In the third of a series of blog posts, Peter Cosgrove in CPL puts on his jobseeker hat and lets you know how he would approach a Recruitment Agency for a permanent role...
Firstly – I would know the type of role/roles that I would like to apply for, going to a recruiter and saying that you are looking for a change, that you want to do something different is not a good idea. They are not career counsellors, if you are looking to do something new/different – spend the time to find out what this is and then approach agencies, otherwise you are asking them to do your work for them.
Secondly once I know the types of roles that I would consider, I would research recruiters to ensure I knew what agencies have those types of roles and are most likely to be interested in me/ my CV. On the subject of CV, it took me 8 iterations to get a CV that was achievement oriented, under 1,000 words and in a format that was employer friendly – so if you have not written a brilliant CV get help because this is 100% in your control and it your first impression to anyone you deal with.
Now you know the area, the recruiters to deal with and you have a great CV, you send a polite concise note highlighting your experience, achievements and that you appreciate that they are busy but would like 30 minutes of their time. Recruiters don’t remember CVs, they remember people – so get in front of them. Once in front of them, treat it like an interview, if you arrive late, your phone goes off, you have a poor attitude the recruiter will not risk sending you out to one of their clients. The flipside is if you are on time, positive, motivated and willing to work hard, you will be much more likely to get your CV on the desk of your potential next employer – good luck!