Why work with a recruiter?  

Because looking for a job can be a fulltime job.

We’ve all been there, that moment when you decide you may want to kick some tires and explore different opportunities, see what the market is like for your skillset, or maybe it’s flat-out, time for a change.  

No matter the reasoning, when you‘ve decided to look for your next employment opportunity, the question soon becomes, “When will I find the time to do this?”  

Do you carve out some time over your lunch breaks for the next few weeks? Maybe after you get home at night? There’s no right answer, but there is a constant: finding the time to search for new opportunities is a challenge.  

To successfully identify jobs you are interested in can be exhausting. Consider the time it takes to research the companies that have openings, apply for the roles that are a fit, AND make your way through multiple interview processes. Exhausted yet? This is where utilizing the services of a recruiter will come in extremely helpful.

Recruiters can be instrumental in:

• Providing recommendations to your resume
• Offering interview tips
• Setting your expectations
• Sharing market knowledge and intelligence like pay rates, salaries, hiring trends, in-demand skillsets and more
• Answering questions about a company’s culture
• Identifying opportunities that aren’t readily available
• Guiding you through the process by navigating job descriptions, correspondence and offer letters

The list goes on as to how a recruiter can be a beneficial resource for the active job seeker.

So, where do you start?

If you’ve never worked with a recruiter, there’s a good chance that one of your colleagues has, so asking them would be the best place to start. They will likely refer you to someone who they feel is a good recruiter and has helped them out in the past. What a better way to connect than through a referral (and trust me, recruiters LOVE candidates that get referred to them).

Save time and connect with a recruiter.  

While there are a number of ways to connect with a recruiter, the referral route offers a personal touch. You can also reach out to someone like me, a Technical Recruiter, who might work in a niche area, but has connections throughout the industry.

So the next question is…..Why wouldn’t you use a recruiter?

Rich Drennen, Senior Technical Recruiter at Talution Group brings more than 13 years in the industry to the Objective Paradigm team. Rich has immersed himself in the Chicagoland Tech Recruiting landscape, having supported clients that range from private start-ups to Fortune 500 global companies. Connect with Rich on Twitter @Talution_Rich