Find Your Perfect Job: How to Work with a Recruitment Agency

Looking for a new job but not sure where to begin? Working with a recruitment agency gives you the best chance of finding your perfect job.

1. Choose the Right Recruiter to Suit Your Industry & Experience

Although job advertising sites like Reed have over 200,000 jobs, recruitment agencies will be in touch with employer companies directly.

Why Should You Work with a Recruitment Company?

· The Latest Jobs– When large companies use a recruitment agency, the recruitment agency advertises jobs and arranges interviews. If you register with a recruitment agency, your recruiter will inform you about the the latest jobs first, before they are advertised.

· The Best Advice – Your recruitment consultant is as successful as you are – they want you to get the job. Your recruiter will take time to understand your skills and personality to pitch you as best they can to a potential employer and position you as the best candidate for the company.

· The Best Preparation – Your recruiter is ideally placed to help you prepare for your job interview: they know exactly what your potential employer is looking for. They’ll coach you in general interview skills, let you in on specific questions the company is likely to ask and fill you in on the most important things the company are looking for.

· The Best Chance of Success– All the above reasons mean that, simply put, using a recruitment agency gives you a much higher chance of getting a job.

With over 33,000 recruitment agencies currently operating in the UK, how can you find the recruitment company that will understand you and help you on your career path? Here are a few options:

· Research Popular Agencies– Recruitment companies who work across many different types of jobs in many different industries will appear at the top of a Google search and will have a large variety of available jobs.

· Research Agencies Near You– Some agencies specialise in jobs in certain regions, cities or countries.

· Search by industry– Recruiters who are experts in your industry will understand the way it works and can help match you to the best jobs in this sector. As an engineering recruitment company, VHR is led by former Formula 2 racing drivers and Aviation engineers.

Once you’ve found a handful of recruitment agencies you like, make time to look through their website and social media presence. Read case studies and quotes from previous candidates to understand how the recruitment agency works and their level of success in helping people find work.

2. Meet Your Recruiter

Send a polite email to a few recruitment companies asking to formally meet them. Act exactly as if it were a job interview: dress smartly, research directions to your meeting place to ensure you arrive in plenty of time, and bring along a copy of your CV.

Prepare a summary statement to help your recruiter understand what you’re looking for, including:

• Your best skills – Technical and job-specific skills will help match you to the right role, and ‘softer’ skills such as communication are also important for determining the right culture fit for a new employer

• Your passions – Hobbies, interests and goals are often the key to what motivates you and increases your work performance

• Your style – Are you better working in a team or alone? Do you prefer working outside, with your hands or technology?

• Your personal goals – Do you want to become an expert in a new skill or pursue a creative passion? Are you looking to work and live abroad or change industries?

3. Take Their Feedback on Board

A good recruitment consultant will encourage you to promote yourself as best you can. After your first interview or meeting with a recruiter, they will have a better idea of the jobs that might suit you and may have some advice to help you in your job search.

Many recruiters will ask you to tailor your CV to a specific job they’d like you to interview for. This usually involves:

• Changing some of the wording in your CV so that an employer will recognise certain words that they’re looking for

• Highlighting some specific experience or achievements rather than others

• Reducing the length of your CV (less than 3 pages is ideal) or going into more detail for some aspects of your work experience or achievements.

4. Constant Communication

Keep in touch with your recruiter as much as you can. Your recruitment consultant will be dedicated to finding you a job as soon as you first meet them, so the opportunities for a job interview may come in quickly – you don’t want to miss out.

If you don’t hear back from your recruiter after a few days, don’t assume that all is lost. They may have been very busy, away on holiday or could be very close to securing you an interview.

Once you’ve landed your interview, speak to your recruiter and take on board all their advice to prepare for your interview. Once you’ve had your interview, your recruiter should call straight away to find out what you thought. Ensure you give your honest feedback – as much as you are being tested to see whether you fit the role and the company, you are also testing to see whether you would like to work in the role – and your recruiter will get honest feedback for you from company.

If at first you don’t succeed, keep trying – sometimes a job isn’t the right fit for you, but another will be right around the corner. Your recruitment consultant will have helped thousands of jobseekers into a new role – with them on your side, you’re set for success.

5. Stay in Touch

Even after you’ve landed a new job and have settled in well, keeping in touch with your recruitment consultant is vital for the rest of your career. An experienced recruiter on your side is invaluable: your consultant will be able to send you the latest new jobs before you finish every contract and can help provide career guidance for moving up in permanent roles.

See and apply for all VHR’s latest technical jobs.