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| Author: Antony Xavier |
As a candidate I think it
is one's responsibility to ask these basic questions to a recruiter when you
get a call. I have shared here few points that I learnt from my experience
which really benefits both the candidate and the recruiter.
♦ What company are they
recruiting for? Sometimes it happens that you would have already applied to the
same company. Find out everything the
recruiter knows about that company. If they cannot tell you the name of the
company, ask why. It might be because it is "Confidential" or
"Lack of Trust".
♦ What are the job
requirements? Ask them to send you a job description. Help the recruiter see
how you fit those requirements, if you do. Be honest about any requirements
that you really don’t have. I have come across few recruiters who share your CV
to the client just to satisfy them of sending more profiles.
♦ What is the salary range
defined for the position? If your salary history and expectations do not match
the job’s defined range (or seem unrealistic) most recruiters will not consider
it a match worth pursuing.
♦ What is the history of this
position? Is this a new position or a replacement? I have across few positions
which are open for more than a year, is the client very serious about this
position?
♦ Who is the hiring manager, what
is their management style? What is the company culture like? Can you get any
inside intelligence?
♦ How many other candidates
is this recruiter representing to this job? Are there other agencies that are
also sending candidates, or is this an "exclusive?"
♦ What is the Interview
process and what steps are there – how many phone interviews and in-person
interviews will there be, and with whom? When do they want someone to start?
How long has this position been open? How high is their degree of “urgency” to
full it?
♦ What is the next step? Will
the recruiter definitely be sending your information to the client – and if so,
when? How soon should you expect to hear back from the recruiter?
Good recruiters should be
able to answer almost all of these questions and more. If they can’t answer
those basic questions … then they probably don’t know their clients very well,
and I would question whether or not you want them to represent you. Good
recruiters will also be able to help you tweak your résumé to better fit the
job specs, prep and coach you on how to successfully interview using their insider
knowledge of the company and the decision-makers, and they will help you
negotiate the best salary if and when an offer comes. Good recruiters will also
follow through with things they say they will do, and will be good about
keeping you informed with updates and progress reports.
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