Why recruiters don't always reply when you want them to

We get the message - from reading recent comments on eFinancialCareers articles, many of you aren't particularly enamoured with the service you're getting from recruiters.

That's why (in part I of a two-part series) we've asked a few consultants to address one of your key complains: not getting a good enough reply when you apply for a job.

Too many candidates, not enough headhunters

Don't always expect an immediate or personalised reply when you send your resume to recruiters. Try looking at things from their perspective...

The job market is still crowded with thousands of candidates who were retrenched earlier this year, says Guy Erricker, managing director, Charterhouse Partnership.

But the financial crisis has shrunk the size of many recruitment agencies, so the consultants who survived the cull are now overworked. They may simply not have enough time to give you an immediate, informative response.

Candidates from outside Asia are also helping to clog up consultants' inboxes. "There's a large supply of overseas talent looking to relocate to Asia. Candidates are still finding the US market very challenging. They have heard that HK is starting to bounce back quicker and are trying to hedge their bets here," says Katie Hogue, consultant, Astbury Marsden.

So what sort of reply should you expect?

If you're patient and wait a few days, you will almost certainly receive a reply of some kind. "In this market, this is a very sensitive issue. We have made it a point to reply to every candidate who makes an application for a particular job, even if we decide not to take it forward," says Farida Charania, director at search firm Nastrac.

But how good a reply you get depends on how relevant your CV is. Remember, recruiters are busy people and (however special you might feel) you are actually only one of many candidates on their books.

"As business person, I am wholly dependent on my network and relationships, therefore I put a high value on my candidate service, but I need to balance this with the pressure I have to deliver on short-term mandates and the competition I face from my competitors," comments Hogue.

Only strong job seekers receive phone calls. Recruiters won't ring you unless it's in their interests. "Every candidate gets an email response from their application, but it's highly unlikely that the candidate will get a call from the recruiter, if the recruiter isn't in a position to help," says Sam Belcher, manager, banking and financial services at Ambition in Singapore.

High calibre candidates who aren't quite right for the role they applied for might still received a personal reply. "If a candidate has a strong background and is relevant to the areas that we recruit in, we will contact him or her to arrange a meeting with us," says Erricker.

James Carss, director, banking and financial services, Hudson, agrees: "We would reply if the candidate is suitable on paper for the role, or if he or she still has a marketable skill set for other positions. We never under any circumstances forward a CV to a client without a) interviewing the person and b) getting the candidate's permission to send the resume to that particular employer."

But if a recruiter sees no value in your CV, don't be disappointed just to get a standard, impersonal "no thanks" email. You shouldn't expect anything more.

"If candidates don't get a personal response (i.e. a call or email from a consultant) within a few days, they will receive a notification that their background is not suitable for that particular role," explains Erricker.

Next week, in part II, we give you tips on how to communicate better with your consultant.