It’s Valentine’s Day. A day dedicated to relationships. A day where you make an extra special effort to put your best foot forward with your special someone. 
A day about making that relationship even better.
So that’s why, today, we’re offering a relationship how-to guide. I know what you’re thinking, “How can a technical recruiting firm teach me the ways of love?” To be honest, we can’t. We can’t tell you what restaurant to pick, what gifts to buy, or what to say when you’ve stuck your foot in your mouth. (Sorry!)
However, we CAN tell you how to build a lasting relationship with your technical recruiter, a relationship that will get you awesome technical gig after awesome technical gig. A relationship that will ensure you reach your career goals. However, like any relationship, the one with your technical recruiter has rules for both parties, and we’re about to enlighten you on the customs of each. Ready?
How To Build A Relationship With Your Technical Recruiter
You should be:
Honest:
Ah, yes. One of the essential components of any relationship. Honesty. It’s just as important with your technical recruiter as it is with your significant other. While you don’t have to tell your technical recruiter where you were after work, you do have to tell them about your career ambitions and preferences. You need to let them know what your skill set is, what you desire to do, and where you want to end up in your career. Don’t fib about these things.
If you’re honest with your recruiter, they’ll be better able to find you a role that you’ll enjoy and where you’ll be successful. However, if you try to hide the real you, especially in your skill set, things won’t work out. Your recruiter will find out that you’re stretching the truth, either through your manager or when you’re fired. And, as many know, lying is a good way to ruin a relationship.
Be honest with your recruiter about your skills. It’ll make it easier for them to make you successful, which in turn makes them look good, which means another placement in the future. They’ll be calling you back for sure.
Communicative:
In order for you to be honest, that means that you have to be communicative. And by communicative, we don’t mean texting your recruiter every few hours to see what’s new. Don’t do that. That’s annoying, and creepy, and may just get you a restraining order.
Instead, by communicative, we mean keeping them in the loop. Check in once a week as the search for a new gig progresses. Make sure that you’re honestly telling them your feelings about the roles they’re finding. While you may have to compromise a bit on your “ideal role,” you do need to tell them if a specific job sounds absolutely horrid to you. Remember, that a good recruiter is your best partner in helping to get your wishes fulfilled, but they can only help fulfill them if you’re being both honest and communicative about your needs.
Professional:
Professionalism. It’s exactly what your recruiter is looking for in their ideal candidate. However, this professionalism isn’t just about your interactions with them. Nope. They also care about your workplace demeanor.
• When working with your technical recruiter, make sure that you don’t fight them about the technical recruiting process. Some client companies make the process long and arduous, and your technical recruiter can’t do anything about that. If you have concerns, voice them, but be open to what your recruiter is telling you. They fall in love with candidates who don’t fight them every step of the way.
• When in the workplace, make your recruiter proud. Do great work. Be professional as you schedule time off, and even as you exit the opportunity. If you rock this opportunity, your recruiter will push hard to work with you again. They’ll be outside your window with a boom box, I mean, next ideal role.
What to expect from your recruiter:
Care for your needs and desires:
They say that people have to kiss a few frogs before they find their prince/princess. You may have to do the same with technical recruiters. From a short conversation, you’ll be able to tell the good from the bad. A telltale sign? A good recruiter cares for your needs and desires.
Many people believe that technical recruiters just want to place you in a role, and be done with you. This isn’t the case if you have a good technical recruiter. Sure, they want to place you, but not if you’re going to be miserable or unqualified in that role. Technical recruiting is a mutually beneficial endeavor – recruiters are only successful if you are – so they’ll want to place you in the best role possible. They’ll want you to be happy, so that they can do business in the future. And for you to be happy and successful, they need to care about you. A good technical recruiter won’t try to force you into a square hole if you’re a round peg.
Honesty:
Honesty. It’s a two way street. Technical recruiters have to be honest with you too. Since they understand that technical recruiting is a mutually beneficial endeavor, they’ll want to set you up for success by:
• Telling you about the strengths and weaknesses of the company. They’ll want you to make an informed decision so that you don’t go in blind and quit after two weeks. That won’t reflect well on you or your recruiter, which is why they’ll be honest about their clients.
• Telling you where you stand in the market. While you may think that you’re an advanced Java programmer, your recruiter’s analysis may be a bit different – from your conversations and technical interview, they may determine that you’re an advanced intermediate Java developer. It may not be what you want to hear, but their honesty will give you a realistic view of the current job market. This vantage point not only makes you more marketable, but also ensures that you’re more likely to reach your end career goal.
Communication:
While you’re going on about your career aspirations, your technical recruiter is your patient listener. They’re also the realists in the relationship; they’ll be the ones to tell you whether or not your skill assessment is within the current market’s definition and whether or not the company will be a good fit for you. While you’re searching for a new gig, they’ll be in touch at least once a week with their honest feedback.
And, like any good friend, your recruiter won’t drop out of the picture after you’re in your role. They’ll stay in touch, wanting to hear how it’s going, and whether or not you’re happy. When you say the word, that you’re looking for a new contract, they’ll help you find that next role. A good technical recruiter will be communicative and stay in the picture after your initial relationship building. You’ll be able to reach out to them at any point.
And for both you and your lucky recruiter? Understanding:
Technical recruiters and their consultants have a relationship. And like all relationships, the early stages set the groundwork for future success. If you’re honest and communicative about your desires as well as your strengths and weaknesses, your recruiter will be better able to find you your “ideal role.” When it comes to them, listen to what they have to say, because a good technical recruiter has your best interests at heart. If communication and honesty are maintained, you’ll have a beneficial relationship with your technical recruiter that ensures you always have an awesome technical gig.
Have a good relationship with your technical recruiter? How’d you develop that? Let us know in the comment section, or join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ or LinkedIn.
Thanks to maryfrancesmain for the use of their respective photographs.
