GUEST COMMENT: This is why you should use a recruitment consultant when you’re looking for a job in Ireland

You may argue that we are biased, but there are many valid reasons for using a recruitment consultancy – in Ireland and elsewhere – when you’re looking for a new job.

Most importantly, many professionals will not want to approach companies directly for fear of losing confidentiality and exposing themselves as someone who is not dedicated to their current employer. By using a third party your anonymity is preserved until the time is right to reveal your identity. It is also a practical step if you are in a senior position as executive jobs are not always made public and it can be difficult to hear about them if you are not working with a recruiter.

Recruiters have contacts in industries and at companies that you might not even be aware of. They can help market your CV to the right people and provide you with additional exposure to potential employers.

Recruiters spend a large part of their day speaking with decision makers in the market. A good recruiter is someone who is able not only to assess your key competencies and skills, but find an organisation where you will fit in culturally, which is of utmost importance. This is something that you would not necessarily know without “insider contacts”, as interviews can often create a false environment which is not indicative of the day to day working environment of the organisation.

A recruitment consultant acts as an objective third party between the candidate and the client thus eliminating any pressure on the candidate who may feel awkward and uncomfortable discussing salaries, benefits and career progression with a stranger.

Many organisations are not openly recruiting at present – if an organisation has undergone a redundancy programme where they have had to let a number of their staff go, it is often inappropriate to then be advertising for new positions. Recruitment consultants are often given the ‘heads-up’ by their clients who will tell them that even though they are not officially recruiting, they would like to see strong CVs for a particular business area.

With this in mind candidates should bear the following criteria in mind when assessing which consultancies meet their needs:

 Consultancy client base – which clients does the recruitment consultancy work with and is this client base representative of the career path you wish to take?

 CV ownership – the candidate should have complete control over the whereabouts of their CV. Some consultancies will often send the CV to clients without the express permission of the candidate. Do not tolerate recruitment consultants who send your CV to clients without you knowing it - this is completely unacceptable behaviour and under no circumstances should you feel pressurised into working with them as a result.

 Consultant remuneration – does the consultancy work on a commission basis? Consultancies that work on a direct commission basis can sometimes let the prospect of commission override the needs of the candidate. Look for a consultancy that does not directly remunerate their staff on the volume of placements they make but targets people on client retention, repeat business and candidate referrals.

 Candidate care and satisfaction - the candidate should also feel that they have a right to ask about the consultancies policy towards candidate care. The end result of this is that the candidate should feel that they have entered into a trusted working partnership that lasts their entire working career rather than a one-off transaction.

 Consultant credibility – does the consultant understand my needs and the business/role I want to work in? It is vital that the candidate feels that they are speaking to credible consultants with relevant industry/market knowledge. Make sure you trust the consultant and are therefore 100% honest with them and expect/demand 100% honestly and confidentiality at all times. Ask how much experience your recruiter has. It is important that they have industry experience and are a specialist in your business sector.

 Confidence - most importantly, you should have confidence in the consultancy that you choose to work with. They should act ethically and responsibly on your behalf; and represent you to the market place accurately.