I frequently am asked about the power of recruiters. Should you work for a recruiter to find a job? Should a company use recruiters, or stick to internal HR only? How does recruiting work? But the theme with many of these questions surrounds negativity around recruiters in general, and a lot of questions about what recruiters actually do.
I was delighted to see Recruiter.com put their biggest criticism front and center recently in “Why Recruiting Looks Easy.” They recognize that both individuals and companies can become very frustrated with recruiters, and that much of that frustration comes from the idea that recruiting looks easy from the outside layman’s point of view.
You have to look at everything that comes before that identification to see the value of a good recruiter. A great recruiter creates the conditions for that magic luck to strike. They don’t talk to a lot of different people. They talk to everyone. They don’t want to know their clients or their company’s competitors. They want to know everything that’s happening at every company in their area. It’s a massive amount of work that requires constant rejection, failure, stress, and is compounded by the minutiae of job offers and the uncertainty of human emotion.
So the next time you complain about a recruiter calling you back, or question whether or not you should really use one, think about the massive amount of industry knowledge they bring to the table — both for individuals and for companies — and the huge networking base they have to offer. Their skill sets are priceless, their Rolodexes like gold, and if you have the opportunity to work with a great one, never turn it down.
Tell us, have you had good experiences with recruiters? Bad ones?
About the Author: Marcy Twete
Marcy Twete is the Founder and CEO of Career Girl Network and the author of the book “You Know Everybody! A Career Girl’s Guide to Building a Network That Works.” At Career Girl Network, Marcy provides women with information, resources, and networking to empower them in their careers and to advance the work of women in business as a whole. Prior to launching Career Girl Network, Marcy worked in numerous nonprofit organizations and as a consultant in the field of nonprofit fundraising, marketing, and community relations. Marcy is a graduate of the College of St. Benedict in St. Joseph, Minnesota, and a native of rural North Dakota. She is the Vice Chair of the Chicago Board of Directors for Step Up Women’s Network in Chicago and a member of the Advisory Board for Girls on the Run Twin Cities, and is dedicated to advancing the work of organizations that move the needle for women and girls worldwide.
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