The Many Roles of Today’s Technical Recruiter

The demand for software engineers is substantial – with only a 1% unemployment rate.

So it’s no surprise that recruiters are constantly knocking down their doors. That means if you’re a software engineer, you’re in an enviable position – but you must know which recruiters will make the best partner for your job search.

Finding the right partner can be challenging, so it’s important for candidates to differentiate between the two types of recruiters: The Bad and The Good.

We have all crossed paths with Bad Recruiters in our professional lives. You know who they are; they give the staffing industry a bad name. Thankfully, there are the Good Recruiters – the select few who truly value candidate relationships over a quick fill. Speaking on behalf of those Good Recruiters out there, I would like to set the record straight: We work extremely hard to build solid relationships with candidates to ensure their career success. In fact, the roles we play for our candidates go far beyond the title, “Recruiter.”

Good Recruiters are also:

NETWORKERS:  Posting resumes on job boards such as Monster or Dice can be exhausting. From the minute candidates post, they are bombarded by a whirlwind of calls who don’t actually read through their resumes.

Connecting with Good Recruiters, on the other hand, allows candidates to bypass job boards. We are well networked in the IT Industry and have access to job opportunities not always posted online. We work with companies that may not be on the radar of most job applicants and we understand the needs for a certain position that may not be conveyed in a job posting.

MATCHMAKERS:  We won’t give up on candidates simply because we may not have an immediate opening to match their skill-set.  Rather, we evaluate technical expertise in order to match candidates with the right company.  For example, candidates may have a mixed skill-set, such as a software engineer working with both PHP and .Net.  We may not have a current opening with a company that uses both backend languages, but we likely have relationships with companies that frequently hire candidates who use PHP and .Net, even without an official open position. Therefore, we can match candidates with the right company – whether it is currently hiring or not.

COMMUNICATORS: Good Recruiters understand the frustration of candidates who have experienced a lack of communication. After all, some tend to forget to call candidates with feedback. Others may repeatedly call candidates with opportunities that may not match their commute or salary requirements. Great Recruiters, by contrast, understand that relationships with our candidates are very important so we do our best to communicate throughout the entire job-hunting process, making sure we stay on the same page as our candidates and give feedback in a timely fashion.

MENTORS:  Generally, we have established relationships with companies and can provide valuable insight to candidates. We help re-work candidate resumes and create the right presentation of skills based on the needs of our clients.  We mentor candidates on what to expect, what to do, and how to prepare once they reach the interview stage.  After an interview, we mentor candidates on what to do during the offer stage or how to improve for the next interview. But our guidance doesn’t stop there. After we place candidates with a client, we continue to mentor and communicate with them to ensure lasting success.

INVESTORS: Good Recruiters want more than a “quick fill.”  Rather, we are invested in our candidates’ long-term careers, so we look to build lasting relationships. We will continue to be there for our candidates when they need us most.

IT talent is rare and in demand. Good Recruiters understand it takes more than simply recruiting to provide value and build solid candidate relationships. Good Recruiters go above and beyond to ensure their candidates’ long-term success!