Are you wondering how to find a recruiter so you can land your dream job? In this article, we will provide step-by-step instruction you can use to do just that, no matter the stage of your career.

Before we jump into things, we want to review a few key elements about working with a recruiter. First of all, what exactly does a recruiter do?

Put simply, recruiters (also sometimes referred to as headhunters or search professionals) work on behalf of a company to find them a qualified candidate for an open job position.

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They also work on behalf of the potential candidates (you) and specifically choose to represent talented job seekers they can groom for current and future positions.

According to Forbes, there are a variety of recruiters you can choose from. This article outlines four main types:

• Agency/Contract House Recruiters
• Contingency Recruiters
• Retained Search Firms
• Internal Recruiters

Each kind works differently for your benefit.

An agency/contract recruiter can be compared to a temp agency. They focus on a high volume of candidates and have a wide variety of job openings.

Contingency recruiters are more selective and only get paid when they find you a job. Most recruiters fall into the contingency recruiter category, and they work for staffing agencies.

Retained search firms are companies hired by a business to learn their company model and find the best candidates for C-Level positions.

And of course, internal recruiters are actually employed by the company for which the recruit.

For our purposes, we will outline the steps you should take when it comes to finding the perfect recruiter to elevate your health career – a contingency recruiter/staffing agency.

These recruiters are 100% invested in your success. Because they work with a limited number of candidates, they get to know each one personally and are highly motivated to find your ideal position.

Additionally, they focus on a specific industry and build strong, lasting relationships with the kinds of companies you want to work for.

Now that you understand what a recruiter does, let’s break down the steps you can take to find one that is perfect for you.

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How to Find the Right Recruiter

We will start at the very beginning: how to find a job recruiter. Then, we’ll cover how to choose one. And finally, the best way to make your relationship work.

Follow the six steps below to make your job search much easier!

1. Locate Recruiters That Might Work For You

There are a number of ways to locate recruiters that might work for you. The easiest way to start is by searching online. TheBalanceCareers.com outlines the best way to do this:

“Conducting a Google search with the name of your location and with keywords like “search firms,” “executive recruiters” and “employment agencies” will provide you with a list of the websites of agencies in your area.

For example, try “search firms in Atlanta.” If you get too many listings – try a more targeted search like “Executive search firms for sales professionals in Atlanta.”

Another great way to find quality recruiters is to ask for recommendations within your network.

SEE ALSO: How Do Staffing Agencies Work for Your Ultimate Benefit?

Ultimately, you will want to find at least two or three recruiters that seem like a good fit.

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2. Interview Each Recruiter

Once you have found recruiters you feel might be a good fit, plan to interview with each one. This is an important element of choosing the right recruiter for you. Not only will these recruiters be interviewing you, but you will also be interviewing them.

Consider how they will assess your abilities, professionalism, experience and more. You want to go into things with the same mindset. You can ask them questions such as

• “How frequently do your candidates get placed in jobs?”
• “What is your long-term job retention success rate?”

Questions like these will help you feel confident in a recruiter’s abilities and ultimately help you narrow down your search.

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3. Be Professional

It is very important to be professional when working with a recruiter. Specifically, you need to make a great impression with them on things such as punctuality, dress code, and manners.

Just like you need to feel confident with them, these are the kinds of things that help them to feel confident when considering you for a job opening that comes across their desk.

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4. Ensure your online presence is professional.

This means you need to do a sweep of your social media sites, job board profiles, and anywhere else you have a presence online. Look for things that do not align with your professional values (such as posts from your college years).

You may be surprised to learn that a recruiter will definitely search for you online before taking you on as a client. From Facebook to LinkedIn and everything in between, they will do their due diligence on you.

Because of this, you want to make sure your professional profiles are current and your social profiles are devoid of anything that could deem you unworthy for hire.

Once you connect with a recruiter and pass their interview and online review stages, you will be ready to get started as a client of their staffing agency. From there, we recommend these additional steps to make the most of that relationship:

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5. Update Your Resume

Just like keeping your online presence up to date, you also need to keep an up-to-date resume and let your recruiter know if something changes. You can help your recruiter do their very best for you by providing them with a current resume and updating it whenever applicable.

For example, if you have recently completed a continuing education course, gotten licensed in a new state or formalized your specialty, these are things you want to tell your recruiter.

Not only is it important to include them on your resume as you acquire such skills, but making your recruiter aware helps them best “sell” you to hiring managers.

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6. Refer Colleagues

Last but not least, you want to share the love! Refer your job-seeking friends and colleagues to your recruiter as a way to thank them for their support.

As we mentioned before, these types of recruiters purposely work with a small number of candidates and only earn money when they place them in a good job. If your recruiter does a great job for you, the nicest thing you can do for them is to refer them with additional qualified candidates to place.

Now that you know how to find a recruiter, let’s go over why you would want to do this. After all, there are tons of job boards out there…why go through the process of working with a recruiter? Read on to find out.

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How a Healthcare Recruiter Helps You

When it comes to healthcare recruitment, it’s not just about placing you in your dream job. A supportive staffing agency does much more than that!

Check out all the ways that working with a recruiter will help you:

Recruiters simplify the job-hunt process and save you a lot of time.

Think back to the last time you scrolled (and scrolled, and scrolled) down a job board, submitting your resume to anything that seemed like a good fit. Did you get any bites? If so, did they turn into interviews? Did you land your dream job this way?

Most likely, the answer is no. That’s because only a small percent of companies hire from job boards like Monster or Indeed. Many companies hire from within or use recruiters to aid them in the process of finding the perfect outside hire.

Even though you can do your own job search, and you can negotiate your own pay and benefits, why not let a professional with great connections ensure you get the most competitive pay and benefits?

On top of their ability to streamline the process and get you as many perks as possible, healthcare recruiters often have connections all over the country. This is especially important if you are looking for travel nursing jobs or considering a move to another state. A healthcare recruiters specialty is to help you find your ideal position anywhere in the country.

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Conclusion

Now you know it is not hard to find a recruiter and accelerate your career. But because it is an important business relationship, finding the right recruiter will take time and patience.

Once you do find that person, they will be in your corner supporting your professional growth every step of the way!

Use these steps to choose the best recruiter for you:

1. Find a few recruiters to contact via online resources, your network or
2. Interview with all of them to determine which one suits you best.
3. Always be professional and showcase your strong work ethic.
4. Ensure your online presence (social media sites, job board profiles, etc.) is professional.
5. Keep an up-to-date resume and CV and let your recruiter know if something changes.
6. Refer your job-seeking friends and colleagues to your recruiter as a way to thank them for their support.

P.S. At MAS, we love helping healthcare professionals find the perfect job. We take great pride in supporting our candidates every step of the way. That’s just one of the reasons we were named one of the Best Places to Work in Rhode Island! We take special care of our team and we’ll take special care of you!

 

Now that you know how to find a recruiter, do you feel empowered to chase your dream healthcare career?

Share with us in the comments below!

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