How Recruiters Get You a Job

Whether they work directly for a company or at a staffing firm, recruiters are incentivized to fill job openings, so it's important to stay on their good side.  The best thing you can do is develop good rapport with your recruiter.

A good recruiter searches for and screens applicants and then narrows down the pool of applicants to qualified candidates the hiring manager would want to consider.  It's our job to figure out what kind of pay/benefits/perks you want in order to accept an offer.  This is one of the reasons why it's so important to be honest and upfront with your recruiter.  Don't expect to turn around and ask for more from the hiring manager, it won't happen, and it could hurt your chances to get hired.

While every company is different, a recruiter will typically make recommendations to the hiring manager and do their best to bring the manager to a decision and facilitate the onboarding process.  Follow-up with your recruiter when needed and help him or her make a case for you.

Thank You's and Follow-Ups

Thank you notes are used for a number of things, but most importantly to show your interest in the role and company.  I have spoken to many managers who refuse to hire someone that doesn't send a thank you.  A thank you not should be brief, don't over think it.  Thank the manager for taking the time to interview you, and if you can, reference something specific you discussed in the interview.  You should send separate notes to each manager that interviewed you, as well as your recruiter.

Once you've had an interview, you immediately want to send a thank you note.  You can send a card or an email, but you should do it right away.  If you need to, ask the recruiter for email addresses, or to forward your thank you email.

Following-up with your recruiter is important, and while you may be anxious to hear whether or not you got the job, be patient and show restraint.  If you ended the interview right, and asked either when you could expect to hear back or what the next steps are, you should know how long to wait before checking-in.

If you were told it would be a week, then wait a full week.  Afterwards, if you still haven't heard back, then call or email your recruiter and see if there's an update, below is an example of asking for an update without being too pushy.

Good Afternoon,
I hope that your day is absolutely fantastic.  I just wanted to follow up with you about the status of my application.  I'm looking forward to speaking with you in the very near future.  Thank you so much for all your help, it is very appreciated.

**Note - Do not be a stalker and call your recruiter daily or multiple times a day in order to get a status update.  Switch between email and voice-mail in case one may be more effective than the other.

If following-up on voice-mail, be sure to leave your full name, the position you interviewed for, and your phone number.

What kinds of follow-up have you found to be effective?  Let me know in the comments!