If you’re searching for a job, or a better job, you probably have a LinkedIn profile. The main goal of your profile should be to attract recruiters, get them to scan your profile, and then put you in contact with companies that are hiring. The more headhunters or recruiters you draw, the better chances you have of landing a great new gig.
The con to this is that not all recruiters have your best interests in mind. Some will waste your time, and some are just bad people. To protect yourself from the bad guys and avoiding the time-wasters, you will need to learn about how to build some mutually beneficial relationships with the good accounting recruiters.
1. Contingency Recruiters
This is the most commonly used headhunter across most industries, and unless you’re at the corner office level already, you’re probably going to be dealing with contingency recruiters. There are typically a lot of recruiters trying to persuade a specific company to use one of their candidates for an opening. Whoever’s recruit gets chosen gets a commission.
2. Retained Search Recruiters
These are the headhunters who recruit for the executive-level positions. They’re paid by a specific company to find suitable individuals to fill specific positions within the company.
Since it is most likely you’ll be dealing primarily with contingency recruiters, we’ll focus on them.
- You’re not the recruiter’s customer; you’re their product.
- A recruiter can’t make magic and produce a job for you; you will need the skills and experience to get the job for yourself once the recruiter does his or her job.
- You don’t pay the recruiter’s salary; that’s paid by the company that is doing the hiring.
3. Know Where Your Resume is Going to Go
First, always send your most recent resume to recruiters. It looks bad if you have to verbally update your interviewer with more recent job history once you’re in the interview.
Next, always tell recruiters not to send your resume to any company without your prior approval in writing. This is even more important if you’ve got several recruiters with your resume.
4. Meeting Recruiters in Person
Don’t even bother to schedule an in-person meeting with a recruiter unless they have a position for which they’re considering you. Lots of recruiters want you to come meet them right away, to “pre-interview” you, get to know you better, or whatever other reason they might suggest. There are a couple reasons they want you to come in:
- You’re more likely to sign up to do business with them if you meet them in person.
- They want to know if you’re serious.
- They want to see if you’re lacking interview skills before they set you up to meet their clients.
Unless you have a lot of spare time, it’s not a good idea to meet with all the recruiters. Maybe agree to a short phone or video meeting and let them know you’re willing to meet for an interview with him or her when the right job opportunity comes along.
When Should I Start Networking with Recruiters?
The rule for headhunters and accounting recruiters is to build relationships with them before you actually need them. Reply to any recruiters’ emails professionally and politely. Ask them about what kind of candidates they’re looking for, the types of companies they work for, and the kinds of roles they fill.
