Understanding what recruiters do, and how to work best with them
Written by Nike Technical Recruiter, Emma Alfonso
Sometimes recruiters can be frustrating to work with, right? Recruiters don’t get back to you in a timely manner, or they don’t have all the answers about a position or even better, they don’t have a position in mind for you when you reach out. This may not be the case for every recruiter, but it happens more often than not, and believe me, it’s not our intention! I believe the biggest disconnect between candidates and recruiters is understanding exactly what a recruiter does. Hopefully this can help bridge that gap.
First and foremost, there is a difference between corporate recruiters and agency recruiters. They operate in a different capacity. As corporate recruiters, it is our job to be an advocate for the candidate and a partner for the business we support. We are here to support candidates throughout the interview process and represent them to the business. For the business, it is our job to provide candidates that best fit the requirements of the position. Often times, candidates feel it’s a recruiter’s job to find jobs for them.
When you’re reaching out to a recruiter, please know it is not our job to find jobs for you, but it’s our responsibility to partner with our business to fill their roles. It’s nothing personal, I promise. But simply put, candidates should be taking it upon themselves to look for opportunities, not waiting around for a recruiter to send them roles. Of course, we can be a potential resource for candidates and point candidates in the right direction, but sometimes that’s all we can do.
So, how do you work with recruiters then? I would say my best advice for a candidate to get noticed by a recruiter, is know what you want and be detailed. Seems obvious, but it’s shocking the number of messages I receive from candidates that are not entirely sure what they want, but they just want to be at said company, and will do any position to get their foot in the door. The “what do you have for me” messages can be a bit frustrating. If candidates are to reach out to a recruiter, I suggest considering the following:
1. Understand what they recruit for. Now I understand titles can mean a lot of different things but be sure to research as much as you can first. If you see a Talent Acquisition Recruiter posting on LinkedIn about the various marketing opportunities, you probably shouldn’t reach out to them if you are looking for finance roles. Again, not saying a recruiter won’t help you, but they may not have all the answers you need.
2. Research positions available at the company. Working at an innovative company like Nike, we are constantly hiring and growing. With that said, there are a number of recruiters working across different functions and not one recruiter knows ALL of the positions available. Recruiters can better serve candidates if they reach out with a position(s) in mind.
3. Understand the amount of candidates recruiters work with. As recruiters we are dealing with hundreds of applicants and various candidates across multiple positions. Sometimes a little patience goes a long way. But don’t be afraid to check in! We understand there are other opportunities candidates may have or someone is super eager about a role. We do our best to keep in touch with updates, but hey we’re not perfect!
Recruiters want to help candidates secure a role, but there are things that candidates can do to smooth out that process. Candidates take it upon yourself to reach out! Be detailed in your reach outs and own your skillsets.
