5 Tips to a Better Partnership With Your Recruiter

Every day, recruiters receive many resumes for open positions, as well as calls, emails and InMails from candidates who all share the same goal — getting noticed.

The first step to standing out with a potential employer is making sure you have the support of a great recruiter. Sending a quick message that highlights your experiences is oftentimes a good first step. It shows the recruiter that you’re interested and prepared to bring value to the workforce.

But beyond simply getting on a recruiter’s radar, it’s important to maintain regular communication with them to ensure they understand you, your skills, career goals and interests. This way, you can stay top of mind for them so as new job openings become available, they’re better able to match you to possible positions, quicker.

Here are five tips to help build a great recruiter partnership and ensure you are well-represented in today’s competitive job market.

1. Keep Your Resume Relevant

While sometimes recruiter outreach will be at your hands, it is equally possible that recruiters will reach out to you. Many recruiters will do a simple keyword search to source and filter pools of relevant resumes when they have a position they’re trying to fill, so invest some time in optimizing your resume. Recruiters are not magicians, so make sure your resume is formatted well and can be easily scanned.

The algorithms many recruiters use is based on the presence of relevant keywords from the job description or market they are targeting. This doesn’t mean you should litter your resume with the latest trends to hit the market, but to get noticed it’s important to think about how you are pitching yourself. For example, if “financial analysis” is one of your key skills, then ensure you have written it somewhere in your resume.

Tailoring your resume for the specific position you’re applying for can also improve the chances of a recruiter following up. A customized resume can make it easier for a recruiter to connect the dots between your experience and the role they’re looking to fill, so taking the time to adjust your resume to align to the role can go a long way.

2. Be Intentional With Your Outreach

Once you’ve created your foundational resume that overviews your experience and skills, it may be tempting to share it with as many companies as possible in the hopes that you’ll get a response. While this approach may partially work, resumes are not one size fits all. A recruiter can quickly sense a half-hearted approach, which could determine the level of interest and engagement you receive in return.

Having a targeted plan for where to send your resume gives you a better chance of standing out to a recruiter:

• Have a tailored approach that articulates clearly what you hope to get from contacting the recruiter and what you want to do with your career
• Provide specific details that will show the recruiter your skill sets and experiences that are applicable to the position you’re applying for
• Keep the lines of communication between you and your recruiter open on a continuous basis, even if you aren’t actively looking for a new opportunity
• Use LinkedIn or company websites to identify the best partner for you

3. Invest Time in Building Relationships

Your recruiter may be the key to your next job opportunity, so it’s important to try to build a strong relationship with them.

Invest time by meeting with them so they can get to know you personally. This type of relationship will help them better understand your skills, goals and interests and, when they’re pitching you to potential employers, these personal interactions can speak more authentically to why you are a great fit for their company culture.

4. Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Support

A solid relationship is the first building block to an effective partnership with your recruiter, and once you have this, don’t be afraid to utilize that and reach out for more support. Recruiters can help you with:

• Applying for job opportunities that aren’t publicly posted due to exclusive recruiting partnerships many recruiters have with companies
• Getting references from your previous hiring manager(s) in support of your skills and to support your resume
• Setting up a phone interview or a meeting with a potential employer, rather than you sending an email with your resume attached
• Getting in front of potential employers as quickly as possible, which increases your chances of landing a new role 

5. Communication is Key

Even if you applied to a job and didn’t get it, or there are no current opportunities, it’s important to still communicate regularly with your recruiter so you stay top of mind for future positions. You can maintain your relationship with your recruiter by scheduling regular check-ins and keeping them updated on any changes in your career search, or if you have gained any new skills.

While it is a recruiter’s job to provide a service between a hiring company and a candidate, the more you view your recruiter as a partner, the more you will get out of the partnership in the long run.

To contact a recruiter and begin building a partnership that will elevate your career, reach out to your local Aston Carter office today.

*This article was originally developed by Aston Carter EMEA and adapted for Aston Carter North America.