KEY POINTS:
Any employment recruiters you work with will most likely have a pivotal impact on the future of your career, so choosing the right one is critical. With around 500 consultants in the Auckland area alone, it would be easy to overlook the firm which just might be holding your dream job.
Jacqui Barratt, president of Recruitment and Consulting Services Association in New Zealand, (RCSA) says to select carefully.
"Choosing a new job is an important and quite often an emotional decision. It's really vital that the candidate takes the time to really think about the recruitment company that's right for them."
RCSA members are asked to conform to a code of conduct but not all recruiters are created equal.
"At the end of the day, like any industry, you'll have good performers and you'll have people that perform below that standard."
To find the consultant which is right for you, Barratt suggests first talking with friends and family for a possible referral. Research the agencies on the internet and determine whether you need a specialist or a generalist. Someone in a very niche market might want to work only with a recruiter who understands that unique skill set. But a generalist might also be able to find you temporary work before you find your specialist appointment.
If you entertain the possibility of moving overseas, that could have a bearing on which consultants you select.
"Do you want to work with an agency that has international links and can look at international positions for you?"
But whichever agencies you go with, make sure they are willing to work for you.
"In this day and age a candidate really should be looking for a recruiter who's going to be pro-active for them and not just wait for job opportunities to come to them but actively work on their behalf to find them the right role."
The size of the agency you choose might also be a factor. Large organisations might have more jobs on offer. But the small "one man band" recruiter which specialises in your field might have a job which is the perfect fit for you.
But not just the recruitment company you need to scrutinise. The individual consultant you're dealing with can have the biggest impact on your recruitment experience. Ask the right questions.
"You're interviewing them as much as they're interviewing you. You want to be asking them probing questions about what they're going to do on your behalf. How long have they been in the industry? What experience do they have?"
You should have some level of comfort that you're talking to the right person. That should start from your initial consultation.
"It this person interested in helping me find a job or are they just interested in me filling the gap for a fee? How much advice can they give me as an individual?"
A good recruiter should be able to provide candidates with timely information about their job market. They should have their ear to the ground and that should be evident to the candidate.
"It should be a really consultative process. So, if it's not, then you probably haven't got a person with the right experience or your best interests at heart."
Recruiters are paid by the employers and not the candidates. But if you're dealing with a good recruiter, this should not be noticeable to you. Even rejection should be constructive.
"Recruitment should always be a positive experience even when you're being told 'No'. People should still be left with their self-esteem intact and managed effectively."
There is no limit to the number of recruitment firms someone can enlist in their job search but there can be drawbacks for overdoing it.
"If you multi-register yourself, it's like anything, you've got to manage all of those relationships. It is a two-way partnership."
And sometimes candidates don't manage those relationships very well.
"There are candidates today who are sending out their CVs to multiple agencies and sometimes for the same role or different roles and they forget the contact that they've had or which job they've applied for."
Even for younger workers, being caught out like this is not a good look.
"For a level of professionalism for any role, you should know what roles you've applied for and who you've made contact with."
Beverly Main, chief executive of the Human Resources Institute of New Zealand also says word of mouth is a good way to find a recruiter. You should be able to get a good feel during the whole pre-selection process as to how they work.
"If you're shopping for one and have already made contact with one and they don't respond very quickly to your interests, then that's pretty indicative of the way you're going to be treated from here on in."
If friends and family can't give you an appropriate referral, then you can check the newspaper and job boards. Try to build up some relationships with recruiters listing jobs in your sector. The recruiter should be able to listen to what your needs are, give you a realistic idea of whether your ideal job is out there and whether your salary expectations are appropriate. The recruiter should provide timely follow-ups and update you on your situation. Main says they've gotten better at this since the labour market has tightened.
"The main reason for using one particular recruitment company I would have thought is that they will hopefully have your best interests at heart and if that particular job isn't going to be a possibility, then they will line you up for other jobs and refer you on to other jobs that they already have on the books."
Candidates often don't actively select their recruiter. They tend to end up with one that they've contacted through a job ad they were interested in.
"That's the hook that gets them in initially and then after they've built that initial relationship they tend to stick with them."
But there are other consultants which might also be worth talking to. If a recruiter has treated you poorly, it's best to walk away and try working with one of the other 499 agencies out there. HRINZ receives feedback about the way agencies treat candidates and it is not all positive.
"The biggest complaint that we get, and we still get it - it's been going on for years, is from older people looking for work. They're interviewed by some very young person who doesn't necessarily understand the experience the person has had or the sort of work that they've done."
In these cases, mature workers have a sense that recruiters have either covertly or overtly discriminated against them on the basis of their age.
"Recruiters won't put people forward because they consider that they won't fit within the team, rather than them actually saying outright,'Well, you're too old for this job."'
Candidates should feel comfortable talking openly with their recruiters about their goals, career path and expectations. If they don't have the time or don't want to know, move on.
"It's very like real estate. You've got to have a seller, but then you've also got to have a buyer. And with recruitment, you've got to have both parties in order to bring them together."
