3 Things You’ve Probably Said To Your Recruiter (And What You Really Meant)

Our Experts: Vic Ing

Originally posted on WIRE-Net When working with a recruiter, it never pays to “sugarcoat” or beat around the bush. The more straightforward you are, the better a recruiter can help you and the more satisfied you will be in the end. A recruiter is trained to get you what you want – so try your best to not confuse him or her!

“I don’t have a current opening, but if I found the right person I would hire him/her.”

Maybe you’re thinking about hiring somebody, but haven’t taken the time to budget for it or you are on the fence about making a hire for the role. If you’re unsure about the position, be upfront about it with the recruiter and ask for guidance. They likely will have a lot of questions about your business needs, and might have a good suggestion for the type of worker you need. This could help you decide if it sounds like a good fit or not before the recruiter puts in time to find a worker and expects compensation.

“I like the candidate you sent over, but I’d like to see more.”

This might mean that you actually didn’t like the candidate that was sent over, but you are hesitant to say so. It’s perfectly acceptable to tell your recruiter to find someone new. The key here is to be upfront with your recruiter. With adequate communication and explained reasoning behind your decision and preferences, a recruiter can buck up and find someone who better fits your needs. On the other hand, if you liked the candidate a lot, but just want to see more for comparison, you may lose the opportunity to hire the first candidate. The job market is currently in the employee’s court. It’s healthy to trust your instinct and the recruiter’s expertise when selecting your candidate.

“I want someone in a hybrid role.”

This seems pretty clear-cut, right? You want a worker who can perform multiple roles. The tricky part here becomes when they are vastly different roles that don’t seem to mesh. While there are some workers out there who are willing to take on multi-department roles, a staffing partner doesn’t excel in this kind of search. If you decide which of the three roles within the hybrid position is the most crucial to your business right now, and narrow your search to fit that, then your candidate pool greatly widens. You might be able to find a worker who excels in what you need, and can manage what you want occasionally as well. In general, the best thing you can do is decide your needs before speaking to a recruiter. Get a very clear idea of the role that needs filled, the type of worker you are looking for, what their skills should be, what software they should know, etc. A recruiter can help so much more when they have this distinct description of what you want. It’s also critical to be honest and keep open communication with your recruiter. The process will be quicker and overall most successful when you build a great relationship with your recruiter through communication and true partnership.