How NOT To Contact Recruiting Firms For Your Job Search

Recruiting firms, like Corporate Staffing Services, are very active in what they do and where they have a presence. You will find them on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Goggle+ where they are accessible to job seekers.While they might not be able to help every job seeker request, they do their best to share job search tips and give career advice.

With all sorts of inquiries they receive, there are some that paint job seekers in bad light. So when reaching out to recruiters for career advice, job search tips or for networking purposes, it’s important to give the best possible impression.

Related: 7 Top Recruitment Agencies In Kenya You Can Use To Get A Job

5 Things You Should Steer Clear Off When Contacting Recruiting Firms

1. Can you help me get a job?

I believe this is the most common question that we receive on a daily basis from job seekers. Do your research on the recruiting firm and get to know what kind of candidate services they offer. Don’t assume every recruitment firm finds jobs for candidates.

For example, Corporate Staffing Services recruits on behalf of her clients by finding candidates to fill a job. They do not search for jobs on behalf of the candidates. This is a key mistake that many job seekers make in their quest of finding a job.

Recruiting firms are happy to share advice and tips, but don’t go asking them to get you a job as they are not “job finders”.

2. Do you know anyone at Safaricom, EABL or PWC?

This is the second most inquired question recruiting firms get every day. We know you want to work for the big industry giants and you want a shortcut to get there. But recruiting firms are not your answer. You will have to network with the person you need without using a proxy.

Use LinkedIn to find the people you are looking for and drop them an introductory request. You know best what you want in terms of your career goals and the exact person to contact. The person we know might not offer the help you are after.

3. I have a degree in HR, do you have openings that fit my profile?

Recruiting firms handle dozens of openings at any given time. These openings are handled by different people or teams who only have real visibility to the opening they are recruiting. For every position they are recruiting for, it is always advertised on their website. It’s up to you to identify positions that speak to your career goals, interest and talents and apply.

Always take personal initiative to search online for positions that match your skills and interests and those you can pursue. Recruiters may never remember all positions they are recruiting, so you have to look them up.

4. Can you send me Bob Collymore/Darshan Chandaria email address/phone number?

This is the biggest of them all! These two people have LinkedIn profiles and I believe if they wanted every one of us to contact them, their email addresses and phone numbers would be public knowledge, but that’s not how they look at it. If someone has not shared their contacts publicly, it’s not appropriate to share someone’s contact details without their consent.

Make use of networking platforms like LinkedIn, drop an introduction request as discussed earlier, and the person will be in a position to decide if they would like to follow-up. The other alternative is to book an appointment with the person and make your case. But keep in mind that no recruiter with the ‘big weights’ contact details will share them with you.

5. Writing inquiries with weird salutations e.g. Hi Dear, Hi Buddy and grammatical errors

When reaching out with an inquiry or for advice, be sure to be formal and not use the above salutations. Such salutations will make your email become spam-blasted and even the recruiter will not take the time to look at it.

Such salutations and grammatical errors are the quickest way to turn off your recipient. Even if your inquiry is about a job, and by heaven’s grace the recruiter knows of an opening, they will not recommend you as you do not pay attention to details.

The next time you are going through a recruitment firm’s website and you want to drop them an email, kindly steer clear of the things above as they will not increase your job search. Be formal and ask things that will propel you towards your career growth.

Related: 5 Best Ways On How To Use Recruitment Firms