Why you should be fully transparent with your recruiter

My job as a Recruitment Consultant is to get the best outcome for both the job seeker and the employer. Whilst this is not a perfect science, there’s no doubt that transparency between all parties makes for a far smoother process.

However, for various reasons, job seekers can sometimes be reluctant to be transparent with recruiters, which makes the hiring process more complicated for all involved.

For this reason, I have highlighted below some of the key areas where transparency does not always occur, but why it is key to obtaining a successful outcome.

Salary requirements for a new opportunity

Some job seekers can be reluctant to reveal their salary expectations, but when dealing with a Recruiter, it’s important to remember that we operate differently from direct employers and it’s in our best interest to get you the best salary possible – so be honest with us!

We also know the salary levels of all the available jobs in our markets, so can advise you on how your skillset and experience compares with other candidates performing a similar role, and what salary you can realistically expect from the jobs you are interested in applying for.

If once you start interviewing for roles and meeting with hiring managers, you feel that you should be afforded a higher salary than what is on offer, it is again important to be transparent and relay that back to your recruitment consultant.

You can then work together to ensure that your recruiter relays back the right message to the Hiring Manager (potentially increasing your chances of achieving a higher salary) or your Recruitment Consultant can explain why that may not be possible.

Either way, this avoids miscommunication and frustration for all involved. Remember that it is in the best interest of the recruiter to get the best result for you!

Motivations for leaving

One of the most frequent causes of confusion can be when candidates don’t clarify their true motivations for leaving their current/previous job. There are a couple of reasons why we, as recruitment consultants, want to know this information:

We can advise best on how to relay this message to future employers and justify why you are a strong suitor for the opportunity. For example, if you are looking to manage a team and have a clearer career trajectory, we can relay this message to the employer in advance of an interview. It will then be for the employer to justify why/how they are able to offer this opportunity to you.
We can consult on the best opportunities/firms/vacancies that would suit you based on our knowledge of our client base. It is our job to provide the best solution for you in your next potential career move. For us to judge this, we need clarity on what is driving you to consider your options i.e. change in firm size, no opportunities for progression, wanting to work on a certain type of project variety etc. We can then action an appropriate plan that you would feel comfortable with.

Having previously been introduced to an employer

If a Hiring Manager receives the profile of a candidate from multiple sources within a short time frame – be that a recruitment consultant (or multiple ones), directly or from a mutual contact, this is unlikely to receive a positive response from them.

This is because, from their perspective, it will seem as if you have not taken a focused approach with your job search and it can make it considerably more difficult to put a business case forward as to why you are the right candidate for that role.

Therefore, it is important to let your recruitment consultant know if you have already been put forward for, or have previously interviewed for, a firm or company that they may be suggesting. It is the best way to keep your job search tailored and avoid those awkward situations.

Conclusion

There are more examples I could add to the above, but these are the most common that I have experienced. Remember that ultimately, a Recruitment Consultant is there to ‘consult’.

We explain what we think would be the next best steps based on the requirements you give us and the market, a good Recruiter will also be honest about what may not work and why.

So, make sure you tell your Recruitment Consultant what sort of firms interest you, what sort of work you’d like to get involved in and why now is the right time to move for you. If you have questions, fire away! That’s what we’re here for. However, in order to advise appropriately, we do need full disclosure and transparency to help us do our job and ensure that the next step that you take in your career benefits you directly.