruitment Agency Tips

Read our top 10 tips below

• Adopt a targeted approach
There are many general recruitment agencies out there as well as specialist ones. If you’re looking for a new role within a particular sector you may have more success if you concentrate on working with a small number of specialist agencies rather than lots of general ones.
• Keep in touch regularly
Recruitment consultants often get a bad press for not communicating effectively with every applicant for each post and keeping them informed, but they are likely to be juggling many different roles and candidates at any one time. It pays to take a proactive approach rather than sitting back waiting for news.
• Meet the recruitment agency in person
Many recruitment agencies will ask you to go in and register with them and have a chat about your skills and experience as well as what sort of position you’re looking for. If they don’t ask to see you once you’ve sent in your C.V. call them up and ask if you can pop in for a chat as they’re much more likely to help you if they’ve met you face to face.
• Do they offer careers advice?
When people are looking for a new job they tend to apply for positions similar to their previous one but you may have transferrable skills that are sought after in a different industry. A good recruitment agency will be able to assess your C.V. and offer advice on the right career path for you.
• Don’t waste your time
You might feel better if you’ve applied for hundreds of different jobs but many of these applications could be a waste of your time and that of the recruitment agency. It’s far better to only apply for jobs that you have a realistic chance of getting rather than just any old job.
• Tailor your C.V. to the job you’re applying for
If your recruitment agency is on the ball they will often ask you to tailor your C.V. for a particular role they want to put you forward for. We’re not suggesting you lie on your C.V. but by emphasising certain skills and experience you may stand a better chance of reaching the interview stage.
• Be prepared to work hard
Finding a job to match your experience, skills and salary expectations isn’t easy, especially in a very competitive industry. Like anything in life, if you work hard at contacting the right recruitment agencies and are willing to put the effort in, you will be rewarded.
• Keep a note of all agencies and jobs
If you’ve sent your C.V. off to a lot of recruitment agencies and applied for lots of jobs it can be hard to keep track of what you’ve done. It doesn’t look very professional if a recruitment consultant calls you to discuss a role and you can’t even remember applying for it or any of the details.
• Check job websites for relevant agencies
If you live in a big city there may be local recruitment agencies that you didn’t know existed. A good way of finding those in your industry and area is to check as many online job boards as possible.
• Be professional at all times
A recruitment agency is often the gateway to you getting the job you really want. As we mentioned earlier, many companies only use agencies to help them recruit and don’t advertise directly. With this in mind, you should always present a smart and professional image whenever you visit a recruitment agency.