How to take advantage of  a private recruitment agency

Recruiters act as a “conduit” between you and your prospective employer. They can facilitate your progress to a shortlist, nor not.

When your application is received by the agency, they will scrutinize your resume and cover letter. HR personnel will carefully assess of your skills, experience and qualifications and how these match up to any advertised or non-advertised, position and also to any specific employer requirements.

Recruitment agency perspective

Acting on behalf of an employer, they will scrutinize your application for best “fit”.  That means that they will be evaluating the appearance, presentation and professionalism of the documents as they serve as the very first impressions of you. Yes, they do look for errors, poor attention to detail and Yes, they make many judgments based on what they see.

If your application documents are good enough to make a shortlist, you may be contacted by the agency for follow-up interview/s and perhaps a skills test. The agency makes its money from the employer once a candidate is chosen. Therefore, it is in their best interests to find the perfect candidate. They are NOT necessarily on your side, instead they focus and prioritize on matching up the best applicant to the employer’s specifications.

Your best first impression is the resume

Prior to applying,  check that your Resume is up to scratch. Does it match what the employer is looking for? Has it yielded you an interview in the past? Have you double-checked it for any errors prior to pressing “send”?

Print one out and see how it looks. Does the format and layout appear professional? Often less pretty and fussy tables, colours, fancy text means less problems with compatibility at the other end. Keep it simple, clean and easy to read.

A resume is your “sales flier” and if it does not “sell” you, it is letting you down. Recruiters rely heavily on first impressions and often this comes through  in the form of the resume. Take your time making sure your resume is perfect and an accurate picture of you.

Don’t know how to write a resume? We do offer this service, please call us.

Ivana Agapiou – resume writer 0404056278