Using a recruitment consultant

Searching online for job vacancies through a recruitment consultant is becoming increasingly popular among jobseekers in the UK. A specialist recruitment consultant can help you find that perfect job whether on a permanent or temporary basis. Likewise, if you are seeking a recruitment consultant to help you recruit for your business, there is likely to be one that best meets your needs.

When you are searching for a recruitment consultant online it is advisable to be as specific as possible. For example if you are looking for a recruitment consultant specialising in a specific sector, your key search words could be recruitment consultant retail sector. This will return a search of recruitment consultants who primarily place people in the retail sector.

Whether you are looking for a recruitment consultant to help you seek a job or recruitment services for your business, you may wish to consider the following advice when choosing and contacting a recruitment consultant.

If you’re a job seeker using a recruitment consultant:

A recruitment consultant generally specialises in specific categories of jobs, so it may be worth contacting a specific recruitment consultant to your needs. For example, FSS have recruitment consultants that offer some of the best roles for qualified Finance, Banking, HR and Technology professionals.
Remember that a good recruitment consultant should know the relevant marketplace and the skills required in it, in order to match your aspirations to available opportunities.
The recruitment consultant should make contact with you within a couple of days of receiving your details, however, if you haven't heard anything then contact the recruitment consultant to make sure they have received them.
Make contact with the recruitment consultant at least once a week to ensure you are at the forefront of their minds and they are pushing to find you a position.
In order to improve your chances don't limit yourself to just one recruitment consultant, contact at least three.
When contacting a recruitment consultant online, assess the confidentiality of the recruitment consultant’s website before submitting personal details - a reputable recruitment consultant will display their privacy and confidentiality policies online.
A recruitment consultant should abide by data protection regulations and you should be able to find out how long the recruitment consultant will keep your details.
Be wary of submitting your personal home details to a recruitment consultant - you may prefer to give them alternative methods of contact, such as e-mail.

If you’re an employer using a recruitment consultancy:

A well-regarded recruitment consultant should specialise in specific areas such as Banking, Public Sector, Commerce & Industry and it is worthwhile sourcing this type of recruitment consultant first, as they will be familiar with the sort of skill-sets that you require.
Contact at least three recruitment consultants to assess and compare the various services they can offer and what fees they charge.
Always be very clear with the recruitment consultant about exactly what you are looking for, this will help avoid time-wasting.
If you aren't happy with the quality of candidates the recruitment consultant is supplying, then feed this back to the agency. A good recruitment consultant will value any feedback as it helps them improve their service and avoids time-wasting.

FSS Finance recruitment consultants offer an honest, confidential, consultative Recruitment service to anyone involved within the finance, banking and Accountancy Jobs recruitment market. Visit www.fss.co.uk.

Visit our sister brand Crone Corkill, Secretarial, Administration and Office Job Recruitment Solutions