Changing jobs or starting out on the job ladder can be a very daunting step. The internet is flooded with job board sites, alongside LinkedIn, Google jobs and Facebook jobs. Reading through the necessities of each job spec, all demanding 2-3 years’ experience, certain degrees and certificates is a disheartening process. Where can a recruitment agency help?
We’ve collated feedback from a large selection of candidates and created a list of the advantages of using a recruitment agency based on their experience. So, if you’re unsure whether to contact a recruitment consultant or go it alone, perhaps some of these points below will help you decide!
Firstly, specialist recruitment consultants working within a niche sector can offer extensive and quality advice related to a vast range of various job roles. They can offer advice on key players and companies within the sector and any relevant news and information relating to their markets. Removing the search and trawl through industry news and job boards for suitable roles!
Consultants having strong and developed relationships with contacts in various blue chip and recognised companies allows them to better promote candidates into roles perhaps they wouldn’t have found or considered before. In various cases clients work solely with recruitment agencies, so working with them to find a new job can mean that registered candidates can be the first to hear about it and be the first to be put forward for interview if they match the credentials.
Writing your CV, as covered throughout our previous posts, can be a difficult task when trying to include and summarise a life time of work and achievements. Recruitment consultants when presenting you for a role, contact you to help extract any extra information they feel would be relevant and combine this with your CV to re-write you a ‘candidate profile’. Sharing only the information that employers want to see to help get you to the next stage!
Applying for roles and waiting to hear back and often not hearing back at all can be incredibly discouraging. Feedback has shown that one of the main benefits of using a consultancy is the communication throughout the process. Consistent updates through email or phone ensures candidates aren’t left in the dark.
Tests. A dreaded, yet common stage of interviewing within financial services, often in the form of competency, numerical and occasionally role play. A recruitment consultant working with a client knows what to expect. They know what kind of test to anticipate and the best ways to tackle it, all information that can help secure that coveted job role.
Finally, a benefit noticed by both clients and candidates is the recruiter’s ability to spot characteristics and abilities that would make a candidate a clear fit for a role. Attributes that can’t be found through reading a CV or can be easily missed.