Should You Work With Recruiters When Looking For a Job?

I ALWAYS get asked whether it working with recruiters is critical for finding a job. Job seekers want to know if that is the best way to find a job, only way to find a job or a necessary tactic for finding a job. Some job seekers are disappointed to learn that networking is still the most productive and successful way to find a job. And because there are job seekers that really hate networking, they want to be able to apply online or use recruiters for their job search process.

A successful job search process can be thought of like a strategic attack that can be fought on several fronts - networking, online searches, and recruiters. I am not against recruiters. And that is the first thing I tell my clients. There are EXCELLENT recruiters out there!

And - of course - there are less than desirable recruiters out there too. As a job seeker, your best approach is to look for a new job using the multi-prong approach (networking, online searches and recruiters). When working with recruiters, you need to be smart about your approach and your time, and focus on working with the right recruiters.

Here's the deal. There are 2 types of recruiters (and I don't mean "good ones" or "bad ones"). The 2 types are:

1. Recruiters that work independently, for themselves or for recruiting firms, and get paid based on their placements

2. Recruiters that work "in-house" for one company and only focus on placing employees for that one company

Let's start with #2. You should always invest time building relationships and working with in-house recruiters. Their goal, as recruiters, is to find the right placement for their company. They are paid an annual salary and are measured based on their ability to find long-term employees. In other words, their goals are more aligned with your goals than #1 (independent recruiters). You want to make sure it is a good fit and so do they.

For #1, their goals and yours are not necessarily aligned. They get paid on placements are are more focused on putting a body in a role that can do the job than on whether you will be happy or whether it is the right move for you and for your career. To understand if you are working with a "good" recruiter (who is not employed at the company where you want to work), find out the following:

Do they specialize in your industry? Recruiters that specialize within one industry will be better able to help you think through whether the role/company is a good fit
Do they place lots of employees at this particular company that has posted a job? If they do, most likely the company likes them and uses them often to find quality candidates
Do they ask you questions about you, your career and what you are looking for?
Do they start off asking how much you make? I know this is a HOT TOPIC but if this is one of their first questions, then this is a warning signal. Recruiters that ask this are using salary to figure out if you are a good fit or at the right level, rather than your skills and experience.
Do they ask you questions that seem "dumb" to you - questions that someone who worked in your industry or with your type of roles would know?

So should you work with recruiters - yes. Should you ONLY work with recruiters when searching for a job - NO. It is only one tool in the arsenal for the job search process. And, it is not the most effective tool. But it isn't one to ignore either. Even when working with recruiters, you want to ensure you are still driving the process, researching the company and ensuring the role and the culture are right for you.

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