Dealing with Recruiters

• A recruiter is hired by the city or county to find just the right person for the job, not to give you a job opportunity. It is up to you to convince the recruiter you are the right person for the job.
• Remember, you need the recruiter more than she/he needs you, do whatever you can to make the recruiter's job easier.
• Never apply for a job unless you feel certain you are willing to take it if it is offered to you.
• If you are offered the job and the salary offered is what it was advertised at, then you are expected to take it for that salary. Do not expect to negotiate more.
• If a recruiter gives you advice, follow it (or at least give it serious consideration).
• Show interest. When a recruiter is advertising a job, feel free to call and ask him/her about it. Ask what the competition is going to be like, and ask specifically what the City is looking for. You do not want to be a pest, but still ask.
• Make sure your resume is accurate and puts you in the most positive light possible
• If you have any skeletons in the closet which are likely to come out, tell the recruiter. You do not have to tell them in your first conversation but you will need to tell them before they put you in the finals. That way the recruiter will be able to present any potential concerns in the best possible light. The worst thing that can happen to you and the recruiter is for the recruiter and his/her client to be blind-sided. You will likely lose the job opportunity, and the recruiter will lose credibility. You certainly do not want the latter to happen if you ever want that recruiter to work with you again.
• If there are community activists out there who do not like you, tell the recruiter.
• If the recruiter does not put you in the finals and you feel you should have been, ask for the rationale of why you did not make it.
• If you were given an interview but do not get the job, ask the recruiter for feedback.
• Be careful what you say about different recruiters. It is an amazingly small community we are in. Some recruiters do not appreciate candidates who complain about them, especially if the candidate does not raise the issue with the recruiter directly first.