Once you have found the right recruiter and launch a process with them, it is important to maintain close, open communication. Recruiters are more than a gateway to a role; they are a resource that can help your search run smoothly and inform your decision making.
First, recruiters play an integral part in maintaining clean communication between you and their client. Recruiters can play an equally important part in resolving points of confusion or disagreement. You may be worried that a job might not be a good fit, only to realize that you misunderstood a facet of the role. Similarly, you may unintentionally communicate something to the client that would otherwise sour them. Recruiters can help resolve these kinds of issues. In fact, recruiters can often absorb blame for miscommunication that would otherwise be directed at the candidate.
Clear, direct conversations with your recruiter can also help when it comes to timing. If one process is accelerating at a much faster rate than another, by informing the recruiter, you give them the chance to accommodate the timeline. The recruiter will advise their client so that the firm can choose to accelerate their process to catch up with the other opportunity. On occasion, firms will change their timelines to attract and accommodate their first choice candidate. For that to happen, though, it is important to keep the recruiter abreast of the status of your other job processes. A week’s notice is not enough to change the pace of interviews or case studies.
Similarly, recruiters can help you better understand the market and evaluate whether an offer will be a good fit for you. Naturally, recruiters have a deeper understanding of the compensation levels and structures for various positions. Moreover, although the recruiter works for the client, they are actively invested in making sure that you take the offer that is right for you. No recruiter wants to damage a client relationship by pushing a candidate who will not work out.
The recruiter should know the approximate compensation of any role before starting a search. However, if the recruiter starts to see compensation expectations diverging, they will advise both parties to try to bring those expectations closer together. That may be by helping to negotiate compensation packages with higher numbers or a different structure. The recruiter can also provide candidates with insight as to how the compensation will move overtime. This is particularly true when interviewing with emerging businesses.
Regardless of whether you decide to take an offer or continue with a process, you should always keep the recruiter abreast of what you’re thinking. You should never ghost or stop responding to a recruiter. As we wrote last year, ghosting is a sure fire way to ruin your reputation on Wall Street. Be respectful of people’s time.
If you communicate clearly with your recruiter, you are much more likely to find an opportunity that suits your goals in both the short and long term. Recruiters can be an integral part of any job search, regardless of experience level if you know how to get the most out of working with them.
