Are you registered with more than one recruitment agency?

We've all been there, on a proactive mission to secure our dream job and jump up the career ladder we fire our CV off to as many recruiters as possible. But is this the right thing to do? Specialist recruiter Ruth Whitehouse explains...

When you sell your property – do you instruct every Estate Agent on the High Street, post adverts in local shop windows and leaflet drop your whole neighbourhood?

No? Thought not. So why do we think it's okay to do the same when we are selling ourself, the most important asset we have?

As a potential buyer of a property alarm bells would be ringing over a house up with four or more agents (or even two in a booming market) – it all smacks of desperation: ‘there must be something wrong with that property if it’s up with so many agents’. Well, as a professional recruiter I can confirm that exactly the same thought process enters the head of recruiters and employers if they learn the same about a potential candidate.

The one and only

Good candidates sell on their own merits with just one recruiter - FACT!

Time and time again when talking to new candidates who have made a conscious decision to move jobs, I find that their CV is registered with a multitude of recruiters – WHY?  Registering with multiple recruitment agencies is not beneficial and can actually be counter productive to your job search.  If a recruiter sees the same CV arrive in their inbox from 4 difference sources for example we instantly assume there is a problem.  In the best case scenario, a candidate might engage one of the recruiters to arrange interviews only to find that the other recruiters are left hanging wondering why they haven't been called, whether they had exclusivity, should they be invoicing the candidate or having to split fees? A complex and messy approach I'm sure you will agree.

The best way to market yourself is to engage with ONE recruiter. Talk to them in detail to learn which potential companies they are working with or where they feel they could make an introduction. A good recruiter will understand the market, know who is hiring and who is passively looking for good candidates with a certain skill set. A recruiter will also be honest and tell you that they aren’t a preferred supplier to a particular company – it’s at that point that you can contemplate engaging with a second recruiter (but on the explicit terms that they only submit your details to companies that Recruiter A can’t get you in  front of).

Take control

Ensure your CV isn't registered with every company within your acceptable radius, don't assume that a recruiter will check with you beforehand prior to sending your CV, 9 times out of 10 they won't meaning the first you will be aware of this is when another recruiter advises you that the client has already seen your details, or when you are invitied for interview potentially with a company you don't really want to work for!

Back to selling houses – having been there a lot myself, I know that it’s best to allow the one agent you have instructed over a period of time to work behind the scenes on your behalf – usually agreeing a term of exclusivity. Doing the same with your recruiter means that they know they have your undivided attention for a set period of time so they will work hard to ensure you are exposed to the right hiring personnel in the companies YOU want to work for. Those doing the rounds of every agency in the hope this maximises their chances are actually pushing themselves down the pecking order in terms of time, effort and energy.  You may be told you’re a priority but in actual fact, you won't be!

Please contact us to take your career in construction to the next level, our practical advice is tailored specifically to your personal career goals and award-winning recruiters are always on hand to help.

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