Job searching can be stressful and time consuming. The temptation to quickly fire out your CV to various recruiters and see what comes back is all too easy. However, this is not the most effective way to get a recruiters attention. Recruiters will have many CV’s coming across their desks on a daily basis. It’s important that you ensure that you stand out. Want to impress a recruiter? Check out our tips below…
Get your CV in order
Your CV is the first impression that recruiters will get of you. That first impression should be polished and professional.
- Check for mistakes! You might be exactly what a recruiter is looking for, but mistakes will trip you up. A mistake in your contact details will make it difficult for them to contact you and you might miss out on a great opportunity!
- Format clearly! Though a recruiter may reformat your CV to send to clients, you should still clearly outline your job history, qualifications and other relevant information so that a recruiter can check your experience against suitable opportunities.
Be communicative
Recruiters need to talk. To get a better understanding of you, who you are, what you need, what you’re looking for.
If you’re currently working and need to arrange a specific time to chat with your recruiter – let them know! There is nothing worse than a great potential candidate that you can’t get in touch with. Let your recruiter know your lunch break hours, or a dedicated time during the day that you know you’ll be available to chat.
Throughout your time working with a recruiter, staying communicative is important. Having an open dialogue and speaking with them when agreed will ensure your relationship is mutually beneficial!
Be enthusiastic & build rapport
You’ll get much more out of a recruiter if you show that you’re enthusiastic and keen.
- Connecting with your recruiter on LinkedIn helps to show that you are keen to work with them. It’s also a way for you to stay in touch, if phone or email isn’t viable for whatever reason.
- Building rapport with your recruiter is a great way to show them your confidence and personality. Your recruiter will then be able to vouch for how you come across and your ability to communicate. Being professional, friendly and likeable is an easy sell for a recruiter!
Mention it all!
You may not think that certain experience or qualifications are relevant – mention it all anyway!
When you’re at the beginning of your career, any paid or voluntary experience is necessary to mention to your recruiter. They will help to frame what is relevant and what isn’t, but it’s worth chatting through it all to figure out what skills you’ve got.
Whether you have excellent customer service skills from working in retail, or leadership skills from being the captain of a university sports team – mention it all!
The more a recruiter has to work with, the better.
Outline your expectations/requirements clearly
Be specific about what you’re looking for. If you have a good idea about what role you want and you’re putting in the work to get there – recruiters will be able to find suitable opportunities for you with ease.
Of course, you should be realistic and flexible but you should know…
- The kind of role you want, specifically the department or area that interests you the most
- What sort of salary you’d be happy to accept. Be honest here! If you’re looking to retrain, you may have to take a salary drop so work out what is do-able for you
- The location that you’d be happy to work in. Consider commutable areas within reason. Know for definite if you’d be happy to relocate.
You should be very clear on those points, and let your recruiter help you if you’re a bit unsure! A candidate who is determined and clear on their requirements make a recruiters job much easier.
Remember, recruiters are there to help but it’s useful to think of them as the first stage in getting your dream job. Be professional, clear, polite and helpful. If they’re impressed, they’ll go out of their way to secure you a fantastic role.
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