What Do Recruiters Want to Know about You (That You’re Not Telling Them)
Right now, if you’re a skilled professional, the world is your oyster. Whether actively seeking or passively considering job opportunities, you have plenty of options as business leaders across the country grapple with filling their open positions. Yet even with this present advantage, you still probably don’t want to put the full burden of a job search on your shoulders. That is exactly when a recruiter can be an asset.
With that said, you’ll get the most out of working with a recruiter if you provide them with all of the information that they need upfront. You may be wondering “What do recruiters want to know about you that you’re not telling them?” There are a few mysteries that recruiters are dying to know. When you are transparent with them about the answers to the following six questions, you’ll build a relationship with your recruiter that yields the best results for your job search and career.
Psst. Are you an IT executive curious about what 2023 has in store for your tech career? Check out our 2023 IT Executive Salary Guide for the latest salary trends and industry insights. Set your sights on that big promotion and stay informed!
Download Executive Salary Guide
1.) Does your LinkedIn profile match your resume?
It’s innocent enough of a mistake, but having a LinkedIn profile that does not match your resume can set off a red flag to recruiters. Over the last year, there have been more attempts by applicants pretending to have IT skills (everything from commodities like Java to scarcer skills like DevOps or data science). These candidates fake technical difficulties on video interviews and have someone answer their interview questions for them. A few bad actors spoil everything for the rest of us.
As a result, recruiters are more vigilant about any signals they might get burned by a candidate. The good news is you can easily alleviate their fears. By reviewing your LinkedIn profile before the start of your job search or application, updating or adding any information that is not included, you can create greater confidence in your authenticity and sincerity.
As a rule of thumb, you can (and should) customize your resume to the position, but you should treat your LinkedIn profile as a clearinghouse for all of your technical and work experiences.
2.) What are you passionate about?
More than just offering the salary you want, recruiters want to find positions that will actually give you some fulfillment. Let’s face it: your resume doesn’t always reflect your professional passions. Maybe you stumbled into a technical niche (we often see that with legacy system SMEs) or settled for roles that reinforced your past experience. Those roles supported you, but now they leave you feeling drained or bored.
Whether you want to work with a specific technology, on specific projects, or for a company with a mission that matters to you, please make sure to tell your recruiter what it is that will keep you invigorated on the job. We want to find jobs that get you excited on Sunday evening and keep you energized throughout the week.
3.) What would disqualify an offer in your eyes?
In addition to the above question, great recruiters want to know what would make you turn down an offer. They aren’t interested in wasting your time (or theirs, for that matter) and want to proactively improve their criteria for you as your partnership progresses.
Here are some common disqualifiers that help recruiters find better jobs for candidates:
- Do you not want to work on-site?
- Are you tired of working with a specific skillset?
- Are there specific companies or industries that you want to avoid?
- Are some company cultures bad for your productivity or wellbeing?
Be honest about your proclivities and pet peeves and you’ll receive better job opportunities from your recruiter.
4.) Why do you want to leave your position?
Just like the disqualifiers for a job, providing the why behind your departure is key for recruiters. If you’re working with a consultative recruiter, they will use that information to improve the quality of the opportunities they present to you.
So, if the working style of your last job was incompatible with your preferred situation, the projects were a tad dull, or the tech stack felt archaic, your recruiter absolutely wants to know. Placing you at a company where you will be unhappy will lead to higher turnover and lower productivity, something no one wants.
5.) Are you working with other recruiters?
On the surface, the fact that you’re working with another recruiter might seem like something you want to keep close to the vest. It’s a little awkward to talk about what might be seen as double-dipping. However, this bold transparency can set your partnership on better footing than you’d imagine.
In fact, when you let your recruiter know that you’re not exclusive, you avoid sabotaging your own job search. For example, if a hiring manager receives multiple submittals of the same candidate, they may become leery of you and your recruiters. Often, companies eliminate spammed candidates from their applicant tracking system (and maybe even blacklist the recruiters). By letting your recruiter know when and where you applied or have been submitted, you can save both of you a lot of trouble.
6.) What are your location expectations?
As more job seekers want to work from home, we’re seeing an increase in the geographic range where tech professionals are willing to work. Even then, we know that some tech professionals still want to be close enough to their coworkers to build strong bonds and connections. Whatever your stance, it’s important for your recruiter to know about it up front.
Though our recruiters have primarily built relationships throughout Texas and the surrounding states, some of the organizations we work with have offices across the company. This provides us with more of a reason to explore and fill opportunities across those different branches.
Additionally, when a recruiter knows your presumed expectations, they can ask some follow up questions to verify them. Many candidates that have not worked remotely across positions (especially national ones) haven’t had the first-hand experience of working on someone else’s time zone. It’s not for everyone, especially if you want your mornings or evenings to yourself.
Ready to get started on your next job? Search our available jobs or reach out to one of our recruiters to find the right fit for you.
Search our jobs
Related Articles
Recently Unemployed? Here are 4 Top Technical Skills in 2021 that can Get You a Job Tomorrow
