How to reach out to a recruiter? (Recruiters Advice)

If you have been searching for a job for a while, you must have realized it is not as easy as pie. It takes patience, dedication, and perseverance to find a job (However, the situation may differ in rare cases). While it requires lots of patience, if you know a few tips and tricks, you may be able to ease this daunting task.

Reaching out to the recruiters directly is one way you can easily land yourself in a job. Although it looks a bit awkward to slide into their inboxes, it is professionally acceptable to reach out to them directly. In fact, it is among the best ways to increase the probability of getting hired; it is one of the prominent means to access various job opportunities. Reaching out to the recruiters can pay you off professionally, so it is worth it. Today, it is very easy yet essential to connect with recruiters to enter your name into their consideration.

If you have planned to reach out to the recruiters, you must be now worried about the process of finding them. The common questions that job seekers ask are: how to find recruiters? And how to reach out to them to open up the possibilities for job search? Well, there are many ways to find recruiters, like asking for referrals from friends, family, and colleagues and searching them on LinkedIn or Google.

But first, what actually is a recruiter?

 A recruiter is a business professional responsible for finding qualified candidates on behalf of the organization and works to meet the expectations of the employer and employee in the hiring process. Recruiters may work for a recruiting agency that does the hiring process for multiple organizations. Some of the essential responsibilities of a recruiter are:

· They work to attract candidates to fill a company’s open position/s.

· They carry out the pre-screening of the prospective employees to check their aptitude and skills.

· They hire a qualified candidate for a company’s open position.

· They serve as the mediators between the company and the employee during the hiring process.

· They manage the job offer process.

· They ensure employee onboarding.

So, the role of recruiters in their organizations is hunting the best candidates. Remember, they are constantly looking for the best talent in the market as they direly need competent candidates. And that is what you, as a job seeker, must leverage.

Where can I find recruiters?

It is evident that you may be looking for channels where you can find recruiters. While referrals may be a good source, the three main ways you can get to a bulk of recruiters online are:

1.  Google:

What could be more easy and viable than Google to find something? Type your respective recruiter’s type, and you will get endless results, including recruiting agencies and the recruiters themselves. For example, if you search for Content writer recruiters on Google, you will get a lot of recruiters. A simple search can show many results, some of which are usually not relevant. Therefore, you should be more specific while searching; for example, you must type content writer recruiters indeed.com, etc.

2.  LinkedIn:

While Google is a good way to find recruiters, LinkedIn is the easiest and most trustworthy medium. First of all, you must get yourself familiar with the Advanced People Search function on LinkedIn. Click on the word ‘Advanced’ that is just next to ‘People’ on a LinkedIn page. When you access Advanced People search, you will find many fields that you can use to search for a recruiter. Search for the recruiters using the keywords and related terms. For example, you can search for content writer recruiters and may also specify a location. LinkedIn may show as many as results that resemble your search keys. So, it is better to search with the most specific keywords to get refined results.

3.  Recruiter directories:

Another way of finding them is through a recruiter directory. When searching on Google, you may find the websites that offer a list of recruiters fragmented according to their fields or geographic area. These websites provide enough information to help you contact the recruiters. So you can select the relevant information of relevant recruiters and use it to reach out to relevant recruiters.  

When to reach out to a recruiter?

It is one of the overlooked questions when it comes to contacting recruiters. You are not bound to contact a recruiter only when s/he posts about a relevant job vacancy. You can connect and reach out to them anytime because they can tell you about the job positions that may not be public yet. Time does not matter when it comes to contacting the recruiters. What matters is reaching out to the right recruiter and opening the path for opportunities.

Do’s and Don’ts of contacting a recruiter?

While thousands of job seekers message the recruiters, it is sometimes difficult for them to respond to each one of them in a timely manner. They use specialized executive search software to filter applicants and respond to them in bulk. However, the do’s and don’t can help you increase your chances of getting a response and building a relationship with the recruiter.

Do:

• Drop an email:

Email is the best way to send a brief overview of your professional experience to a recruiter. Most job seekers prefer calling over the phone, which is not a suitable option for reaching out to a recruiter. Recruiters can’t connect to all callers as they have hectic schedules. Also, the potential of the conversation is not as emphatic as an email. Let’s say if the recruiter has received the call but completely forgets about the conversation afterward, your effort will go in vain. Whereas, if you drop an email, the recruiter will read it any time, even a bit late if not immediately. Also, you can send a follow-up email to increase the chance of getting a response. In the case of LinkedIn, you can type a clear and concise message and send it to the recruiter. Interacting on LinkedIn is fairly easy as it provides insights if the recruiter has seen the message or not etc.

• Be precise:

When writing an email or message, it is essential to be clear and precise. If you send a page full of descriptions, the recruiter will lose interest immediately. Remember that recruiters get many messages like yours, and if a recruiter has an active inbox, you can imagine the number of messages he may get. Therefore, they prefer to skim the details and respond quickly. But if your text is too long and the format is inappropriate, you may not have good luck with that. Be precise about your education, working experience, and job positions you are seeking so that the recruiter can quickly tell you if she has something to offer you or not.

• Show interest:

The content of the message needs to show that you are interested in a particular job. However, you must avoid being desperate. Recruiters can quickly identify candidates who are ready to settle for anything. Honestly, companies do not need such candidates; they need competent candidates at any stake. So, it is essential to be flexible but not too flexible that overshadows your skills and abilities.  

• Contact recruiters within your industry:

One of the essential things is to contact a recruiter within your industry. It will save both your’s and the recruiter’s time. For example, if you seek a job as a graphic designer, you must reach out to an IT or a corresponding recruiter. It is essential to narrow down and be specific while searching for the recruiters so that you connect to a relevant recruiter.

• Be courteous:

By being courteous means being considerate about the tone, you use in the message. Remember that the recruiter’s duty is not your service; the interaction you make is solely for your benefit. Therefore, if the recruiter finds your tone harsh, rude, or offending, he will reject your request straightaway. It is highly required of you to be courteous as you ask the recruiter to consider you for a job.

Don’t:

• Don’t contact the wrong person:

The way the job seekers search for a job in a particular field, the recruiters hire employees of a specific area. With them, it is not the case of one fit for all. If you want to get a job related to marketing, you do not need to contact a healthcare recruiter and vice versa. Make sure you reach out to the right recruiter in order to meet your professional career goals.

• Never send the same message to all:

Most job seekers create a template of messages and send it to all recruiters that come their way. If that is your strategy, sorry to say, there are a few chances for you to stand out. It is a matter of high significance to personalize every message you are sending to a recruiter. It is essential to research before dropping a message to the recruiters. Analyze each recruiter and initiate a conversation accordingly. Also, avoid sending lots of personal information and sharing the resume with everyone in the first place. Send a resume only when the recruiter responds and asks you to send it. 

• Invade the other’s personal space:

Invading personal space means knowing your limits and avoiding getting frank with the recruiter too soon. The recruiters may show a welcoming gesture, but that does not mean that you get the permit to send friend requests on their personal social media pages. Recruiters have a business profile that binds them to interact and communicate with plenty of people; it does not mean that they are open to conversations on their private sites.

Recruiter outreach example 1(Email):

Recruiter Outreach Example 2(LinkedIn):