5 Tips For Recruiters

Successful recruiters not only have the ability to charm clients they must also have a flair for winning over job applicants to help ensure they are seen as their recruitment partner of choice. More often than not, career-hunters usually register with more than one recruitment agency which makes the ability to win over candidates extremely important.

1. Meet applicants on time.

If a job applicant has taken time off work to come to your office to meet then the least you can do is to meet them promptly. Leaving applicants sitting in a reception area when they may be under pressure to get back to their own jobs will

2. Offer applicants tea/coffee/water on arrival.

Common courtesy goes a long way in the recruitment business so try to ensure that each applicant is offered a cup of coffee, tea or glass of water upon arrival.

3. Be flexible in your interview availability.

For some applicants, interviewing during normal office hours will be difficult, ease their burden by making yourself available to meet outside of these hours.

4. Provide advice on the applicant’s interviewing skills.

Be prepared to give constructive feedback that will enhance the applicants interviewing skills, this will benefit both the applicant and you, so take time to assist in this area.

5. Be thorough in discussing job specs.

All too often recruiters simply print off a job spec and give to the candidate without outlining the important factors within the spec. As the recruiter you should know exactly what the hiring manager is looking for so spend time passing this information over to the applicant as you examine the critical areas within the spec.

With minimal cost you can reap maximum benefit to your career as a recruiter, professionalism may dictate that the points I have outlined are already in place but in case they are not then they are certainly worth implementing.

3 Sample Situational Interview Questions And Example Answers.

In a situational job interview, questions are asked based on hypothetical situations in order to ascertain how a job applicant would react should such a scenario arise. The questions often begin with phrases like “How would you react…?” or “What would you do…?” or “How would you handle…?”. The ability to think on your feet and to remain calm under pressure are key in this type of job interview.

 1.  How do you react to pressure?

I enjoy the challenge of working under pressure, the sense of accomplishment can be very rewarding. Through good management and work practices I try to avoid a situation becoming pressurized.

2.  How would handle delivering bad news to colleagues?

Laying off colleagues is a never a nice thing to do, however the ability to do so in an emotionless manner is a fundamental aspect of any supervisors role. I faced a task in my previous job where I had to tell a colleague, who was also a friend, that due to downsizing his job was being made redundant. I explained to him the unfortunate reasoning as to why the job was no longer needed, despite his disappointment he understood and we remain friends to this day.

3.  How would you react to indecision between team members?

I would reiterate the importance of coming up with a solution in a timely manner. I would listen to any questions or queries between colleagues and provide solutions to those queries.  My goal would be to repair any conflict between colleagues to ensure that work is carried out effectively,with the group working in unison and well within deadline timelines.

Situational interviews allow you to prove to employers that you have the ability to handle the most difficult of scenarios.  A confident situational interview will help ensure you stay ahead of other job seekers in the search for employment.

4 Reasons Why You Should Register With An Employment Agency.

Employment agencies and recruiters work off a commission basis so it is in their best interest to find you a job,in a previous post we looked at 5 tips to help you get the most out of your employment agency, today we look at 4 of the reasons why registering with a recruitment firm will be to your advantage.

1.Employment agencies can help you with your resume.

A successful resume is key to getting a job interview, experienced recruiters will be quick to spot any flaws on your resume and help you overcome them.

2. Employment agencies can offer advice on your interview skills.

Professional recruiters having interviewed you will be able to offer advice that will allow you improve your interviewing skills before interviewing with the hiring company. This will be of particular benefit for those who have not changed jobs in sometime so therefore may be short of experience in this regard.

3. Employment agencies already have relationships with hiring companies.

If a recruiter is working on behalf of a client then this suggests that they have a solid relationship with that client so an application on your behalf may be met with greater merit if coming from the recruiter rather than directly. Another reason is that recruiters have the advantage of being able to call the hiring manager to sell your resume on your behalf.

4. Employment agencies can negotiate a salary on your behalf.

Experienced recruiters are well-versed in the skill of salary negotiation (after all the more you get, the more they get) and can negotiate on your behalf ensuring you get the best possible package.

Maintaining a good relationship with your recruiter is important, so don’t bombard him/her with calls or emails, you want him/her to work on your behalf in a favorable manner so ensure you have a cordial relationship with your recruiter.

Registering with employment agencies is free of charge (steer clear of any employment agency who tries to charge you a fee for using them) and as a job seeker you have nothing to lose and everything to gain by joining a reputable employment agency to work on your behalf.

Employment agencies can be the key to finding your dream job but then again they have a constant flow of job applicants being interviewed on a daily basis. There are some simple measures that you can take to enhance your application, this post highlights five of them.
 

Ask that they seek your permission before forwarding your resume

If hiring managers receive the same resume from a number of sources it infuriates them, so ensure you know in advance where your resume is being sent.

Build a bond with your recruiter.

By this I do not mean swamping him/her with calls, just keep in touch regularly once every 2 weeks perhaps. Don’t be pushy or take any job frustrations out on him/her, they will be just as eager as you to find a job for you as in most cases they will earn commission from it.

Register with their website

Most employment agencies update their websites on a daily basis, people who are registered are the first to get information about these roles, so if a role comes in that you think might be suitable for you, contact your recruiter straight away to source more information about the job.

If the agency secures an interview for you then arrange to meet with them a 2nd time.

There are a number of reasons why you should do this but most important of all is to find out if other candidates had been for interview, if so find out what were the reasons why they were unsuccessful. Garnering this information will allow you be best prepared for what questions to expect from the company on the day of the interview.

Send a follow-up email

This email should thank the recruiter for his/her time, tell them that you look forward to working with them and that (and this is the key part) you particularly look forward to working together on your application for the “Recruitment Manager” role (for example) as having had more time to think following the interview, you think this is the ideal role for you and that if the client company requests any more information you will gladly supply it. This email will work to your advantage because if the recruiter has a good relationship with the hiring manager he/she may forward that mail to him/her thus letting the hiring manager become aware of your high level of interest in the job.

Employment agencies will be just as keen as you to fill that dream job, so do all that you can to ensure that it is your application that they deem to be the most suitable