Recruiters don’t have a magic job wand

Just now realizing I should have worked a Harry Potter reference into this

Often misunderstood point: It isn’t a recruiter’s job to find people jobs. It’s a recruiter’s job to help companies hire.

A big BUT:

👉There’s no better way to succeed as a recruiter long term than helping people find jobs. 

Building good will is an underrated business strategy. Think of any overwhelming positive buying experience you ever had. Did you make a second purchase? Did you recommend it to a friend? I’ll bet you said yes to at least one of those.

It’s the same with recruiting. Both agency and internal.

Want job seekers to return your emails in the future? Reconsider your company down the line? Refer their friends to you? Hire you when they become a hiring manager?

Actually helping people when they’re in a bind, e.g. when they were just laid off, is the best way to get there.

Another big BUT:

👉Recruiters don’t have magic job wands.

It’d be any recruiter’s dream to have a job ready and waiting for every job seeker they talk to. But going to a recruiter isn’t like buying something on Amazon. They don’t have unlimited inventory.

Agency recruiters only get access to the most critical openings at their clients. (Not all of them unless they do a full lift out; another post for another day.)  Internal recruiters have access to just their company.

It doesn’t matter if they have access to 1, 10, or 100 jobs at this moment in time. If a thousand people reach out in a month, it’s just math. (And that’s not even going into detail on whether or not your skill niche is even their area of focus or high demand.)

Experienced recruiters are incredibly well networked. And they know a ton about job hunting. Making effective intros and providing insights are thinks they can *always* do for you.

Some do. Some don’t.

👉Set your expectations appropriately. And take note of which ones give a shi*t.

Full episode of The 10 Minute Talent Rant, ep 58, “Why Working With A Recruiter Feels So Inconsistent” here.

James Hornick

Partner at Hirewell. #3 Ranked Sarcastic Commenter on LinkedIn.