Help can be found in people who job search for a living
➔ Most any job advice column will go on about the importance of “relationships” in your job search. LinkedIn – one of the more significant changes in the job-search world over the past decade – was founded on the idea of “building relationships.”
When most job seekers talk about building relationships in their job searches, they’re talking about colleagues, former co-workers, people met through various forms of networking, etc. And they’re right.
More than meets the eye
Often overlooked in the world of relationships is your affiliation with your recruiter.
Think about it. This is someone with whom you’ve shared your innermost professional secrets. This is someone who, professionally, probably knows you better than most anyone – maybe even your spouse.
The rapport and trust that you establish with your recruiter can go a long way to helping you, not just find a job, but to find the right job, or the best job for you. This is why finding the right recruiter is critically important. And let’s not kid ourselves, there are some less than scrupulous recruiters out there.
How do you find a reputable recruiter? The best approach is to ask. Reputations travel faster in that industry than most. If you ask around among your contacts, it’s very likely that you’ll learn early on who can be trusted and who to avoid.
Of course trust and rapport can only be found on a two-way street. If you want recruiters to do the best job possible for you, you need to be just as honest with them as you want them to be with you. That’s the only way that they can help you land the job that is the best fit for you.
Yes, finding a job – especially the best job for you – is a tricky business. But it can be made a whole lot simpler – and faster – when you have someone in your corner who is armed with the most accurate information about your past employment history, your present situation, and your goals for the future.