What do 'Recruiters' expect from new migrants & job seekers?

As a Career Coach for new migrants and jobseekers in my business ‘Careers Reborn’ I meet a lot of people who are seeking employment. Some of them complain to me about the treatment they have been receiving from recruiters. Agreed some recruiters are not up to the mark on various counts but not all of them or the entire industry can be blamed.

In the first place are you doing the right thing in dealing with recruiters? Can you make it easy for them to interact with you? I can tell you what the other side thinks. Here are some tips of what recruiters are expecting from job seekers. Maybe if you change your approach recruiters will be a little bit more supportive?

They expect you to be precise and talk to the point. Most important! Time is money!

They expect you to mention the reference or clearly state the topic of your email or job application not just a ‘Hi’.

They don’t want you to call them asking for a feedback every day or almost every other day.

They would like you to provide your residency and identity documents ready for verification, only when the genuineness in your candidature is established for an interview.

They don’t expect you to call and chat with them as if you are ‘mates’, best friends or long lost relatives.

They don’t like you to call and ask them about a job in Australia, when you are really based overseas and unlikely to land in the next few days.

They don’t like you to preach them how other recruiters in Europe or Asia work.

They don’t want you to walk in without an appointment for making a general enquiry and discuss job market trends and your frustrations, especially if you don’t specialise in their search area.

They don’t want you to think that they have bucket loads of jobs. They also have targets and KPI’s in a flat economy and they are also under pressure.

In the long run candidates need recruiters and recruiters need candidates. It’s a mutually beneficial relationship. I know recruiters are made to sound like the bad guys but sometimes I see that they get frustrated and driven to the wall by candidate’s expectations. I have been privy to such real life events.