One of the best ways to take the next step in your career is through working with a recruitment consultant to find your next opportunity. They will have the best access to jobs that you wouldn’t necessarily find on your own. They have built their own relationships with the hiring managers within the companies that they represent, meaning that they can help to sell your skills rather than you applying to the role as an unknown entity. Recruiters can also provide you with invaluable guidance and assistance by giving you some insider knowledge on the company, providing you with interview preparation and support with negotiations when it comes to your salary and benefits package.

There are numerous recruitment agencies and consultants out there, and you can easily find a recruiter for your industry and field. However, finding the right recruiter and building a relationship with them based on mutual trust and respect is a different matter. Read on for our advice on how to make this happen.

What makes you tick?

Firstly, a recruitment consultant will want to get to know you. Why are you looking for a new role? How are you different from other candidates? Convey the passion that you have for what you do. Provide them with in-depth examples of your work. What are you proud of? If you get your recruitment consultant excited that they have found a great candidate, they will get their client excited about you too.

Make sure that you help your recruiter out, let them know what companies you are interested in if you see a particular role that you like let them know. Even if they are unable to get you into that specific role or company, they will have a better idea about what makes you tick and will be better able to match your requirements to upcoming opportunities.

Teamwork

You’ll need to put some work in yourself. Make sure that you prepare for any interviews, research the company that you are interviewing with, and wherever possible the people that will be interviewing you. If you need any help or guidance with your preparations your recruitment consultant will be able to provide you with resources and support.

Honesty really is the best policy

Be completely honest with your recruitment consultant. Tell them when you think a role is a great fit for you, but also tell them the reasons why you feel a role isn’t suitable for you. If you don’t, your consultant won’t be able to tailor a job search for your specific needs.

If you are performing a job search on your own, tell them about it. What are you looking for and where are you looking? Sharing this information will help your recruitment consultant to be more efficient and customise a job search for you.

Building a partnership with a recruiter that you trust can really enhance your job search. You can remain in touch with them throughout your career to keep up to date with new and exciting opportunities and to receive support and advice when you need it.

Warman O’Brien is a global Life Sciences Recruitment partner working across the UK, Europe, USA and APAC. We recruit top talent across a number of functional areas including Biometrics, Data Science, Quality Assurance, Regulatory Affairs, Clinical Research, Medical, and Discovery Sciences. With a straightforward approach and in-house ex-industry experts, we know how to get results for both candidates and clients and proudly keep 90% CV-to-interview success.

We are lucky enough to have ex-industry experts on our team. Our deep knowledge of the Life Sciences market allows us to devise a tailor-made approach to ensure our candidates and clients achieve a lasting impact.