Recruiter Respect: Seven Ways to Stay on Their Good Side

Recruiters are people, too. Treat them well, and you’ve got a great ally in your job search. Treat them poorly, and you’ve shut the door on potential opportunity. Here’s how to stay on their good side.

1) Don’t Lie. Reputation is a recruiter’s lifeblood, and if you misrepresent your skills or experience, you’re putting their professional credibility at risk, too. Lies always come to light, and you will have burned bridges with both the employer and recruiter, so stick to the truth no matter how desperate you feel.

2) Don’t apply if you’re not qualified. In theory, the more jobs you apply for, the better your chances of landing one. But that only works if you are actually qualified for the positions. If you are lacking in either skills or years of experience, skip it and wait for the jobs that do match your professional profile.

3) Don’t focus only on the money. Salary is certainly important, but focusing solely on dollars and cents can cause job seekers to overlook a great opportunity. Make sure you listen to the whole package – benefits, perks and more – instead of rejecting an offer on salary alone.

4) Don’t get gimmicky. “Please do not send a resume inside a shoe, saying you’re looking for ‘a foot in the door,’” says New York-based career management expert Barbara Safani. Yes, applicants can stand out – but it needs to be in a professional way. If a recruiter remembers you because she had to clean up the glitter that spilled out with your resume (there are other ways to show your “sparkle”), opportunity will not be knocking.

5) Don’t be lazy or careless. Recruiters hate getting stock cover letters addressed to “dear sir or madam”. Even worse is when a candidate forgets to change the name from the previous recruiter he just contacted. The same thing goes for submissions with typos, poor grammar and sloppy margins or presentation. If you don’t really care, why should they?

6) Don’t be rude. “Some candidates see the recruiter as an antagonist who must be pushed and prodded and bullied to work on their behalf,” says Career Pro president and CEO John O’Connor. “In other cases, they’re frustrated by the job search process and feel the need to take it out on the recruiter.” Neither approach will get you anywhere but ushered off the line or out the door, so be professional and mind your manners.

7) Don’t stalk. A job search can make an applicant understandably anxious. But bombarding a recruiter with daily (or worse) calls, texts and emails won’t help. In fact, it can do the opposite, according to recruiting consultant Abby Kohut. “Calling [them] constantly and demanding to be submitted to a company will just make them think you’re desperate and unhinged and a little scary,” she says.

The technology staffing specialists at Triumph Services are dedicated to helping you find the perfect IT job. Search our available positions, or contact us today to learn more.