Many of us have many stories to tell about working with external recruiters during job searches. Some good, some not so good. It is no different than any other professional role–some folks you can collaborate well with and some present challenges. One of the key hurdles specific to recruiters is that you are working with them during a pivotal time in your personal life: your career transition points. That’s what makes these experiences stand out more.

With this in mind, I’d like to share and collect guidelines for candidates to use to ensure a best-in-class experience working with their present or next recruiter:

Guidelines for a Good Experience with a Recruiter

The Expectations

Before engaging with any recruiter, realize that the recruiter’s role is to serve the companies that pay him or her. The recruiter’s primary role is to find the very best candidate for a job.
Be clear about what you are interested in pursuing: type of job and company, size and location of company, company culture and type of clients. Also make sure your recruiter understands any question marks in your work history.
Set boundaries. Make sure your recruiter knows which companies you are pursuing on your own or are absolutely off your list.
Don’t assume you know the level of knowledge or size of your recruiter’s network. Many recruiters have “reach” into companies that may not even being hiring, yet.
Good recruiters should know a great deal about the company, employees, and the job itself. You can leverage this information.
Don’t expect recruiters to be career coaches. Those people are out there, too. These specialized coaches are professionals and can help more than a recruiter, especially when career direction is involved.
Only pursue jobs you really want. Wasting employers’ and recruiters’ time will hurt a reputation in the long run.

The Process

Recruiters should always let you know when and to whom your resume is being submitted. Make sure of this. Recruiters should NEVER submit your resume without your permission.
Stay in touch with your recruiter, but not too often. He/she may not be able to follow-up as often with you as you’d like, but you certainly can keep the line of communication open from your end (especially when there is recent activity to follow-up on). Many appreciate emails over phone calls so they can manage their day better. Communication is essential when your situation changes (i.e., another job offer pending).
It is not wise to work around your recruiter. With the best ones, you can build a relationship and trust. Be open about your desired strategies and come to agreement as to what the best approach is for each opportunity. If you circumvent the recruiter, the employer may view you as impatient or a rule-breaker.
Recruiters can help with the salary question. In many cases, there are other benefits (some monetary, some not) that a recruiter can share that helps with the decision.
Good recruiters act as your agent and move as swiftly as the employer process allows. Listen carefully to what the recruiter is saying about the timeline and make sure it sounds sensible.
In some cases, there is an online application or audio-screening. These are useful tools for conveying your fit for the job. It can also confirm if you truly want the position.
There is no requirement to work with only one recruiter; however, keeping track of what is going on with each is essential. Confusing these facts can lead to some embarrassing moments! And make sure you’re only submitted ONCE to any given opportunity.

The Resume

When submitting a resume to a recruiter, realize he/she looks at many resumes every week. Your resume should tell a story about you and convey your strengths. An accompanying email can have three bullet points about the job you are looking for, even if you’ve already discussed this on the phone.
Also realize that resumes having exact keyword matches as job requirements have a better chance of being reviewed by a recruiter.
Reasons resumes get rejected early in the process: spelling errors, small font, weak summary/objective statements, poor career progression, and unrelated experience.
A good recruiter can offer advice on your resume and fit for jobs you are discussing. Caveat: This typically happens only when the recruiter is working on a job that is a good match for you.

The Interview

Good recruiters are expert coaches in interviewing. If they don’t offer help for a scheduled interview they set up for you, I would question how good they really are.
Debrief with your recruiter after the interview. Let him/her know your thoughts on the company/job.

The Person

Good recruiters talk with a lot of people each week. Give them a little time to refresh their mind on your last conversations. The very best recruiters are super organized and can reference all notes and activity regarding you and the jobs your are working on together.
Consider a recruiter a life-long friend in your career process, not two ships passing in the night. If you have a well-established relationship with a recruiter, he/she is more likely to go beyond the norms to help you (or a friend) when you need it most. And, the recruiter will know you as a person, not just as a candidate. With this in mind, keep your recruiter appraised of all career changes.
The best way to return a favor to a recruiter is to network him/her to a new client you know is hiring.
Feel free to provide timely feedback, both to the recruiter and the employer. Both stand to learn from this first-hand information.

Originally posted to http://jefflipschultz.wordpress.com/2009/04/07/recruiting-your-recruiter-in-the-job-search/ on April 7th, 2009.