When you’re looking for a job, it can be quite hard to decipher exactly what’s going through a recruiter’s mind at a particular moment. As a result, they keep themselves calm and composed, sometimes appearing really invested in your portfolio and sometimes completely detached.
When looking for a new job, it’s important to understand the motives of the recruiter. This doesn’t always mean that you eye them with suspicion and doubt their every remark, but keeping a close watch on your recruiter’s behavior will help you understand your relationship with them, your new organisation, as well as the direction of your career.
So, how do you figure out if your recruiter really wishes the best for you?
Here are eight signs that can tell you that they have your best interests in mind.
They’re Honest
As your recruiter, the biggest disservice they can do to you is to avoid honest feedback on your career path, project, skills, shortcomings, and so on. An honest recruiter will always want the best for you and will ensure that they provide unfiltered feedback as your mentor.
They Respect Boundaries
Pesky recruiters can often overstep personal boundaries and time. Unfortunately, many recruiters can be hyperfocused on finding you something rather than “the” thing. A recruiter who sincerely wishes the best for you won’t intrude in your private space or pester you at inappropriate times.
They Steer Away from Personal Opinions
Another admirable attribute of good recruiters is keeping their personal biases away from the office and interview room. No matter what racial, religious, political, or cultural differences may become evident during the meeting, a well-wishing recruiter can keep these differences aside and present an honest evaluation.
They Do Not Stall
Many recruiters announce vacancies months in advance, conduct meetings while the opening is still weeks away, and then keep interested candidates on the hook by telling them to ‘stay in touch.’ Others will also still actively respond to vacancies weeks in the past. A recruiter who respects your professional concerns won’t do anything like this, so if you keep getting the same robotic response to your follow-up emails, you should probably tone down your expectations.
They are Willing to Learn
A know-it-all recruiter might appear as someone you can learn a lot from, but it actually doesn’t work that way. The ideal recruiter-candidate relationship employs two-way learning, where both parties try to add to each other’s knowledge base. So if your recruiter admits that they’ve made a mistake in quoting a figure or have overstepped a rule, that’s a sign that they won’t be difficult to work with!
They Do Not Discourage
As a recruiter, the person sitting in front of you or replying to your emails has the advantage of navigating how your conversation goes. They can be honest, they can be empathetic, but they should not be discouraging. A discouraging, pessimistic discourse in your recruiter’s behaviour with you indicates that they have little or no respect for your sentiment.
Sometimes, it may be a bit confusing to distinguish discouragement from honesty, but once you figure out their general inclination, you’ll have a clear idea of how they view things.
They Value Your Work-Life Balance
The recruiter you’re working with should understand the importance of work-life balance and try to counsel you to establish an equilibrium. They will know if you need a break, if you need therapy, or if you simply need an HR session to boost your work ethic. They may not be able to point out a direct problem, but a recruiter who wants the best for you is also great at detecting when something’s off. If they truly want the best for you, they may even recommend you speak to your boss before speaking to them.
They Want You to Excel
A recruiter who wants to see you excel is honestly one of the greatest assets in life. They’ll quote referrals for you, they’ll know when you could learn an extra skill, and they won’t deliberately make it difficult for you to enhance your career growth.
Conclusion
The market is full of recruiters who appear super-professional, have all the best degrees and career records, but can be overstretched or unprofessional when it comes to their actual job. If you’re thinking of reaching out to a Building Services Recruiter anytime soon, watch out for these signs so that you know when to stick around and when to flee.
Take a look at our live jobs or get in touch for a confidential and comprehensive career review.
Author: Alex Cole is a Specialist Building Services Recruiter with Responsum. He’s always interested in networking with Building Service professionals. He loves talking football, is hoping to get on the property ladder soon, and visits Tenerife every year!
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