Five Ways to Make Your Meeting with a Recruiter Successful

When you meet with a recruiter about a job opening, keep in mind that the recruiter isn’t an employer and isn’t in a position to hire you. Her role is specialized, and her goals are specific. And those goals may not be readily apparent to you. You want to impress her, yes. But you also want to be yourself, share your intentions honestly, and let her do her job. Here are five smart ways to give her what she needs so she can help you as much as possible.

Listen before you speak.

Let the recruiter tell you as much as she wants to about the employers in questions and what they need from their ideal candidate. Ask questions and listen carefully to the answers before you begin making your case and describing your qualifications. You don’t know how to shine your brightest until you get a sense of what these people are looking for, so move forward one step at a time and take each step in the right order.

Be trustworthy and inspire confidence.

Before you know which of your skills and qualifications will attract the most attention, you can assume that two qualities signal readiness for almost any job: reliability and focus. Show up five minutes early for your meeting, dress professionally, sit up straight, and engage with the recruiter as if she’s the one hiring you (even though she isn’t). Don’t leave your coffee cup sitting on her desk, don’t chew gum, don’t make off-topic comments, and demonstrate a visible interest in the outcome of this meeting and how it may impact your professional future. Behave like someone a stranger would trust to handle an important task.

Share your needs and goals.

If you want to work only on evenings and weekends, or you need to work from home, now is the time to make this clear. If you can only accept a six-month contract, say so. If you really want to launch a career in marketing and you need a job that can move you forward, don’t hold back. Help the recruiter to help you.

Write things down.

You may think you’ll remember every detail of this conversation, but bring a notepad just in case. Jot down anything you learn about the job or the employer.

Take nothing personally.

Again, the recruiter isn’t working for you; she’s working for her employer client. So she’s considering your readiness for a specific role. She’s not evaluating your overall worth as a person or as a worker. Don’t take the results of this meeting too much to heart.

For more on how to set up a meeting with a recruiter and make the most of your time together, contact the experts at Extension.