Let's face it, trying to get a new career in the current market place can be a difficult, challenging and frustrating task, with record numbers of unemployment, and dwindling vacancies in many sectors, where do you turn to for help?

There are 6 basic and well recognised ways to find a new role, and they are:

Local & National newspaper and specialist publications.

Internet: recruitment sites, CV sites, etc.

Recruitment companies

Approaching companies direct

Job centres

Word of mouth, using your own contacts

Whichever one you choose, and more likely you will choose more than one if not all methods, chances are you are going to be dealing with the dreaded 'Recruitment Agencies', love them or hate them, they can be an integral part of the entire recruitment process, and dealing with them can of course be a challenging and frustrating task also.

Of course as with everything in life Recruitment Agencies come in all shapes and sizes, and cater to different market sectors, some are highly professional, friendly and a pleasure to deal with, and some……aren't.

So what's the secret, is there a secret??, well yes and no!, there are some very important points to remember though, if you use some of them, they should help you through the process and perhaps make things a little easier to understand, try and put yourself in the recruiters position, try and understand what they are looking for, what's important and whether you are a good match or not.

1. Know what you want!

There is nothing more frustrating for a recruiter than a Candidate who is completely open and doesn't know what they want, because you can almost guarantee that every time you come up with an idea it won't be of interest!, so you may well find that if you say to a recruiter that you are completely open, that they may not have much for you!

So take your time and think about the type of role you really want, and more to the point the sort of role that you will be able to gain, always remember your earning potential lies with what you know.

2. Research the market place

The internet has opened the market place up so much over the past 10 years, that it is so much easier to find what you need on the 'information super highway', so don't just look for jobs, look for specialist agencies, websites, or publications, don't just rely on someone to do the searching for you, be proactive and think outside the box!

3. Present yourself professionally

I can't emphasize this one enough, an obvious one you might think, but I still find it amazing that people don't take the time or effort to present themselves professionally, there can be no excuse for poor spelling or grammar, if you aren't sure then ask a friend, get it done professionally, it is not your recruiters job to rewrite your CV, (although invariably they do!), and please remember CV's should be no more than 2 or 3 pages absolute maximum.

4. Be realistic in your expectations!

When applying for a vacancy, please ensure that you understand what is being advertised and whether or not your skills and experience meet the criteria, of course not all vacancies are always as specific as perhaps they should be, but if a vacancy states what the Candidate MUST have or what is 'desirable' and you don't have that experience or don't come close, then you are only opening yourself up for a 'rejection' or worse still no response. All to often as recruiters we can receive applications for highly detailed and specific vacancies that don't even come close to matching the criteria, this of course can be very frustrating, however I always try to respond to every CV or application I receive, I know that many of my colleagues don't necessarily do the same, all I can say in their defence is that it can be very challenging handling the sheer volume of response numbers.

5. Send a brief covering letter and keep in contact

Wherever possible try to send a one or two paragraph covering letter outlining why you feel you would be suitable for the role alongside your CV, this may well be a good opportunity to keep point 4 above in mind!, and try to answer any questions that your CV may leave open, if your CV states that you left your last role 6 months ago, or you live 100 miles away, then you need to state what you have been doing, or that you are relocating to the area, Recruiters are busy people, and at times if there are too many unanswered questions, your CV may end up on the 'maybe' pile as opposed to the 'contact' pile!

Keep in contact with the recruiter, a brief call before sending in your details or a call a few days after to chase things up will keep the recruiter focused on you!, this may sound obvious, but the fact is the majority of people don't do this, so it will set you out from the crowd!, try to build a little rapport with the recruiter, make them work for you, you will be much more likely to get assistance if you are prepared to work for it.

6. Decide who to approach

Coming back to point 2 above, spend time researching who is worth approaching then pick up the phone and talk to people, remember that most recruiters will have their own key clients that they work with on a consistent basis, so at times it can be a case of safety in numbers, one quick word on CV databases here: there are a number of companies that offer a facility where you can download your CV and let the recruiters come to you, and like everything else some of these are good and some bad, the main thing to remember here is that if you register with some of the bigger companies, you can and will get a lot of calls from recruiters that may well promise the earth, and want you to come along and register here there and everywhere, my advise is simply this, if you are prepared for this to happen then go for it, but make sure that you speak to everyone that calls you, try to be patient as someone at some stage may well have the perfect opportunity for you, it could be the first caller or the twenty first caller!!. Also if you are being asked to travel a long distance to go and register with an agency, make sure it is worth your while, always try to ensure that they have a very specific vacancy they want to discuss with you.

7. Be patient

As mentioned previously Job hunting can be a frustrating business, and you have to learn from the advice you are being given, so bearing in mind point 4, if you would like to understand why you have not been selected for a role that you feel you are a perfect fit for, then ask the recruiter why you have not been considered, and use the feedback given in a constructive manner, learn from it and then try to redirect your thinking.

I specialise in Sales & Marketing recruitment and I often have the same conversation with Candidates, which goes along the lines of…”well I believe I am a good sales person and a good sales person can sell anything!”, now where I agree with this (to an extent!), as a professional recruiter I have to be led by my client, and if my client states that he needs someone who has experience of selling XYZ widgets, then that is my brief, and if I send in a CV that doesn't even come close to those XYZ widgets, then what will the client think of me and my ability to the job?

8. Turn up for your interview if you get one!

OK now this might sound a little crazy, but I am going to get it off my chest, and all my fellow recruiters out there will also be agreeing and nodding there heads on this one!, but if you are genuinely interested in a role and an interview has been set up for you, then GO TO IT!!

As recruiters I can tell you now that one of our biggest frustrations in life is setting up an interview for a Candidate that says all the right things and that Candidate then doesn't turn up for the interview, and guess what it happens all the time! We are now starting to fight back and the majority of decent recruiters now will have some from of recruitment software where they can log these events, so guess what if you don't turn up and don't tell anyone, and then 2 years down the line you are again looking for a job, and apply for one with the Agency that you let down previously, don't be surprised if you don't get a reply. I make it a rule never to deal with anyone who has let me down previously, and have had great satisfaction in reminding some candidates of exactly what happened and when.

This is of course a very different scenario from a Candidate that for whatever reason cannot attend an interview, and may have to rearrange.

9. When you do get an interview prepare for it

Clients like nothing more than a well prepared Candidate, smart, presentable, confident with an understanding of the company what they do, and what the role entails, if you are using a recruiter then there job is to prepare you for the interview, tell you about the people you will be meeting, what the company does, what the role is, etc. so use there knowledge and make sure you go in knowing as much as you possibly can. Clients biggest grievance is often a Candidate that has no preparation at all!, so be warned.

10. Whatever the outcome, learn from it

You may be lucky enough to be offered your dream job on your first interview, or like most other people you may find that it takes a little longer, if this is the case, then ask for feedback, and be prepared to accept whatever is said, don't get down about it, learn from it so that you can use it positively on your next interview, a good recruiter should always try to give you advice on this, so use it!, there are plenty of hints and tips available, so try to use them

Always try and remember that Recruiters make their income through fee's, so it's in their interest to get you the job!, but also bear in mind that if they don't feel you are suitable, they are probably right! Most recruiters tend to be lead by the clients as they are the ones paying the bills!, so they will be lead by what the client needs, not unfortunately what the Candidate wants, but also remember that most recruiters will have their own pet clients and vacancies that others don't have, so it may well be worth registering with a number of Agencies, and ensuring that you keep in regular contact with them, make sure that you stay in their focus!!

I hope these points will help you in some way, and you can use them to your advantage, I wish you the best of luck in finding your next role and for the future, thank you for taking the time to read this article.