How to Work Effectively with a Recruiter on Your Job Search
If you’re looking for a new job in the foundry industry, working alongside a professional recruiter can help you find a position better suited for your skill set, experience level, and professional goals. If you’ve never worked with a recruiter, you might wonder what the process is like and how to maximize your chances of landing a job successfully by using one. Here are some tips to work effectively with a recruiter on your job search.
Understanding the Relationship
The first question people might ask is if they have to pay for using a recruiter’s services. The answer is no. The recruiter is paid by the company to find the best talent possible for their open positions. They’re talking to you, a candidate, as part of the process of finding the best person for the job. While the recruiter is technically beholden to the company, they can be incredibly useful to work with because they know the market well, they have inside contacts with Hiring Managers (or higher) throughout the industry, and can guide you through the hiring process.
Be Honest and Transparent
Communication is the key to effectively working with a recruiter. Be clear about what your goal is, what skills you have, and what qualities you want in a company. The recruiter needs accurate information to do their job successfully, so honesty is important. You also want to be up front with your recruiter if you’re working with more than one recruiter. If you’re actively seeking a position and have directly spoken to companies, it’s helpful to tell the recruiter who you’ve already spoken to, as both you and the recruiter can look unprofessional in case of a double submittal.
If you ever worry about offending the recruiter or showing them potential vulnerabilities, always choose to be transparent. A good recruiter can tell if you aren’t being truthful, and they won’t want to work with you if there is a lack of trust. Remember, they’re getting paid by the company, not the client. They will be much more willing to work with you and go the extra mile for you if they trust that you are honest and will follow through.
Be Realistic
Enter into the recruitment process with realistic expectations. A recruiter can identify job opportunities that fit your qualifications and help you make the most of those opportunities, but they aren’t miracle workers. Recruiters are obligated to the companies they work with to fill roles in a certain time frame. With their vast network, they can help match you with a vacant job position, but they can’t create jobs out of thin air. Patience is key in this process, and the best time to look is while you’re still employed. The good news is that many of the companies they work with hire solely through recruiters, so by working with a recruiter you can gain access to high quality job openings that aren’t listed on job boards.
Cooperate
If you want the experience to be successful, you have to cooperate fully with the recruiter. You have to trust the recruiter to do what is necessary to help you get the job you want. Keep in mind that recruiters are experts in your niche. They know a great deal about the employment trends and what hiring managers want to see during interviews. When a recruiter gives you advice, they are trying to give you the tools you need to land the job you want.
Commit
Before you start working with a recruiter, make sure you are committed to the process. Landing a job can be time-consuming. You will need to put in time to prepare for what can be several rounds of interviews, usually first on the phone and then in-person at the plant. It is also important to keep in mind that most job opportunities in the foundry market will involve a relocation—roughly 95%. If you aren’t willing to relocate for the right job opportunity, advancing in this industry becomes more difficult.
With their extensive metalcasting and manufacturing industry knowledge and inside contacts with companies, a foundry recruiter can help you find a job that matches your skill set and personality. Yet, for the recruitment experience to succeed, you need to be honest and transparent, cooperate with the recruiter, maintain realistic expectations, and fully commit to the process.
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Contact us to discuss how we can bring top leadership talent to your organization. Since 1977, we have been recruiting exclusively in the foundry industry. Our firm has an in-depth knowledge of the materials, processes, challenges, and workplace cultures in all of the different metalcasting specializations.
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Contact us to discuss your career options or browse our open positions. With decades of experience recruiting in the foundry industry, we know all the key players, current news, industry forecasts, and the overall health of the job market. We can help you find the opportunities that could advance or even transform your career.