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Hi everyone, I hope you guys are having a good day. I applied for the Associate Solution Consultant, SC Academy position and was asking to see how I can make my application stronger. I am a technology consultant at a small firm with 1-year of experience at that company. I hope I can chat with anyone and connect. If maybe the chat goes well I can be referred for this position. Thank you guys and have a good day!
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Confidentiality is SO important. I cannot tell you the number of associates I have worked with over the years who were unaware that a prior recruiter papered their resume all over the city without permission. You need to confirm that under no circumstances will your name or resume get into the hands only any firm without your direct permission.
If you are interested in exploring the market, I would recommend talking to or meeting with a couple recruiters locally and see who you trust and who you are comfortable with. IMO, it is no different than picking a financial advisor or real estate agent. You need to be able to trust that they are working for you and your best interests, they understand what you want, and they listen to what you are telling them.
Good luck!
The above comments are great. I would add that honesty and responsiveness is key. I’ve been ghosted by so many recruiters (mostly working within firms but not only) and it’s simply unprofessional. This is hard to assess at the outset, but a good recruiter will always have feedback for you- whether it’s good, bad, or neutral (e.g. “This process is taking longer than anticipated and the team has not yet made a decision”). They should keep you informed and you should have a certain degree of transparency into the hiring process itself within reason. If the response is negative, they should try and get feedback for you so you know why things didn’t work out. As much as possible, you should never be left wondering what happened.
(1) knowledge of the market
(2) partner level relationships in your target market
(3) persistence
(4) how they frame you as a candidate
(5) selectivity (you don’t want a recruiter who is pitching ten candidates to the same firm)
I agree. That's really what lateral attorneys should be looking for when partnering up with a professional in whom they are essentially trusting something as important as their career. An expert in the field, not a salesperson working the entire country. Point 1 also encompases a close, working relationship with local clients on a truly professional and expert level. For example, I practiced law extensively throughout Texas (and still hold an active license) for over 12 years before transitioning to HR/coaching/recruiting. I only place associates, partners, and groups in Texas. I cannot stress enough how beneficial and advantageous it has been to have a strong network and peer-level, subject matter expertise within my State.
In addition to all of this feedback, you really want someone who will thoroughly canvas the market for you. There are some recruiters who only look at job postings, but other recruiters will proactively reach out to firms (confidentiality) in your desired Market. I place well over half of my candidates in unposted opportunities, so that is huge.
I echo the sentiments of everyone before me, but want to emphasize the comment of "how a recruiter frames a candidate." I work with many high-level candidates that want something different (practice change/tweak, etc) which takes creativity and nuance to get firms to entertain (in addition to market knowledge and relationships).