Jerry Maguire Had it Right – How to Make the Most Out of Your Recruitment Agency During COVID-19
Jerry Maguire Had it Right – How to Make the Most Out of Your Recruitment Agency During COVID-19
As we work through 2020, there will be many more candidates seeking work than there are available jobs in London. Here are our top tips for working with your Recruitment Agency during a recessionary period.
1. Jerry Maguire had it right when he implored his only candidate to “Help Me, Help You!”. In the 2020 London job market, recruiters have hundreds of candidates. Be ready to return phone calls and respond to emails straight away. In their world urgent means “in the next five minutes”, speed is essential and the timing of your response could be the difference between you getting the job, or missing out.
2. Stick to what you know. Trying to radically change your career path during a global pandemic is probably a mistake. It will make it easier for your recruiter if you stick to your skill set and stick to your industry.
3. When supply falls and demand rises, you will tend to find that salaries and hourly rates reduce. It is better to be working on less than you would like than to be earning nothing at home (especially with London rental rates being the way they are!). Your recruiter will get you as good a rate as they can, but there will be increased competition for that job so make sure you don’t price yourself out of it. You can always negotiate a pay rise after six months once you have proven yourself invaluable to your new employer.
4. Build a great relationship. Recruiters LOVE building relationships and helping people. Make the most of that trait to share your personality with them so that when they are representing you to the Client, the recruiter has an instinct for the real you and can be truly authentic when discussing why you should be selected for interview. This will shine through to the Client and you’ll get that interview – and probably the job!
5. Always be transparent. This may sound straightforward but in practice it can be easier said than done. You’re not lying if you don’t tell the recruiter about that other job you’re interviewing for, but you’re also not being 100% transparent. At Australasian, one of our core values is that it is “not about us, it’s about you”. We’ll give you honest, objective advice and if we think the other job is a better match for you, we’ll tell you. We can also manage things with our own Clients for you if we know the whole story.
6. And last but not least, keep your phone on and be ready to go to work! Last minute assignments can and do start on the same day. You could get a call at any time from 7.30am to start by 8.30am. Always be that person who is ready to go. You can cancel anything else you had on that day, but go to that job if you can. A day can lead to a week; a week to a month; and a month to permanent job. It happens: make sure it can happen to you!
If you are a candidate looking for your next temporary or permanent office support role in London, contact our team so we can help you with your search support@australasian.co.uk
Take care, stay safe and stay positive and we hope to see you soon!
Australasian Recruitment Company