Should I Use a Recruiter or Apply Directly?

It’s one of the endless questions for people in the job search field. Should I use a recruiter or apply directly to the job. And the question makes sense because you are often not given complete information.

Some jobs you should not use recruiters for. They are only going to slow down the process. Other jobs, though, they are really only going to be offered to people who are using executive search recruiters.

The opinion of this blog posting, and of this author in general, is that you should use recruiters for jobs that require recruiters. That might sound like a bit of an oxymoron statement, but in general you should also be aware of the limited number of jobs that actually utilize recruiters. 

The vast majority of jobs do not require recruiters, but those that do are really hidden from the regular job seeking population.

As a rule, if you are seeking job that appear out of the reach of regular applicants, then it would behoove you to use a recruiter.

Is It Better to Apply Through a Recruiter?

For some jobs it’s better to apply through a recruiter than to apply simply on Indeed or Craigslist or straight through the company website. This is something that you read about a lot on Reddit or other websites The question about how to handle job applications in big cites.

If you are looking to work as an administrative assistant or front desk associate for a major company, then you are going to have to work through a temp agency. Sadly, the fact is that most companies will not hire someone straight from the street. They will likely use a temp agency  that can act as a cut away and protect them when it comes to unemployment insurance and other problems,

So, it is important that you scope out the different methods of obtaining that job you’re looking for. If you want to

Should I Apply Through a Recruiter or Directly?

It doesn’t hurt in most cases to apply both ways. If you do see that the same job is posted online, with the same company, and one is using an outside staffing or recruiting agency, and the other is using an in-house talent team, then apply to both.

Why? Well, odds are that the in-house team is simply not acting fast enough to get the spots filled. This is the main reason that roles are given to recruiters to source. In house talent acquisition teams, and internal recruiters, are not in most cases motivated to place staff. The salary and compensation structure is completely different.

External recruiters are more motivated to make placements since their salary depends so much upon commissions and placements.

If you apply directly, the company might honestly never see your resume. After years of working with firms that utilize both an in house staffing team (the dreaded HR) as well as working with outside agencies, I will tell you that many cases the external recruiters have better success placing candidates in a company.

It cannot hurt to apply both ways.

Why Recruiters Are Bad For Your Career—Are They?

So a common question that I would hear throughout the years is “are recruiters bad for your career”. And the question came, more often than not, from people who either had a little bit of experience with recruiters, or a lot.

People with no experience dealing with recruiters tend to have little understanding of how they work, what they do, and the entire process.

The people who wonder why recruiters are bad for your career are the type who have engaged with recruiters and either not gotten a job, or only gotten less than appealing jobs.

The simple fact is that a recruiter is not a career coach, a guidance counselor, or anything other than what they claim to be: a recruiter.

They are looking to hire the best person for the job and make a placement so that they make money. It’s a business decision and they do not care about feelings.

Recruiters can be bad for your career growth if you happen to fall into a cycle of temping endlessly. There are agencies that do not have direct hire contracts, and only place people on temporary contact roles. In these cases, then yes, a recruiter can be bad for your career if you are someone who desires a full time job.

And this is where it helps to be experienced with recruiting and temp agencies. You will want to check out reviews of the recruiter (not just the agency, since recruiters differ wildly even within the same agency).

If you fall into working an ongoing cycle of temp roles at an agency, then it might be that they simply do not have clients who will want to hire you perm. If that’s the case, then the recruiter should make it known to you. Never trust a recruiter who tells you a role is potentially temp to perm over and over again only to find out that it’s a temp contract.

Many large companies do only ever want to hire temp employees. It makes sense for them from a financial perspective to have an endless recurring cycle of temp workers so that they avoid paying health insurance, workers comp, offering benefits, paid time off, etc…

Essentially, most large firms, even the major corporations that you are familiar with are trending towards using temp agencies in order to fill their staffing needs.

Pros and Cons of Finding a Recruiter to find a Job?

The upside to using a recruiter to find a job is that you have someone working for free, essentially, to find you work. Never pay a recruiter to find you a job (that’s a huge red flag and will guarantee you are dealing with a shady agency and recruiter).

The downside is that the recruiter does not have access to every job out there, only a limited number of jobs. Also, the recruiter is often incentivized to push you to the job that they are currently sourcing for.

This means that whatever is on their open schedule of job requests, if you are someone who the client would hire, then the recruiter will probably suggest you apply for it. They are less concerned with finding yourself a great position and a role at a company you will flourish in, then securing themselves a placement.

Oftentimes, the two align, and good recruiters are completely transparent with the candidates that they work with. But other times you have recruiters who would tell you to take a minimum wage role if it was the only thing available to them, even if you are an experienced marketing executive.

There are really only upsides to dealing with recruiters as long as you know how to navigate working with them. If you find that they are dishonest, or sketchy in any way, then pass on working with them. But if they are trustworthy and are able to connect you with good companies, then there are only positives.

I have had great relationships with many of the people I have placed and found jobs with, even helping them find work after they moved on to different companies later on in their career.

It’s a matter of trust and honestly. The more open and available your recruiter is, the less cons there are to working with them.

If you are currnetly working and are using a recruiter to find a new job, then make sure to discuss this openly with them. You want to avoid a situation where a recruiter tells your emplyoer that you are looking for work.