So, you’ve got a meeting with your recruiter but you’re not sure what to expect.
I get that.
On the one hand, it might feel like a real-life job interview. Your recruiter will be assessing your mannerisms, professionalism and how you answer common interview questions.
But on the other, it’s far more interpersonal and a lot less transactional than a real interview. It’s about building a career-long relationship with you rather than just matching you to a role on paper – or, at least, that’s what it’s about here at Identifi Global.
So, while you want to showcase your expertise and professionalism, here are five things you should be honest about during your meeting with your recruiter – so they can help match you with the perfect role.
1. Why you are looking to leave your current role
On your job hunt, you might’ve heard the advice, “during an interview, don’t say anything that might be construed as negative.”
But it’s important to remember that your meeting with your recruiter isn’t a job interview. So, you can be a lot more open and honest.
Your recruiter will also already know that something isn’t right about your current role – because, why else would you be looking to leave? They just want to get to the bottom of what this is, so they can avoid placing you in another role that isn’t right.
Before your meeting, think long and hard about what’s driving you to seek out a new role. This is not always negative – it’s purely a factual analysis of your current situation.
Is your salary not quite in line with what you expect? Are you lacking opportunities for progression? Is the working environment unsuitable for your needs?
Balance this out with information about what you do like about the job or what you would like from your next one. This will give the recruiter a better picture of what type of opportunity you’d be best suited for and match you with the right role.
2. How you prefer to be managed
At some point during the meeting, your recruiter will ask: “How do you like to be managed?”
There’s no right or wrong answer here, so think carefully and answer honestly.
Some people might work better independently and, therefore, need an environment where they’re trusted to go off and get the work done. Others might want more structure and guidance and need a more hands-on management style.
“Don’t just tell your recruiter what you think they want to hear”
Regardless of how you like to be managed, answer honestly. Don’t just tell your recruiter what you think they want to hear. Remember that your recruiter will know your potential bosses pretty well – if you’re honest, then they can evaluate who you’ll work alongside best.
To help form a clear idea of how you like to work and the type of managers that are best suited to you, some recruiters might also encourage you to complete a personality assessment.
Our Identifi recruiters, for example, will encourage you to complete our identifiMe personality assessment. This helps them to determine how much autonomy you need in your role and whether you like to work within rigid guidelines.
So, honesty is key – both when answering this question and filling out the assessment. Otherwise, you risk having to work with a management style that just isn’t right for you.
3. Your ideal work environment
In a similar strain to the above, your recruiter will also ask you about your ideal work environment. And, it’s important here to think about the type of environment that works best for your personality.
Do you thrive in team situations? Are you collaborative or competitive? Do you prefer to work with a few people, lots of people, or by yourself?
If you’re naturally outgoing, energised by large groups, and motivated by being around others, then you might suit a sociable and lively environment.
While, if you’re more introverted and you value having the space to sit with your thoughts, then you might suit a quieter, slower-paced environment.
You might also want to think here about whether an office-based role or a remote role would work best for your personality and lifestyle – or whether you’d like something hybrid.
Remember, there is no right or wrong answer. It’s all about helping your recruiter to understand the type of environment that you can really thrive in and produce your best work.
If you aren’t quite sure what your personality style is or what looking for, that’s ok too. Same as above, some recruiters will offer a personality test to help you figure that out.
If you meet with one of our Identifi consultants, they’ll ask you to complete a personality assessment which will provide both of you with a clearer idea of your ideal work environment.
My final piece of advice here is just to be true to yourself. Save yourself the pain of being paired with a mis-matched role and tell your recruiter exactly what you need.
4. Your soft skills
Having the technical know-how and qualifications to perform a specific role is one thing. Having the right soft skills to be successful in that role, is another.
During the meeting, your recruiter will ask about your soft skills so they can get a sense of what you’re like as a worker, and whether you have the right attributes to perform well in the role.
For anyone in need of a refresher, your soft skills are core strengths that are applicable to lots of different types of roles. They might include things like communication, time management, critical thinking, problem-solving, leadership and teamwork.
For instance, one of your attributes could be that you are highly talkative and influential, which means you would be naturally suited to an environment that requires you to persuade other people to buy into a certain concept.
Some of these skills might be inherent in your personality, while others are skills you’ll have developed over time. Regardless, it’s important that you understand what yours are.
Otherwise, you might be inclined to oversell those that you think are more desirable to a recruiter, all the while underselling your actual soft skills that would be of genuine benefit to a more suitable role.
Again, our personality assessments will ask in-depth questions which give a clear idea of your soft skills and how these strengths would translate in the workplace.
5. Your career ambitions
Lastly – but perhaps, most importantly – what are your long-term career ambitions?
When you meet with your recruiter, you might think that you should come across as overly ambitious and “hungry for success” or else you’ll be typecast as lazy.
But success means different things to different people and isn’t always work-related.
Maybe you want to climb the corporate ladder and be CEO one day. Maybe you want a low-stress role that you enjoy and that gives you a sense of purpose. Or maybe you have different passions or priorities – be it your family, hobbies or travel.
“It’s perfectly ok not to be career driven”
What I’m saying here – and I don’t think many business leaders will say this to you – is that it’s perfectly ok not to be career driven.
So, be honest about your goals – and your recruiter will help you to achieve them.
Building a relationship
Meeting with your recruiter is all about building a solid, long-lasting relationship that’s based on honesty and trust.
Just think about some of the other relationships you might form during your lifetime.
Your relationships with your hairdresser, personal trainer and dentist are based on honesty about what it is you need – because you want to get the best service possible from these experts.
It only makes sense to treat your recruiter the same way.
So, be honest and upfront with your recruiter about what you want, and they’ll act as your go-to career confidante both now and in years to come.
Looking for your perfect role? Submit your CV here to get started.
Images via Pixabay and Unsplash
