Do I really need a recruiter? Nope! I know, I know I’m a recruiter and perhaps shouldn’t be so blunt but it is true, we are not essential, you can find a job on your own. That being said, a recruiter can give you a huge advantage at no cost. I like to use the example of buying a house with a Realtor or by yourself. Sure you can do it alone but Realtors can cut down the search time, help negotiate, deal with the paper work and overall make sure you don’t get screwed. Recruiters do the same.
A couple of things to know off the hop:
- Recruiters/Head Hunters are a free service to job seekers
- You are never obligated to accept any offers that a recruiter presents
- You are not tied to a recruiter, you can work with as many as you like and also conduct your own job search
- A recruiter should be used as a tool in your job search, a tool by itself does nothing, you need to work with them to get the best results
Recruiters can help with several things including
- Get your application to the top of the list
- Resume Writing
- Access to Unpublished Jobs
- Streamline the process
- Tailored Interview Tips
- Inside Information
- Negotiation of Job Offers
1 . Get Your Application To The Top of The List
Online job boards, especially Indeed make it way too easy for people to apply to jobs. This is sort of a good thing because no one likes to spend time applying for jobs but where this becomes an issue is that when a company posts a job they will often receive 100’s of applications. This then becomes a very time-consuming process of sorting through unqualified applications. What will often happen is an overworked HR rep will not have time to go through every application and yours may get missed.
This is where a good recruiter can help, remember the company has paid the recruiting firm to take on this search. If they are a good recruiter and have worked with the company before then the company will know that this recruiter screens their candidates and only sends them applications of candidates that are qualified and interested. Many of my clients over the years have told me they don’t even bother reading the applications I send, they know that I know what I am doing so when they see an application come in from Rockstar Mechanics they automatically schedule it for an interview, no more will your application sit buried in a pile with unqualified people.
A good recruiter is also tenacious if they do not get feedback on your application they will call back the client daily on your behalf to get the process moving.
2. Resume Writing
No one gets into mechanics because they like admin or sales work and that is what a resume is. It is a history of your career selling you to a prospective employer. A good recruiter is a mix of an HR Rep and Sales Rep, they are experts at resume creation.
If you have a basic resume put together, send it in, a recruiter can tailor it to the job at hand, pretty it up and make you stand out. If you do not already have a resume then hop on the phone, after about a 15-minute screening a recruiter should be able to put together a resume that makes you shine. This can help you stand out amongst the crowd and should be a free service (I can’t speak for everyone but at Rockstar it is.)
********VERY IMPORTANT – Your resume should belong to you. If a recruiter builds a new resume for you, tailors a resume for you, makes edits etc. you should receive a copy of this. They are sending this on your behalf to an employer, you should know what they are sending. A recruiter will rarely send this to you unsolicited (mostly we forget) but if you ask for a copy they should send it to you. If they refuse to send it to you it is never for a good reason. Typically it is because they want to prevent you from taking a job with anyone who is not their client. They are actively limiting your options which is a dirty trick. Also if they send it to you in a PDF on their company letterhead then they are just scum bags that think they own you, they don’t. If you ask for it, a recruiter should send you the copy of the resume they are presenting on your behalf in a word format that is editable. If they give you grief then you are working with the wrong recruiter, you need to partner with someone as opposed to being used as a commodity **********
3. Access To Unpublished Jobs
Not all jobs get published, this is for a couple of reasons:
- Replacing Technicians
- Not Wanting Others to Knowing Others They are Hiring
- Not wanting to be bombarded with Applications
When a job is unpublished it is usually released to a recruiter to fill, these are usually very attractive, exclusive opportunities.
4. Streamline The Process
Most job ads that companies post are super generic and do not tell you a ton of info. They are typically missing shifts, wages, benefits info, etc. These are all the things that actually matter to you and often you have to go to an interview just to find out that it is the wrong shift, not enough money, etc.
Call up a recruiter, tell them exactly what you want and they won’t waste your time with jobs that don’t fit. We will only call you about jobs that are a match because we don’t want to waste your time or our time.
5. Tailored Interview Tips
Recruiters have conversations with the hiring managers to know exactly what the manager is looking for. Stuff that doesn’t show up on the job ad that is hugely important i.e. they need someone that is good with Diagnostics, can work overtime, etc. We will arm you with that information so you can make sure you talk about in the interview what is important to them.
Also, most hiring managers are creatures of habit and every interview is the same, same questions, same process etc. A recruiter will debrief after each interview to see what happened, what was asked and can give you a cheat sheet as to what to expect. I have seen 100’s of candidates shoot themselves in the foot simply because they didn’t know what the expectations are. We turn the interview from a pop quiz into an open book test.
6. Inside Information
We talk to mechanics all day long and mechanics love to dish out dirt on their employers or former employers. We have a really good idea of what companies are actually like to work for from people that used to work there. Do they work you to the bone, is the OT crazy, do they provide training, is the Manager laid back, stressed out, a hard-ass, etc.
We will give you an honest and open picture of where you are going to be working, our goal is a long term fit.
7. Negotiation of Job Offers
Here is an inside secret, recruiters are paid by the employer and the fee is based on how much the person hired is earning. Therefore it is in a recruiter’s best interest to get you the highest pay rate possible.
When it comes to negotiating an offer this can be awkward for you the prospective employee. You want to make sure you get the best deal and don’t want to sell yourself short. You also do not know how much wiggle room there is and don’t want to shoot too high. A recruiter can take this over for you, no longer is it you looking greedy asking for more it is now the blood-sucking recruiter. A client will never hold this against you and we can also bring it back. Also as we have developed a good relationship with the hiring manager we will have a very good idea of their budget. If they offered you $22/hr and we know that they were originally talking about up to $30/hr then we know we have some room to work. If they offer you $30 and we know that was the top of their range then we can hold off.
I have seen many examples of a prospective employee negotiating on their own and doing a poor job of this. Often this leads to leaving money on the table but I have also seen job offers rescinded due to bad bluffs and poor negotiation strategies. Leave this to a recruiter, this is where we shine.
Overall, a recruiter can help in many aspects of your job search. I always recommend partnering with a recruiter that you are comfortable working with. I am biased and recommend using someone on the Rockstar Mechanics team but if you don’t feel we are your best solution then please team up with another recruiter, you deserve to have someone in your corner.
If you want to speak further or have questions feel free to call at 1-833-937-3546 or visit us at www.rockstarmechanics.com.
We have put together 10 case studies to give an idea of the type of work we can do and the problems we can solve. Click through to read case studies with some of the companies we have had an opportunity to rock out with!
