Who’s YOUR agent?

To some employers, there are only two types of workers: “permanent” and “temporary”.  Would you agree with me that in these shaky economic times, the term permanent holds little clout?  When you can throw a stone and hit any number of businesses in your community that have recently undergone down-sizing, RIFs, and other cutback measures, is there really such a thing as security and permanence when it comes to employment?

What does the word temp mean to you?  Is that a word you’d use to describe yourself at this point in your career?  Whether you’re self-employed or not, full-time or part-time, I hear the same lament from candidates every day who are reeling from the shock of finding themselves on the job market with no prior warning.  To associate-level and senior-level candidates alike, if you don’t immediately have a recruiter to call on for help when you need it, you may feel like someone whose house has just burned to the ground – and you didn’t have insurance.

Insurance is a great way to describe an effective recruiter/candidate relationship.  Recruiters, like architects, accountants, and attorneys, provide insurance to their clients by doing all the heavy lifting for them.  Any of you reading this blog could argue that you are more than capable of finding a job by yourself, without the aid of a recruiter.  I’ll use myself as an example.  I am a highly capable, efficient, organized, and determined woman.  There’s very little that I haven’t accomplished once I set my mind to it. Do I think that, given the right tools, materials, and knowledge base, I could build my dream house with my own hands?  Do my own taxes, and my friends’ and family’s taxes while I’m at it?  Or (heaven forbid) represent myself in a court case?  Of course I do!  Now…do I have the time to learn everything I’d need to learn to do each of these things successfully?  Maybe…if I don’t mind missing out on large chunks of my life in the process.

My point is that in this age of technological complexity made simple, when life throws us a surprise curve,  we do what makes the most sense.  Instead of trying to deal with the issue ourselves, we reach out to someone who is more knowledgeable in that area and let that specialist do the heavy lifting for us.  This is exactly what my candidates and my clients rely on me for.

A good recruiter treats every person she works with as an individual, and seeks to gain unique insight about that candidate before attempting to place him.  Most of you readers have been called by an out-of-area recruiter, talking a mile-a-minute, ready to offer you the “perfect opportunity!”  It’s those folks who have given recruiters a bad name over the years – the ones who treat candidates not as a valuable investment, but a mere obstacle that must be tackled and dragged to the finish line in order for the recruiter to win his money.

At the end of the day, we all can agree that despite our most altruistic efforts, we work because we need to earn a living.  But, I think the main thing that sets a good recruiter apart from the others is purpose.  A recruiter who is solely money-motivated will come across as a breezy, fast-talking, used-car salesman who will say whatever it takes to make a placement happen, regardless of any indications that the placement may not be in the best interest of the candidate or the client.  These types of recruiters treat all their candidates as temps.  To them, a candidate is only as good as the fee over his head.

My purpose is to improve the operations of my clients by connecting them with best of breed technologists.  I’m grateful every day to be able to help the people I represent realize their potential and achieve their goals.  With each successful placement, I am reminded that by doing what I love, I’m fulfilling my purpose.

I’m curious to know – what type of experiences have you had with recruiters?  Do you feel your skills and your needs were accurately represented by your recruiter? How do you feel the recruiter/candidate or recruiter/client relationship can be improved?