4 Tips to Get Noticed By a Recruiter

Ever thought of getting in touch with a recruiter? Read these tips before you do!

Searching for a job can be quite an emotional roller coaster to say it at least. Spending hours and days of your free time perfecting your resumé, making yet another final touch on your cover letter, getting in touch with your networks, chatting with recruiters, meeting deadlines for the job position. 

WE GET IT! 

The search for your perfect role seems like an overwhelming wheel that rolls on and on when all you get is silence and no replies. 

While we’re living in a virtual relationship-driven world today, it might be daunting but highly worth considering partnering with a recruiter. However, it is crucial to mention that there are ways to do it and not do it. 

Recently, at Sally Watson Career Coaching we were so lucky to steal one hour from Karen Ireland, a Principal Consultant working at Davidsons Recruitment Agency in Brisbane.

And we have gathered the top 4 tips for the do’s and don’ts when getting in touch with a recruiter from our talk with Karen Ireland.

Sally-and-karen-interview-recruiter

Tip #1. Get in touch through email or LinkedIn

While calling might seem to be the ideal way to give an excellent first impression, you must understand a recruiters workday. Karen Ireland mentioned just a few things in her everyday work, which can be very sales driven. Quite comparable to a real estate agent, to give it an understanding. Depending on their KPIs, they are quite often making up to 40 marketing calls a day, commuting to different client meetings, and shortlisting candidates for other live roles they are working on, while doing other recruitment activities such as meeting with candidates, writing and reviewing seek positions, etc.

To say the least, recruiters can be tricky to catch on the phone. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t call, what it means is to be mindful of their busy schedule that frequently changes and look at other ways of getting in touch (such as email or LinkedIn). If you do call, the best times are often first thing in the morning, lunchtime or last in the afternoon. When you do get in touch with a recruiter, be it phone/email/LinkedIn/in person, Karen’s best tip is to prepare yourself to highlight your best self and make it easy for the recruiter to understand who you are, what you do and what jobs you are seeking. (Crafting your Intro Statement or Elevator Pitch is something we teach our members in our Career Roadmap Membership
When emailing, it’s a good idea to attach your resumé, highlight your key strengths and give them an idea of the type of roles you are applying for.. You can even see this as an elevator pitch. This immediately provides the recruiter with a picture of who you are, what you want and if they can match it. You can also attach your recent cover letter. If you can’t communicate who you are, what skills you have and what you are looking for to a recruiter – they don’t know how they can help you. (If you are not clear on these 3 key areas, book a chat with Sally here to discuss how we can help you get clarity on this).

Sally-helping-out-recruiter-resume-writing

Tip #2 – Be patient

While you may be eager to be the first person in the recruiter’s mind when a position comes up, it’s always a good idea to also give them space and not contact them too frequently (it’s a fine line, we know). Referring back to their hectic workdays, the last thing they want is for you to spam them with emails or calls. After your first meeting with the recruiter, it’s a good rule to wait at least 7 days before reaching out to them again. You can even add a note to your calendar to remind yourself, as waiting too long with getting in touch can also affect the relationship you are building.

interview-stockphoto-recruiter 

Interview questions, give the recruiter some information about yourself

Tip #3 – Build rapport

When building a rapport with recruiters, you must do your research first. Don’t get in touch with them and say “I am interested in a role, can we chat”. Be more “I noticed you are currently recruiting for x,y,z I am interested in this role because x,y,z can we have a chat”. In this way, you make it easier for the recruiter to help you get where you want to be.

Tip #4 – BE NICE and say THANK YOU

This tip might come to you as self-explanatory. However, recruiters often experience working with candidates who are under pressure when looking for a job; as said earlier, we know it’s an emotional roller coaster. 

It is essential to mention that the recruiters’ name and reputation are also at stake when recommending candidates to their clients. 

There’s nothing better for a recruiter to find you, your dream job and negotiate your salary to what you want or even better. Helping candidates get their dream job, is truly rewarding for a recruiter.

Recruiters can often be taken for granted and not get a simple ‘thank you’ for the time and effort put into helping candidates. Giving thanks is a simple and effective thing to do to build rapport and cultivate a great relationship (and it’s also free).  It might be a recruiters job to match candidates with jobs; however, they are also humans and love appreciation for hard work. It’s a free service for a candidate to use a recruiter. Their income comes from the client and they are putting their reputation on the line when putting you forward for a role. It’s a big deal.

Why not drop in a box of chocolates, or a bottle of wine. You never know when you will need them again.

Sally helping out. being a recruiter is about building relationship

Did you like this blog post? Please share what tip you found most useful and what you learned!

Would you love some extra assistance with your job search strategy? Feedback on your applications (before you submit them), learn how to leverage LinkedIn and stand-out with your résumé? 
Become a part of our Career Roadmap membership, where you can fast-track getting hired hello@sallywatson.com.au with accountability coaching. Read more here.