Simply Hired Blog

Best Practices for Working with a Recruiter

During your job search, there’s a good chance you’ll be contacted by at least one recruiter. Recruiters are hired by companies to source the best candidates for their open positions. This being said, there are some best practices for working with recruiters that will make the process more efficient and straightforward.

Be honest with the recruiter
The biggest piece of advice for a job seeker working with a recruiter is to be honest with them. Be truthful when discussing your qualifications and background, tell the recruiter the kind of jobs you want or don’t want, your salary requirements, and if you have any personal obligations (think family vacations or interviews set up) that may interfere either with your search/interview schedule or working dates for potential positions. If you go on an interview for a job and realize it’s not what you’re looking for, tell your recruiter, so they can adjust the kind of opportunities they find for you. Honesty can be the biggest time saver for both job seeker and recruiter.

Ask the recruiter questions
If you have questions while working with a recruiter, you can count on them answering honestly. For example, you should ask if the recruiter has a particular specialty, such as healthcare or technology, and how many people they’ve placed recently with your background. They can also give you more information about your qualifications. Although you might think you’re qualified for a given position, they can let you know if you fit the employer’s requirements. Finally, since recruiters work directly with the hiring companies, they have the inside scoop about whether the salary for a position is negotiable or if they won’t budge, saving you time in your job search if you can’t accept a salary below a certain amount.

Don’t go around a recruiter to the employer
It may seem like a good idea to have a recruiter locate a great position for you, then to contact the hiring company directly, however this plan usually backfires. The company hired the recruiter, and if you’re a good match for the position, the recruiter most likely has presented your information to them. If you then apply directly, the company will know that you went behind the recruiters back to apply. This behavior is generally considered unethical, can send a red flag to employers, and can cause problems when determining who gets credit for your candidacy.

If you’re interested in working with a recruiter to discover your next job, you can use SimplyHired.com to find jobs from recruiters. Just perform your search and select “Recruiters Only” under the Recruiters filter.

Remember that the role of recruiters is to find people to fill positions for their clients, so consider recruiters allies in your job hunt. Establishing a trusting relationship with your recruiter can result in a faster job search now, as well as down the line when looking for positions in the future.

Have you worked with a recruiter or found a job through one? Share your experience in the comments.

Getting Past the Gatekeeper During a Job Search

One job seeker recently wrote in asking how to get past the gatekeeper during their job search.

Reaching the hiring manager to follow up on a job application is an important part of the job search process. Not only can you confirm that the person in charge of hiring for that position has received your resume or application, but it shows employers that you take initiative and have a strong interest in the position. However, reaching the hiring manager at a company can sometimes be difficult if there is someone standing in the way, usually in the form of an administrative assistant, HR representative, or recruiter.

Here’s some advice to get past the gatekeeper and reach the hiring manager for a position:

1. Be polite and friendly – There’s a person on the other end of the phone, so remain respectful and courteous, even if they act rude. Doing so will give you the best chance of getting through to the hiring manager.
2. Sound confident and assertive on the phone – Instead of sounding as if you’re asking permission to speak with the person, you need to speak with authority, requesting to be transferred to the hiring manager.
3. Ask for the person by first and last name – Don’t use the term Mr. or Ms. when calling for the hiring manager, because it can send a signal to the gatekeeper that you don’t have a personal relationship with the manager. Close acquaintances and business associates don’t usually call each other Mr. /Ms., but are on a first name basis.
4. Get information, even if you can’t get through – If you can’t get through to the person you’d like to speak with, make it a point to come out of the conversation with a little more information than you had before. Find out the name of the hiring manager, the best time to call, the best way to get in contact with them, or even if they typically go by a nickname (like Sue, instead of Susan) or for the pronunciation of their name.
5. Build rapport with the gatekeeper – Take the time to get to know the person on the front lines against incoming calls. Learn their name and make sure to refer to them by it. A sense of humor can bring you and the gatekeeper together, and increase your chances of getting through to the hiring manager.

If it takes multiple times to get through to the hiring manager, try to keep a positive attitude. By communicating clearly and confidently, you will eventually get through. What works for one person will not necessarily work for another person, so adjust your efforts based off your experience to gain success.

