May 31st, 2011 
admin 
The relationship between a job seeking candidate and their recruitment agency is an important partnership that should benefit both sides.
Plainly, the agency depends upon successful placements and satisfied customers and clients, both employers and candidates, for its continued business survival. In this context some go for volume, but the specialist recruitment agencies, for example those supplying top level PAs, put a great deal of effort into building good relationships.
They try to make candidates feel welcome and get to know them, their aspirations and their skills.
Candidates have a big part to play in building a good relationship. This involves firstly being honest about their strengths and weaknesses and realistic about their level of competence and the kinds of jobs they can fill.
In the beginning the preparations a candidate needs to make for their first meeting with the agency are much the same as they are when preparing a job application or for an interview.
If making the initial contact by e-mail the candidate should follow up with a phone call to arrange a meeting. However, it is easier to make a good first impression by telephone and preparation for introducing themselves is essential.
The call should be planned and should include having a brief overview of themselves and why the agent might find them a suitable candidate. A list of skills and experience can then be given but it is equally important to show interest in the agency and its approach so have some questions prepared such as the kinds of jobs the agency recruits for, and the level and experience of the candidates they are seeking.
The candidate of course, wants to know whether the agency they are considering are professional and able to find the kind of position they are looking for. If calling the agency after seeing a particular position advertised they should make sure that they have the skills and experience to be a suitable candidate.
At the first meeting, the recruiter and candidate are getting to know each other. It is about respect and about listening on both sides.
Hopefully the agency representative should start by putting the new candidate at their ease, although it is an interview and should be prepared for in the same way. That means turning up on time, smartly and appropriately dressed and with a ready prepared CV, even if the agency requires the information it contains to be entered in its own registration forms.
In the same ways as at a job interview, the agency will want to ask questions about any gaps in the CV. It’s good practice for similar questions at the interview and it is best to be honest, although of course trying to put any gaps in a positive light.
By the end of the first meeting the candidate should know whether they have been accepted and feel positive about the new relationship and that the agency is going to do its best for them.
They should leave with a contact plan, that details how often they need to check in and an action plan of what will happen next.
If the candidate is also searching for jobs independently, and they are successful, or if their situation changes it is important to do the agency the courtesy of letting them know as soon as possible.
Copyright (c) 2011 Alison Withers
By: Ali Withers
About the Author:
For an ambitious candidate seeking a role as a top London PA their relationship with their recruitment agency is important and should be a partnership that benefits both sides. By Ali Withers.
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