In response to one of my recent posts, I got a few comments regarding recruiters and their role in helping candidates secure jobs.
Some of the comments made me realize that there may be some misunderstandings about what recruiters actually do, so I wanted to take a moment to clarify things.
While it’s understandable that job seekers might expect recruiters to help them find employment, our primary responsibility is to our clients – the employers who hire us to find the best candidates for their job openings.
We don’t get paid by job seekers, and a good recruiter will never promise to find you a job, no matter how talented you may be.
However, if your background matches one of our current job openings, or if your experience is potentially of interest to one of our clients, we will do our best to introduce you to our client.
A recruiter is essentially a matchmaker – we get to know our clients as well as our candidates, and when we see a potential match we make an introduction.
In addition, most recruiters offer advice around job search strategies and salary negotiations. A good recruiter will share resume writing tips and interview tips as well. This helps our clients (employers) to interview for skills and personality fit, rather than missing out on a great candidate because of a poorly written resume or mediocre interview skills.
Most recruiters specialize in a certain industry. At SCL Search we work exclusively in supply chain and logistics, and look for extensive experience in this sector. This means that if a job seeker lacks experience or comes from a different industry, we may not be able to assist them.
I’m always interested in feedback and would love to hear your thoughts on how recruiters can best support job seekers. What’s your opinion of recruiters? Do you think recruiters should do more for job seekers? Let me know in the comments.