Do you avoid applying for jobs which are posted by recruitment agencies? In any recruitment process, out of the hundreds of job seekers who apply for a single job, only a handful of applicants are contacted for a shortlist screening and only one person is offered the role. This can leave a lot of disappointed people pointing their fingers at the advertiser to blame for them not getting the job. And with a lot of companies engaging in recruitment agencies to find candidates on their behalf, that advertiser is more often than not, a recruitment agency.

As a result of this reputation, one of the initial considerations that most people overlook while searching for a job is whether they must enlist the services of a recruitment consultant or simply apply directly to an openly advertised role themselves. Most people who have been successful in landing a job using the latter strategy will recommend sending emails and resumes directly to an employer. However, if you speak with a recruiter or head hunter who trusts you with the details of their client and wants to represent you for a role, the odds of getting this job are in your favour.

We would recommend that before you bypass recruiters and apply directly, you consider these points:

1. Missing Out on Interview Insights

When you apply directly to a company, you will always have limited information about your prospective hiring manager and also the interview process. You risk being pitted against a candidate who might have a seasoned recruitment consultant guiding them, who also has an established relationship with the interviewer. A good recruitment consultant will have insider information about the company, the hiring process and hiring managers. Recruiters, because of their reach and experience, are your advocate who will properly guide you and make sure that you make a lasting impression on the company.

2. You Don’t Want to Get Lost in a Sea of CVs

When you apply directly after seeing an ad online, what is the guarantee that your CV is reaching the right place? What prevents you from becoming another name in a pile of hundreds of CVs? You might be weeded out by a machine based on some keywords, which might or might not be in your CV. Your transferable skills and experience might not even be considered. And not to mention, cultural fit can triumph all and is difficult to convey in your CV.

Contrary to this, when you apply to a company through recruiters, you can leverage their industry relationships and get recommended to a particular organization.

3.  Can Help You Negotiate the Treacherous Salary Discussion

How do you get around to having the perfect salary discussion? You don’t want to come across as a drooling, money-hungry ogre and at the same time, you don’t want to get cheated out of what you truly deserve. Yet, somehow asking for more money somewhat feels awkward and there is every possibility that you may sell yourself short.

When you go through a recruiter, this headache is no longer yours and they can push for a bigger pay packet because a bigger pay packet for you also means bigger fees for them.

4. Do You Want to Seal the Doors for Future Representation?

Once your CV gets ‘lost’ in your dream company’s inbox or database, unknowingly for you, it becomes difficult to get employment there. How does that happen? Let’s say you applied to an organization and never heard from them. Now you go a recruitment agency and ask them to approach that company again. When the recruiter approaches, your desired company will tell them that they already have your name in their database and they might or might not invite you for an interview. Either way, there is nothing in this for the recruitment company. So not only can the recruiters no longer push for your case, they also lose out on any potential business.

In summary, do thorough research before searching for a job. Have a no-strings attached conversation with a recruiter or head hunter about how they think they can help you. No doubt there is the element of business and fee to every recruiter, but good recruiters are driven by other motivations also like client satisfaction. Plus, good recruiters have an in-depth understanding of the job market. Genuine recruiters will ask you to go at it alone only if they think it is in your best interest. It is a fact that recruiters only work with resources for which they can get a role. This reality should inspire confidence in people seeking employment.