Creating a Great Recruiter-Candidate Relationship

June 25, 2019 – Creating a good candidate-recruiter relationship should be a top priority for the best candidate recruitment possible. Having an open, honest and trustworthy relationship with one’s recruiter is important, especially as they help make big decisions in career moves.

Being a committed recruiter ensures the candidate will end up happy and content at their next job, according to Chris Murdock, co-founder and chief sourcing officer of IQTalent Partners, in a new report. “Candidates need to trust their recruiter as they have their best interest in mind,” he said. “Sometimes it can take a while for the recruiter to find the perfect job.”

They could help find you a mediocre job option right away, but wouldn’t it be worth it to wait a little longer for the perfect job fit? “Candidates, trust the process and be patient,” Mr. Murdock said. “Recruiters, always respond to your candidate and continue to be accessible to them. Recruiters have to be open to understanding how the candidate may be feeling throughout this process.”

“From the initial application to the interview, the recruiter feels a form of success as they get the candidate to where they are supposed to be,” he said. “However, this may not be the same for the candidate as they are most likely stressing about if they’re going to get the job or not.”

Chris Murdock is a veteran of the recruiting and talent acquisition industry with 20 years of experience spanning across multiple industries. He founded IQTalent Partners in 2009 and now leads search execution and client relationships for the 150- person firm. Prior to establishing IQTalent, Mr. Murdock worked with Yahoo!’s internal executive recruiting team, gaining in-depth experience across the technology recruiting sphere. He began his career working for Heidrick & Struggles and TMP Worldwide.

Mr. Murdock said that it is OK to worry, but to remember the recruiter has your best interest in mind and wants you to succeed. The recruiting process is about balancing a candidate’s interests with a company’s needs, but more importantly, it’s about finding the right people for the right positions (i.e. candidate fit and job fit).

Aligning Candidates to Company Culture

Recruiters need to have a strong relationship with candidates in order to match people to the company culture. It is crucial to get to know each other on a personal and professional level. Some companies have big teams and fast-paced environments, whereas others have small teams with more flexibility. Knowing certain demographics and psychographics can help piece this puzzle together.

“Candidates cannot have a successful job placement if the recruiter doesn’t truly know them,” Mr. Murdock said. “Get comfortable and be personable with each other before jumping right into the job-finding mode. Learn about each other’s personalities, interests and what they like and dislike. Yes, recruiters need to know experience, location and qualifications, but it’s also important to know lifestyle choices, attitudes and personality. This can help when it comes to ensuring a fit into the company culture.”

Why Trust is the Most Critical Ingredient to a Successful Search
“Interestingly, there may not be anything in our lives that is more foundational to both business and personal relationships than trust and yet, for most of us, we have never really thought about what builds trust and what diminishes trust,” said Mr. Harding. 

It is necessary for both the recruiters and candidates to be fully engaged throughout the entire process. “Putting yourself in each other’s shoes can be beneficial when it comes to understanding each other,” said Mr. Murdock. “Candidates need to know recruiters do a ton of behind the scenes work for their candidates because after all, you are their source of revenue.”

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In addition, recruiters must understand candidates’ motives and career goals to be able to make an informed decision. “This can be accomplished by communicating and being honest with your candidate,” Mr. Murdock said. “To provide a competitive edge and to meet the candidate’s needs, it’s essential to constantly check in with them and give honest feedback. Every good relationship has honesty, communication and understanding.”

Both the recruiter and candidate have the same goal. Recruiters want to find candidates a job, and candidates want a job. If you are both on the same page, success is already in the works. There are many great recruiters out there who not only do their job but go above and beyond to care and be invested in the success of their candidates.

How to Build Client Relationships One by One
Building a relationship with a new client starts with a conversation. That sounds obvious and simple enough. Yet that conversation is a significant event. Maybe it is the beginning of a single transactional assignment. Or maybe it is the start of a rewarding partnership that will go on for years.

“Good recruiters don’t just want to get their candidates a job, they want to get them a job they like and will excel at,” Mr. Murdock said. “When companies are recruiting employees, they are hoping to find a broad talent pool with lots of available candidates. It’s valuable to the candidate that they find the right career placement, and to secure those jobs, recruiters have to make informed decisions that are backed with goals in mind. When the goals of candidates and recruiters are aligned, both will succeed.”

The Many Benefits

Once you find a good recruiter and establish a great relationship with them, you will start to see the benefits. “Candidates search out recruiters to help make good career choices,” Mr. Murdock said. “It is then the recruiter’s responsibility to support them in accomplishing their goals. A great candidate-recruiter relationship assures recruitment success.”

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From start to finish, the recruitment and hiring process can seem like a giant maze that is hard to navigate. When candidates work with a recruiter, and recruiters give their full effort, the maze becomes easier to operate. It can be hard for a candidate working alone to find all the employers seeking the perfect fit for their company. Recruiters can help get rid of the jobs that don’t fit and highlight the ones that do.

“A good candidate-recruiter relationship is important because it puts the candidate’s best interest in mind, finds a culture fit within a company and ensures goals are met,” Mr. Murdock said. “This ultimately leads to successful candidate recruitment. The greatest benefit of a strong candidate-recruiter relationship is a success — for the recruiter finding a job and the candidate getting a job. Through honesty, communication and understanding each other, the best outcome you’re both searching for is bound to happen.”

Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor; and Andrew W. Mitchell, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media