5 benefits of using a recruiter to help with your job search

A Recruiter (also known as a Recruitment Consultant or Recruitment Adviser) works within a Recruitment Agency or Recruitment Company to help other companies source and hire staff for their business.  Recruiters get paid by employers to provide this service and their success is based partly on the quality of candidates they have access to and partly on the variety, volume and quality of client vacancies they promote.

Candidates (that’s you) can make applications for jobs direct to an employer, perhaps via their company website but you can also apply to Recruiters to increase your chance of getting a job.  Below we highlight 5 core benefits of using a recruiter during your job search:

1. Expand your selection of opportunities and choice of employers

   Recruiters have a whole network or ‘book’ of various clients who could be seeking new hires for their businesses.  By registering with a Recruiter you will receive notification of different vacancies across this network rather than just those available at one company.  Increasing exposure with a wider job market, having more job options and interviews is not only great experience and helps to build confidence but it should also translate into more offers of work and so, a better chance of securing a role.

2. Work smarter not harder

   Finding work is a full time job in itself so why not get some help with it?  After an initial registration process and conversation about what you’re looking for, Recruiters will start to send you vacancy information.  Some may ask you to apply with a tailored CV and supporting statement whilst others will simply make any necessary amendments to your CV and send it over to the employer with a ‘bio’ to highlight your key skills.  This saves you time scouring jobs boards and writing lengthy covering letters and hopefully will increase the number of roles you’re applying to.

3. Get ahead of the game

   You can use a Recruiter in two ways – 1. to apply for specific roles they’ve advertised and 2. to utilise their contacts and get your CV seen by employers for vacancies that don’t even exist yet (this is called CV speccing).  Pro-active recruiters will ‘spec in’ outstanding candidate CVs to their relevant clients to encourage the start of a recruitment process rather than waiting for it to happen.  For the candidates, this is an excellent way to get yourself out there with minimal effort on your part.

   Recruiters who spec candidates into their clients will most likely keep your CV anonymous so the employer will not contact you directly but instead, go through their Recruiter.

4. Leave it to the experts

   Recruiters generally specialise in a specific industry, role or type of candidate e.g. students/graduates.  This makes them experts in their recruitment field and as such, can provide valuable market information you might not otherwise get access to.  They can offer guidance on average pay rates and salary trends, give perspective on supply and demand of candidates and jobs, advise on how to enhance your CV, applications, interview techniques and provide careers counselling.

5. Try before you buy

Temporary work through a Recruiter such as short to long term cover (maternity/sick leave) or project work can later lead onto a permanent offer of work.

Tips

If you choose to engage a Recruiter to assist your job search, consider the following things to make the most of this opportunity:

• Preferred work location (or remote/hybrid working)
• Contract type – temporary, temp to perm or permanent
• Job title – be flexible with this as different organisations use different professional language
• Preferred industry
• Salary/pay rate requirements
• Future career aspirations

Register with your on-campus Recruiter, ARU Temps on our website.

Email us at [email protected] 

Visit us at our offices in Chelmsford – ground floor of Queens building, and Cambridge – LAB132