4 Reasons Recruiters Aren’t ALL Monsters
Recruiters aren’t all monsters, here’s why…
When I used to work as a recruiter I went to lot’s of networking events and I remember many times in the past where I have introduced myself as a recruiter, and witnessed people visibly step back from me.
I always thought this was quite bizarre. I found myself thinking… “What exactly do they think I’m going to do? Recruit them into the next round of Squid Games?
I was just there to help people. Did they think I was a monster?
Recruiters aren’t all monsters….
Why I wrote this
Vacancies in the tech industry are increasing. This combined with the ‘skills shortage’ means good recruiters have never been needed more.
If you caught me in the pub after a glass of wine I would be more than happy to debate with you all evening that the skills shortage doesn’t exist. People just need to be open-minded and give each other more chances; but that is a topic for another time.
I know you won’t all have had a positive experience with a recruiter. You don’t have to spend long on LinkedIn to find someone who isn’t happy and wants to tell everyone.
This is totally understandable. Finding and starting a new job is one of the top most stressful things you can do. It will be an emotional journey.
1: Recruiters don’t find everyone They meet jobs
The sad truth is, recruiters don’t find everyone they meet jobs, and they don’t fill all of their clients vacancies. Often compared to estate agents and car salespeople, there is always someone somewhere who’s had a bad experience with one.
BUT
You still need to buy cars; you still need sell houses. I can guarantee that in the future you’ll need to look for a new job or hire people.
This will help you navigate your way through your next job search or hiring process.
Rest assured there is no invisible man out there waiting to sabotage you.
Recruiters aren’t all monsters…
2: Recruiters change lives
I wrote my very first blog post about the recruiter that changed my life. That one experience inspired me to pursue a career where I spent 15 years changing peoples lives, finding them jobs they loved.
A recruiters, spot opportunities for you that might have overlooked.
If you are a candidate, the good news is that they believe you can do a job even if you don’t.
Imposter syndrome affects us all. Work with a good recruiter and you can wash all those doubts away and embrace ideas and opportunities you might never have thought of without us.
Hiring managers; you can rest assured recruiters are not zombies on an endless stagger from one job to the next. They are constantly adapting to people’s changing needs and sharing knowledge.
Recruiters aren’t al monsters…
3: People change their minds
People change their minds, and that’s ok.
Hiring managers might think they know exactly what they need at the start of the hiring process, but as time goes on this can change.
Imagine yourself in a hiring manager’s shoes for a moment: Your projects might be brought forward or delayed, teams around you might be changed, or even company strategy too.
As you see CVs arrive in your inbox and have those initial chats with candidates, you’ll start to truly understand what is available for your budget and might re-prioritise what you were initially looking for.
This is all ok, it’s something your recruiter will adapt to.
Candidates might also think they know exactly what sort of job they want at the start of the process and change their minds too.
As a candidate, you might think that you want an exciting role with a start-up where you can work on brand new stuff, then as you go through the interview process you might learn that the uncertainty of that environment might not work for you.
You might then decide you want to work for a larger company with a more stable environment, maybe a slower pace, dare I say it, to give you time to learn and grow.
This is ok too, just another thing your recruiter will need to adapt to.
We are all human
Amongst all of this, we are all human and our personal lives change in an instant. If the average hiring process takes at least 12 weeks (when everything goes to plan) anything could have happened.
You can change your mind about anything you want, at any time; you just need to let your recruiter know.
If you’re worrying about telling your recruiter something you think they don’t want to hear, rest assured, you don’t need to.
They won’t turn green, grow into a giant hulk and start smashing around. They’ll just be thankful you’ve been honest with them.
Recruiters aren’t all monsters…
4: Recruiters are the answer to the ‘skills shortage’
Might come across as a brave statement, but recruiters have the answers you are looking for. It is their job to help hiring managers overcome challenges they are facing.
It’s a recruiters job to understand the latest recruitment trends and be experts on what their candidates and clients want; not suck the life out of you all like vampires.
A good recruiter shares knowledge and helps you have an inclusive recruitment process, to attract a diverse range of candidates.
If you’re not convinced, have a read of my post about 3 Unforgettable CVs, then ask yourself if those talented candidates would have made their way through your recruitment process?
Remember:
Recruiters aren’t all monsters; they are people doing their best. They often share the same frustrations as you.
I promise they are not plotting at the top of a mountain to steal Christmas from you.
