When we want to get a job, we know that there are loads of ways that we can seek out suitable positions. For instance, we can go online and search through the various job boards on the World Wide Web, and we can even search for jobs on the go using some handy smartphone apps.
But have you ever wondered how recruiters find those positions for job seekers in the first place? Here is some insight into the wonderful world of recruitment!
Word of mouth
The power of the spoken word is so great that it is used as a way to influence people and their decision-making on a daily basis. There is an old saying which is quite fitting in this context: “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know.”
Recruitment consultants and agencies have a plethora of contacts in their chosen industries. Even if there are no jobs suitable for you on their books, as it were, they will be able to match you up with employers that can utilise your skills – even if they aren’t openly advertising any positions!
Headhunting
Have you ever heard of the term “headhunting”? The term refers to the practice of contacting suitable candidates for a job, even if those candidates are already in employment and have not told recruiters that they want a new one!
Headhunters will only ever contact people they think are a perfect fit for a particular job. At the end of the day, everyone has got a price, and if a headhunter attracts you with the promise of a lucrative job opportunity elsewhere, you would certainly consider it rather than dismiss it.
Client databases
Arguably the most-common way for recruiters to find jobs for candidates is to search through their client databases.
The thing about recruitment agencies is that they don’t always advertise jobs on behalf of their clients; this is usually because they want to match up employers to existing candidates that have registered with their agency.
Recruitment agencies tend to use software solutions such as Darwin (http://www.darwin.com/recruitment-software/) to manage their clients and candidates; gone are the days where recruitment agencies used to have filing cabinets full of paper-based information!
Social networking
If you have exceptional talent and are looking for a new job, recruiters will do almost anything to match you up with a job – even if they don’t have any jobs that are currently advertised!
As you are probably aware, recruitment agencies earn their money by getting paid a commission from employers to find suitable candidates for them, and to handle all aspects of vetting and advertising.
It is not unusual for recruitment agencies to take to social networking websites such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter in order to find companies that are looking for new employees.
Recruiters “sell” their services to these companies by playing on the fact that it is time-consuming and costly for them to spend time advertising jobs, and that recruitment agencies can take care of the hard work, leaving them to focus on their daily tasks.