Time to get Personal

The other day a candidate called one of us her therapist.  We chuckled to make light of the moment, but it wasn’t too far from the truth.  If that experience hits close to home, don’t feel alone.  Any job hunter this year who has turned to a recruiter has most likely developed a relationship as close to a patient/therapist connection than ever before and with good reason.  With thousands of resumes flooding an already competitive market, it is easy to begin doubting your skills and experience and it is only natural to vent to someone.  Depressing?  Not necessarily.  These tough economic times are creating a unique opportunity to get the most out of your candidate/recruiter partnership.

For many job hunters, a recruiter is someone they are spending more time talking to and are more comfortable sharing their worries with than their own family.  You share your doubts (should I change careers?), you second guess yourself (should I revise my resume yet again?),and you seek approval (am I good enough to compete in this market?).  It is only human nature to look inward and magnify shortcomings so it is incredibly important at this time to remind yourself of your successes, to highlight your accomplishments and remember how you built a solid career – and a good recruiter will help with that effort in a big way.  We know you have these questions and doubts and are here to help you resolve those questions keeping you up at night.  Sharing your thoughts candidly and being honest about where you stand, enables us to keep you as marketable as you need to be and spotlight those opportunities that best fit your skill set.  Remember also that difficult times often create opportunities for you to reassess your goals and reconnect with your true desires and aspirations.  Allowing your recruiter to know some of those intimate thoughts will put him or her in a better position to advise you on new career paths or put you closer to the job that gets you where you really want to be.

Gone are the days of traditional business talk and auto-pilot efforts in using a recruiter to connect to a new position.  To make the most of your situation, turn to a trusted recruiter as a representative of your personal hopes and dreams in order to lock in on that next chapter of your career.  Letting your recruiter in on your true likes and dislikes, your sense of humor (or lack thereof), your work style and all the minute details of what makes you YOU, will result in a deeper understanding of what direction you should take to achieve your ideal future.

Connecting with your recruiter on a more personal level will maximize their efforts on your behalf – and that really is what it is all about.  What better outcome in these tough times than improving on what once was and restoring your confidence? 

Remember that in every challenging moment, an opportunity presents itself to learn something from it.  This recession is providing lots of those opportunities – seize them!