Lily Shippen Recruitment | How to get the best out of your recruiter

The secretarial market is one that is quite saturated, especially within Central London and increasingly more so in Manchester and that means when it comes to finding your dream job, it can be a daunting process of finding the best recruitment agency to suit your needs. In my time as a recruiter, I have met many candidates who have a negative perception of recruiters and have been in my opinion, treated wrongly by those recruitment agencies. My belief as a Managing Director and what prompted me to launch ‘Lily Shippen’ is that recruitment is all about relationships and trust. All of our consultants make sure that we know everything about our candidates as well as our clients and what really makes them tick, what motivates them and ultimately what their life / career goals are. Make sure that you work with a recruiter who takes the time to get to know you and doesn’t push you into making decisions. No recruiter should make you feel bad for accepting a position that isn’t through them, that is the cycle of recruitment! If you haven’t worked with a recruitment agency before, here are our tips on how to get the best out of your recruiter;

Do your research

Most companies should have an online presence and the recruiter will also most likely have LinkedIn. Take the time to look at the types of clients that the agency works with and recommendations / testimonials on their page. This should give you a good indication on whether or not they are the right agency for you.

Have a look at vacancies

All recruitment agencies will advertise their roles online and will give you the option to apply. This is not only a good way of getting in touch with the recruitment agency but it also gives you an idea of the types of roles that they recruit and the average salary banding’s too.

Be honest with your recruiter

This is one of the most crucial points if you want to get the best out of your recruiter. Be as honest and open as you can with your consultant and tell them what your main motivations are for looking for your next role. I would also advise telling them what other interviews you have going on (you do not need to disclose the company name) so that your consultant can manage the process well with the client and can anticipate counter-offers.

Ask for preparation tips

Whether you are an experienced Executive Assistant or are completely new to the secretarial world, it’s always good to know what kind of interview to expect. Your recruiter should be on hand to give you as much preparation on the client that you are meeting. Ask for help preparing for competency based questions if this is something you don’t feel confident on too. Your recruiter should be happy to meet face to face or arrange a telephone call with you before your interview.