Recruiter relationships can and should be a valuable commodity for the candidates with whom they partner. These partnerships can open doors to new opportunities and expand professional networks. Further benefits of partnering with a recruiter include job search assistance, networking, and exploring other job opportunities. We share more insight and benefits of working with a recruiter below. 

A recruiter’s purpose

A recruiter’s primary purpose is to fulfill the needs of their clients, but for a recruiter to successfully assist their clients, they must be a master in networking. Networking provides recruiters with more market knowledge, including trending skills, competitive pay, and sought-after benefits. This information greatly assists their clients in identifying the best candidates for the hiring manager’s teams. 

A recruiter must also work hard to advocate for their candidates. Thoroughly understanding their candidate’s career goals and doing their best to meet those goals is another primary function of a recruiter. 

Agency recruiter versus internal recruiter

Agency recruiters and internal recruiters have their fair share of differences though their primary functions remain the same. 

Recruiters who work for an agency will partner with multiple companies and hiring managers. These relationships allow agency recruiters to submit their candidates to numerous jobs if candidate rejection occurs. Internal recruiters typically work with one hiring manager and cannot resubmit resumes if candidacy is declined. 

Agency recruiters are very proactive in their candidate searches. They reach out to their established network to present job opportunities. They also increase their network by making new connections. Internal recruiters are typically reactive in their search, meaning they usually search their applicant track system (ATS) database and comb through submitted applications.

Benefits of partnering with a recruiter

Interview preparation is a great benefit of partnering with a recruiter. Recruiters have a solid idea of what to expect from client interviews and help candidates feel confident and well prepared for their interviews. 

Although recruiters do not create resumes for their candidates, they assist in refining resumes for client review and suggest helpful edits to make resumes more appealing. 

Recruiters submit resumes directly into the hands of the hiring manager, bypassing any ATS system. This action is valuable as some ATS systems will completely overlook resumes due to a lack of keywords. 

Paying for services

Some job seekers have a misconception of paying a recruiter for their services, which is not true.

Upon successful placements, clients pay the recruiting agency. Recruiters typically earn a commission for a placement, so it is in the recruiter’s best interest to ensure a solid match for both the candidate and client alike.  

Furthermore, recruiters forfeit their commission should the candidate placement fail, which motivates them to do their best to identify the best candidate for the job.

Specialized versus generalized

There are different agency recruiters, some specialized in specific fields such as Information Technology, and those more generalized. The difference to a job seeker is the knowledge and connections of the recruiter. 

Specialized recruiters tend to have a better understanding of their candidate’s backgrounds and skillset. IT recruiters have more knowledge when it comes to various technologies, languages, and overall skillsets. A generalized recruiter might not have any foundation in the industry or field of the candidate.  

Recruiters who specialize in specific fields understand the current market better than most. They will have a solid understanding of salary and overall compensation packages in their market. Generalized recruiters typically have to research every job order they receive to ensure they can negotiate a fair and competitive salary. 

Negotiating salary

As a candidate’s advocate, a recruiter will lead the charge in salary negotiations. Sharing information such as current and desired salary is critical in identifying the best employment match. 

Recruiters have an edge in negotiating as they are familiar with the market pay rates and understand their candidate’s overall goals. Because of this, recruiters can achieve the best possible compensation package.

DIVERSANT Recruiters

DIVERSANT is the largest minority-owned IT staffing firm in the US. Our recruiters are tenured, knowledgeable, and ready to help you in your next IT career move. Contact us today to connect with one of our many talented recruiters.