NDT.org : Information : Job Tips : MARCH 2007 - Are you using the right type of recruiter ?

MARCH 2007
ARE YOU USING THE RIGHT RECRUITER ?

If you're job hunting, you're probably looking for a recruiter to help you find that next gig. Here's how to make sure you use the right recruiter, as well as some valient tips on how the recruiter/job hunter relationship works best.

Sometimes a job search takes place while IT professionals have the luxury of still working for an employer. Other times a layoff forces them into the job market without a safety net. In either event, it’s very likely a job hunter will either be approached by or reach out to a job recruiter.

But before you pick up the phone or respond to a recruiter’s e-mail, you need to understand the various types of recruiters, how best to work with them, and why they aren’t necessarily the be-all and end-all to the job hunt quest.

One thing you will quickly realize during a job search is that there are many types of recruiters who work within different business models. This is not to say that any of them are bad; it’s just that they fill different niches.

Company recruiters
Company recruiters try to fill current openings within a company. These recruiters could work within a traditional corporate environment or they could work for consulting firms. The key thing to note is that these recruiters actually have jobs that need to be filled, and the hiring process is somewhat within their control.

Agency recruiters (company paid)
In many cases, companies use outside agencies to help fill their open positions. A company could seek outside help because it doesn’t have recruiters on its staff, because its own recruiters have not found the right candidates, because it has too many openings for its own recruiters, or because it is looking for someone in a specialty area that an outside agency is better able to fill.

Agency recruiters (candidate paid)
These recruiters are similar to their company-paid counterparts except that they usually offer candidates to a company for free. They make money by charging a fee to the candidate if the agency secures that candidate a position. There are also recruiters who charge for services, such as setting up interviews, and so on, instead of just charging a job placement fee.

Contract recruiters
From the candidate’s perspective, contract recruiters are similar to company-paid agency recruiters. Typically, these recruiters are recruiting to fill openings for contract resources at their client companies. The key point in this case is that these recruiters do not have the opening at their own company and they do not control the interview process. Contract recruiters are looking for qualified people to submit to companies for contract openings, and they are competing with many other contract recruiters for those same placements.

Executive/niche recruiters
Executive/niche recruiters specialize in certain fields and markets. For instance, one recruiter might specialize only in CIOs, one might look only for senior executives in the insurance field, while another specializes only in database administrators.

These recruiters are always looking for people in their niche, whether they have openings or not. However, when they do have openings, they typically have some level of exclusivity that gives them a better chance to fill the openings.