Guest comment: How to choose a recruitment consultancy

Belinda Martin, manager at financial services recruitment company Joslin Rowe, offers advice on how to choose the right recruiter for you.

Some cynics might argue, after fielding rather too many headhunting calls of the cold variety, that it's not so much "how to choose a recruitment consultancy", as "how to avoid being chosen". But that's just the cynics, and whatever they might say, there is no doubt that if you want to change jobs it helps to be proactive. And you can't just rely on flicking through Monster to get you where you want to go.

So how do you choose? Here's our step-by-step guide:

* Ask a friend: Consult your friends or ex-work colleagues in similar fields - ask who they've used in the past, and who they'd recommend. A good recruitment firm will generally source at least a third of its new candidates via word of mouth from satisfied customers, so this is one of the quickest and most effective ways of finding a great agency. And your friend will probably be onto a winner too: most agencies offer the original referrer a small reward for recommending new people - ranging from a bottle of champagne to high-street shopping vouchers.

* Do your own research: If you can't ask anyone else for their opinion, or if you're worried your friend's head has been turned by the promise of a golf shop voucher, you will need to do your own research.

The place to start is to look for a recruitment consultancy that specialises in the area you work in. This might sound obvious but there are lots of agencies that do a little bit of everything, and what you need to find is a recruitment firm that is an expert in your field. Take a look in your industry trade press for recruitment firms advertising or commenting on industry issues, or look online via Google for the areas you wish to work in - for example, a search for 'newly qualified accountancy jobs London' should provide you with some ideas.

It's generally best to use an agency that has the capability to find both temporary and permanent jobs, as it gives you greater flexibility in your job search. Some agencies still only do one or the other.

* Check the websites: Next visit the websites of your shortlisted recruitment firms. This will give you an idea of their pedigree (When were they established? Have they won any awards for service?), the clients they recruit for (Does their client list look impressive? Are clients happy to have their logos displayed?), and their current vacancies.

* Be selective: Finally, make your decision and call or send your CV to your preferred agency. Remember, there's very little point in blasting out your CV to all and sundry. These days most clients operate strict preferred-supply lists of who they will and won't deal with. If you've done your research the agency you choose will invariably be the one with the pick of the jobs.