For those who have little experience of using recruitment services the process of signing up and entrusting your job hunting to someone else can be a little daunting. Not only is this true for job hunters but can also apply to employers as well who are using recruitment services for the first time. Part of this is understanding what services a recruitment agency will be able to provide and what tasks will remain in your own sphere of influence. The following article is advice to job hunters on how a recruitment agent may aid your search.



First and foremost you must realise that the services offered by a recruitment agent are not there to act as your own personal job hunting system. It is not actually their responsibility to carry out the tasks of searching the internet sites and newspapers to find you suitable jobs. An agent is there to supply you with jobs that come into their database that match your criteria, as such they are limited by the jobs they have access to and hence will only be able to supply you with jobs within their database. Unfortunately you will still have to do much of the job hunting legwork yourself.

Of the recruitment services out there they can generally be classified into two different categories. These are labelled as retained and contingency. A retained recruiter will normally have contracts with a number of companies, these contracts give the recruiter permission to find candidates on the businesses' behalf as and when positions are needed.

The other form of recruitment services out there are contingency recruiters. These do not have contracts and are not usually contacted until a position is needed. The fundamental difference between the two forms of recruitment are the way in which they are paid, retained recruiters are paid over a period whilst contingency recruiters are paid on a pro rata system for the job positions they fill. Both ultimately have the same task however, to provide their clients with as many suitable candidates as possible when job positions become available.

If you have a clear idea of the industry you are expecting to enter it is usually advisable to make use of recruitment services related to that specific industry. This is important as many recruiters do not particularly like having to find work for candidates who are either unsure of the career they would like to embark upon or who are changing the industry in which they work. This is rarely personal it is purely down to the fact that recruitment services want to supply their clients with the best candidates possible; understandably they dislike presenting unqualified or inexperienced candidates.

A great way to make yourself more appealing to recruitment services is to make it clear that you are able to relocate; it is rare that they will be able to find a vast array of jobs within your immediate vicinity; subsequently by making yourself available for jobs further afield you increase your chances of finding work. In addition to this, if you use recruitment services that have been used by friends and family in the past, you increase your chances of finding work; especially if your contact used the recruiter successfully.

It is important to build a good relationship with your recruiter when you go to meet them, by doing this you will stay fresher in their mind and hence improve your chances of being put forward for positions. Also, it is worth keeping in regular contact with your recruiter, if they are aware that you are still looking for work you will improve your chances of finding a job.

Finding a job is all about percentages, by using the services offered by recruiters you only increase your chances of finding work. If you really want to be successful you must use recruitment agencies in addition to your own efforts. So keep the energy up and good luck.