If you’re hunting for a new career at a great company, a professional recruiter can make your search faster and easier. However, not all staffing agencies are built the same, so it helps to know how to find a recruiter that will work to make sure you find the perfect career and company fit for you.

Before you begin your search to find a recruiter, we have a few key pieces of advice we’d like to share to ensure your choice benefits you and your career search. Read on to learn the five best tips for how to find a recruiter best fit to help you land your dream career.

5 Tips for How to Find a Recruiter

1. Understand What a Staffing Agency Is

Before you can answer the question of “How do I find a Recruiter?” it helps to know exactly what a staffing agency is. 

A staffing agency is a helping hand in the job search process. Working with a staffing agency is a partnership between you and a professional company. Their trained professionals make finding the right career fit easier, if not quicker, than searching on your own. 

Staffing agencies work to match job seekers to their ideal careers and open job opportunities in everything from direct-hire, full-time, and contract positions to part-time and temporary employment. Some staffing agencies even specialize in specific fields, which can help you in your own career search.

2. Find a Recruiter with Experience in Your Profession

Finding a recruiter specializing in your area of expertise gives you a unique advantage in the job search. Not only will a specialized recruiter be able to offer a broader range of industry connections, but their experience in working with industry professionals makes them an invaluable resource for matching you to competitive positions that you may have otherwise considered unobtainable. For instance, CRG’s recruitment specialists offer industry-leading staffing services for specialized fields such as:

  • Information Technology
  • Accounting & Finance
  • Human Resources
  • Sales & Marketing
  • Administrative & Customer Service
  • Procurement & Supply Chain

To date, we have helped make more than 12,000 placements in these specialized fields.

When choosing a recruiter, don’t hesitate to ask about their credentials and what experience they have working with others that specialize in your field. This is your job search. You have a say in who can help you find the right fit!

3. Don’t Be Afraid to Ask Questions

Like we said before, working with a recruiter is a partnership in your job search, not a one-way street. As such, you should never be afraid to inquire about the process or their credentials. Here are a few questions you may consider asking a prospective staffing agency to decide if they are the best fit for you: 

  • What should I expect out of the partnership?
  • When was the last time you placed someone with my background?
  • Do you provide any support after finding a position?
  • Do you offer any career training?
  • What is your standard placement process?
  • How long does the hiring process typically take?
  • What are the details of the job you’ve found for me (turnover rate, if others have turned down the job, employee satisfaction, etc.)?

Understanding what your partnership will consist of before you spend any time working together will help make your decision to work with them easier. It will also help give you a baseline understanding of what the relationship should look like, helping reduce any frustration, uncertainty, or miscommunication in the process. 

When you work with CRG, we provide expertise and advice to help you find your dream career. We will teach you the best ways to be discovered and how to stay relevant to your profession. We do what’s in the best interest of our clients and candidates, so if, after speaking with you, we realize we are not the best fit to find you your most rewarding career, we’ll point you to someone that is. We are straightforward and transparent, with good and the not-so-good news, and maintain regular communication so you are never left wondering what’s going on in your job search.

4. Be Open & Honest

Truth and transparency are key to any good relationship. The same can be said for your partnership with your new staffing agency or the staffing agency you are considering working with.

Honest communication and sharing all of the necessary information about your career aspirations, like where you thrive and what you believe may be holding you back, are key components to finding your most rewarding career. Don’t shy away from listing your accomplishments, credentials, or other specialized skills that set you apart from other potential candidates. Here are a few ways you can maintain an honest and open line of communication with your recruiter:

  • Do you have specialized training or credentials that you believe set you apart? Share them with your recruiter.
  • Don’t be afraid to check in and follow up about how the job search is going, good or bad. It’s your job search after all!
  • Are you thinking about taking a job outside of the staffing agency? Let your agent know. They may be able to help you directly or through other supportive methods.
  • Don’t be afraid to say “no” if a job opportunity doesn’t feel like the best fit for you.
  • Don’t be afraid to ask about what skills make you stand out or what skills you should work on. As an industry professional, they should know what qualities will set you apart from other candidates.

5. Read Reviews

It’s always easier to get bad reviews before good ones, so when you find positive reviews about other job seeker’s experiences with a certain agency, that can be a strong indication of their capabilities and client dedication. Before deciding whether to work with a staffing agency, we strongly recommend reading their customer reviews so you can gain insight into the agency’s leadership and processes, along with how other job seekers like yourself feel about working with them.

Why Choose CRG as My Staffing Partner?

At CRG, we take pride in helping job seekers like you find your dream career. Our values of honesty and teamwork are the cornerstones of our mission, and we pride ourselves on our partnership-focused mentality and ongoing candidate support before, during, and long after you’ve found the right career and company fit for your life.

Our team of specialized recruiters takes the time to build a relationship with you to identify your strengths and weaknesses, what sets you apart, and what might be holding you back. When you work with us, we do everything in our power to provide quick, effective feedback, exclusive training and interview tools, and clearly define the next steps in your career search. Regardless of the interview outcome, your CRG recruiter will be there to support you. 

When we do find your dream career, we help manage the transition by scheduling interviews, handling counteroffers and HR-related inquiries by scheduling regular check-ins to ensure your new career journey is going smoothly. You can learn more about what makes CRG different through our customer testimonials.

Think CRG staffing agency could be a great fit for your career goals? Contact us today to learn more about our placement process, and to discuss the career opportunities waiting for you through CRG!