What’s worked for you in the past when trying to get through gatekeepers to reach the hiring manager for a position you want? Share your experiences in the comments!

Top Reasons to Take a Temporary Job

Many companies utilize temporary staffing agencies to bring in extra help when they need it—and when they need it quickly. However, many job seekers tend to avoid finding a job through a temp agency, when in fact, temporary jobs can be a great way to land your next full-time job, pick up new skills or try out a different career.

Here are the top 5 reasons to take a temporary job:

1. Taking a temporary job can be a source of income while you’re searching for your next gig.
2. A temporary job could turn into a full-time job, if you’re a good fit for the position and if the company needs a person full-time. In fact, some companies do most or all of their hiring through staffing agencies, so it could be the only way to get into those companies.
3. By taking a temporary job, you can avoid gaps on your resume. Seeing large gaps on resumes can be questionable to some employers, but by holding temporary jobs between permanent jobs, you'll send the message that you continue to work hard – even without a full-time job.
4. Temporary jobs also can be a way to test out a new field if you’ve been thinking of a career change. You’ll have the ability to use that temporary time to discover whether that career path is right for you, or if it’s not a good match.
5. You’ll network and meet a lot of new people in a temporary position that may be able to discover a full-time job opportunity, or give you an awesome recommendation.

So don’t dismiss temporary jobs while performing your job search—they may be the way to your next full-time position!

Have you taken on a temporary job that’s turned full-time? What tips do you have for those in temporary positions to show a potential employer that they’re worth keeping? Comment below!

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How to Approach a Mentor

A great mentor has the experience and knowledge that can help guide the career of a mentee or protégé. Whether you need advice on a specific situation, a little direction on how to advance your career path or are looking to move into an entirely new field, a mentoring relationship can bring you success. But finding and approaching a mentor doesn’t have to be a daunting task. Many people are willing to take time to develop another person’s career. Here are tips on how to approach a mentor.

Identify a good mentor for you – When considering a mentor, try to find someone from whom you can learn and who gets satisfaction from helping others in their personal growth. Also, find someone who has found success or is uniquely brilliant in a certain area. Throughout the process, keep in mind that you are not limited to one mentor; you can have a mentor for every aspect of your career that you want to advance or develop.

Approach a mentor – The most natural way to begin a mentoring relationship is if the mentor you’ve identified is someone you know personally. Ask this person for a meeting or to grab coffee to talk about a particular issue. Most people will be willing to spend a few minutes with you if you ask politely and have a specific topic to address. Try to make a great impression and build rapport. Asking the question “Will you be my mentor?” is not necessary.

It’s more difficult if you do not already know the potential mentor personally. In cases like this, ask a mutual acquaintance to introduce you. A great way to find this out is through LinkedIn, which lists any mutual connections you have with others. If you don’t have any connections in common, a bold approach would be to attempt to contact the person directly, describing how you look up to that person, mentioning your desire to learn from them and asking if you could schedule a time to meet. After initial contact, you can move on to the coffee/brief meeting approach.

Get the most out of your mentorship – Keep in mind that your mentor’s time is valuable, so make every minute count. Before meetings with your mentor, plan out goals for the conversation, prepare questions you want to ask, and keep them updated with your progress. It’s fine to get off topic, but be sure you accomplish what you set out in each conversation.

Show your appreciation – Because your mentor is taking time out of his or her schedule and offering you the wisdom they’ve acquired through years of experience, show how much you appreciate it. Thank them (a lot!) and update them on your accomplishments or obstacles you’ve overcome that they’ve helped you with, so that they can hear how you’ve taken their advice and succeeded.  In addition, try to be a resource for your mentor as well, whether you can be someone for them to bounce ideas off, reviewing something they wrote, or just singing their praises to everyone you meet.

Finding a mentor can be a very beneficial step in developing your career. They can guide you in the direction you want to go, teach you lessons they’ve learned—sometimes the hard way—from their experience, or introduce you to others that can help you move forward.

Do you have a mentor or are you a mentor to someone else? What lessons have you learned from a mentor (or taught your mentee)?