Recruiters will put very enticing job advertisements onto the Internet so that you apply for them. They then get in touch with you asking you to sign up with their agency. Though it is not a direct job offer, them contacting you may indicate they have jobs available that will suit you. You may now wonder how to respond to a recruiter. Here is a little advice from Ava Williams from the resume writing service Resumeble.com.
How To Respond To A Recruiter Inquiry
Source:upjourney.com
Perhaps you are not looking for a new job full-time, and you were just interested in the job you applied for. If that is the case, you may like to inform the recruiter of that. You can explain that you are happy in the job you are currently in, but you may be willing to sign up if the “specific” job you applied for is available.
What About The Right Opportunity
Perhaps you are only interested in certain jobs or certain opportunities, and you are not looking to sign up fully. In that case, you may wonder how to respond to a recruiter via email or over the phone.
You can explain your situation, and perhaps explain which sorts of jobs you are looking for. You may inform them that you are not going to sign up, but that they can leave you on their email list. If perhaps the right job comes along, you may give them permission to contact you. Otherwise, you are not willing to sign up just yet, but may do so in the future if the right job comes along.
Are They Offering full-time or Temporary Work
Learning how to respond to a recruiter involves getting what you want. Remember that it is them wanting you, so do not worry too much about chasing them. Many recruiters and recruitment companies will only offer part-time or temporary work. When responding to a recruiter, you shouldn’t commit yourself right away. You should find out if they offer the sort of working hours you want.
For example, if you want temporary work, part-time work, or full-time work, then you should let them know. There are some recruiters that only offer certain types of work at certain hours. If they are not offering the sort of hours you want, then you should reply to recruiter emails with further questions and get your answers first before you decide to sign up (or decide not to sign up).
Again, to make it very clear, the recruiter is the one who should be chasing you. There is no obligation to sign up, and if they will not work with you or answer your questions until you sign up, then run for the hills. If the company is putting pressure on you to do anything, then there is something wrong and you should avoid them.
Source:themuse.com
What if The Recruiter Is Very Eager to Offer Work
Responding to a recruiter can be very tricky if they are trying to get you to sign up quickly and get to work right away. It is trick you because there are two types of rush-rush recruiter. There are the types who are looking to have you sign up quickly so they can steal your information and/or rip you off. Then, there are those who are under pressure from employers to get workers very quickly.
For example, the construction industry, the sailing industry, the manufacturing industry, the warehouse industry and the call center industry sometimes has peak periods. These are times when they desperately need workers, and so will put pressure on recruiters and recruitment agencies for more workers. If you are getting rushed by a recruiter, ask for specifics about the job itself, and then look up the job.
Agree to work if you want the job but get some information about the job and do some research on the job before completing the paperwork. For example, even Amazon warehouses put pressure on recruiters in October, November and December because of the seasonal Christmas rush. During those months, you may find overly eager (but legitimate) recruiters trying to push you into signing up quickly and getting you started very quickly.
Agreeing to Sign Up to Look for Work
Source:tht.org.uk
Let’s say that you are looking for jobs in the Early Years sector, and a requirement company or recruiter specializes in Early Years work. If that is the case, you may simply reply to the recruitment company or recruiter explaining what you want and agreeing to sign up.
In these cases, and in the example given, you simply need to make sure you and the recruiter are under the same impression. As per the example, you would confirm that you are looking for Early Years jobs, and that you are happy to sign up with that recruitment company if they are willing to offer Early Years Jobs.
The Inevitable, Though Important, Warning
Before you reply to recruiter emails, remember that, “All that is gold does not glitter, but all that glitters is not always gold.” In other words, you may be very happy that recruiters are contacting you, but even the ones that appear legitimate will not have your best interests at heart.
Luckily, we live in an online society where the worst offenders will grow an ever worsening online reputation so you can spot them quickly. Companies like Glass Door help you to see what it is like working for a certain recruiter. However, many of them change company names bi-annually in order to outrun their bad online reputation.
Remember that some recruiters are just after all your information so they can sell your ID, so beware who you give out your information to, including photocopies of your ID, and your payment information. Also, if the company wants any sort of money from you, even a few dollars for admin fees, then you must run.
No legitimate recruitment company will ever take money from you. At the very worst, they will dock your pay for things like safety boots, but otherwise, they should be the ones paying you, not you paying them.
Final Thoughts – Should I Be Selling Myself in My Response?
No, you should not. If a recruiter or recruitment company has contacted you, then they already know a little bit about you and are probably interested in having you sign up. They probably want you to apply properly and hand over your resume such. With that being the case, there is no need to explain how you have experience or qualifications, you need simply reply to their questions and then consider signing up with them (after you have done enough research into them and the jobs they offer).
There is no need to win them over. In fact, they should probably be trying to win you over in order to get you to sign up. Also, keep in mind that you are allowed to sign up for as many recruitment agencies and recruiters as you wish, even if they are directly competing. And you may sign up even if you already have a job. However, maybe let them know that you have a job and where you work. The last thing you want is for them to submit your resume back to fill in openings in the company you are already working for. That would be a little embarrassing.
