5 Reasons to use a recruiter to find a job

It seems so easy to take your job search into your own hands these days and bypass recruitment agencies altogether. After all, you have Google for Jobs, Indeed, LinkedIn, and a multitude of job boards at your fingertips! You may also know all the companies in your area that you would be a good fit for.

But hang on a minute, you’ve applied directly to the employer for a few roles and not heard anything - Quelle surprise! Maybe you're not sure exactly the best way into that company? And maybe you want to consider more than one company, indeed, you want to consider them all!

Maybe there is still a place for a good recruiter in your job search after all; here we give five excellent reasons for letting a recruiter help you find your next role!

1. It will save you time

Your time is precious; you may already have a full-time job and want to spend your spare time doing the things you enjoy, not scouring the job boards. A good recruiter will already know about most of the vacancies in your sector and/or will know exactly where to look. They have eight hours a day dedicated to matching candidates with vacancies, so let them do it for you. They also know the hiring managers personally and have direct lines into them. They speak to them all the time. It’s their job to know their clients’ businesses inside out. In some cases, better than their own HR departments do.

"An established recruiter will have invaluable market knowledge and can advise on the current job market trends, including the salary scales and growth areas. We also have excellent relationships with some of the finest and most reputable businesses in the region. We can offer advice and insights into a sector you may be wanting to carve a career within and can advise on the necessary experience, qualifications, and qualities needed."

Mags Rendle, Recruitment Consultant, Exeter

"I represent the best interests of my candidates and my clients. I provide a cross-section of the entire transport planning market allowing the candidate to decide which companies they want me to approach on their behalf. It’s a professional approach and the same way that any agent in any profession works. Robert de Niro and Neymar do not approach Directors or club owners. But they definitely know them all."

Fred Ewing, Managing Consultant, Manchester

2. You'll get invaluable advice

From ways to improve your CV and interview techniques, to career advice, recruiters have seen more CVs and witnessed more interviews than you have had hot dinners! They are also a valuable source of information – any recruiter worth their salt should be able to answer all your questions and tell you not only about the Company and its culture; its wage and grade structure and benefits, but they should also be able to talk to you about their brand and position in the market place. How they operate in other, related areas, their P+L, share price, flexible working practices. They should even be able to tell you where the Christmas party is… The good ones will know everything.

"Candidates have various reasons why they are looking for a new role, and it is my job as a recruiter to give advice on how they should position themselves. Maybe if the candidate is looking at various positions, we as recruiters can help them narrow down the best roles for them. Sometimes just having a conversation and stripping back the “why it’s a good role” can be invaluable."

Gemma Lawrence Recruitment Consultant, Salisbury

"I recently gave some CV writing advice to one of my HR Managers; she had been struggling to secure an interview even though she had lots of experience and excellent skills. I took a look at her CV and sent her a template I thought would better showcase these skills and gave her a few pointers on how best to demonstrate the value she could add to a business in order to grab the hiring manager’s attention."

Debbie Lee, Senior Consultant, Croydon

3. They will fight your corner

This is an important one, after the recruiter has spoken to you, be it face-to-face or over the phone, they will have gained an insight into the type of person you are and what exactly you are looking for in your next role and company. They can judge if you are right for the job and a good fit for the Company. They will pick up on things that simply cannot be conveyed on a CV or application form, such as your values, sense of humour, and integrity. Even more importantly they will then be able to communicate this to their client. Vice-versa, the client may have reservations about you based solely on your CV that the recruiter will now be able to address.

"More often than not, candidates do not approach us regarding a specific vacancy. They approach us because of our unique and unparalleled reach into their market discipline. We don’t match people to roles. We match people to people, people to companies, people to projects and people to careers. Positions through the best recruiters are adaptable and shaped by the candidate’s ambitions and expertise and in a lot of cases, ‘created’ by the candidate being introduced to the right people by their recruitment expert."

Fred Ewing, Managing Consultant, Manchester

4. They will help you negotiate

Exciting times - you’ve been offered the job, it can be easy to get carried away and accept straight away when you’re dealing directly with the client. What if you have been offered four jobs? Who do you bounce this off? Having a recruiter to act as the middle man gives you breathing space and time to think. It can also be daunting trying to negotiate with a potential new employer, after all, what will they think of you if you play hardball.

This is where going through a recruiter really comes into its own, it is their job to get you the best job and deal available whilst ensuring it doesn’t reflect badly on you. That’s their job after all – they want you to get the job, and they want their client to be happy too.

You should especially consider using a recruiter if you have any special requirements, such as flexible or reduced working hours, or you have any gaps in your CV – a good recruiter will help to explain this. They will do the best by you and the client and offer you the advice you will need when it comes to resigning – one of the most daunting things anyone has to do.

"We have candidates who simply don’t know whether their current package is the right one for the role they are in. We provide career advice and workshops to ascertain where they are and where they should be in the market from a financial and career standpoint. We will cover the whole market, talk through bonus and benefit structures and where the career might go with a number of different companies. An offer is not just a salary. In fact, the salary should be the smallest factor in accepting any role. We talk them through the whole process."

Fred Ewing, Managing Consultant, Manchester

5. You’re on their radar

If you’re not successful the first time, a good recruiter will keep your details on file, and you will be the first person they contact when they receive another role that matches your skills, which takes us nicely back to point number one!