Working with a
legal recruiter should be treated with care. There are certain habits and behaviors that can almost
guarantee a positive experience with a legal recruiter and there are certain behaviors
that will almost guarantee that the relationship is doomed from the start. Below we take a look at five things
that can damage your relationship with a recruiter:
- A
sloppy, inaccurate or inappropriate resume. Take the time to create a resume that is appropriate for the
positions for which you’re applying and take care that there are no errors. Avoid exaggerating the truth by fudging
employment dates and titles. Also, resist the temptation to inflate your prior
salary.
- Unprofessional
voicemail. While having the latest
pop song on your voicemail is acceptable when only your friends and family are
calling, doing so when you’re searching for work can hurt your chances. Remove informal greetings and pop music
from your voicemail and replace it with a simple, brief and professional
greeting.
- Demanding
to know exact salary information immediately. Resist the temptation to demand to know exact salary
information when you call a recruiter about a job. The salary you’re offered will depend on many factors and
can’t be determined before you’ve at least interviewed with the company. Although, the recruiter may be able to
give you a ballpark salary figure, he/she can’t offer anything concrete.
- Failing
to do what you promised to do. If
a legal recruiter schedules you for an interview do your best to show up on
time. If something happens that will cause you to be late or miss the
interview, please let the recruiter and/or the employer know immediately.
- Failing
to be transparent about your independent job search. A common problem many legal recruiters experience is when candidates
fail to be transparent about their independent job search or their work with
other recruiters. This can often
cause double submissions which can end in commission disputes or more likely
the candidate not getting the job.
Let your legal recruiter know if you or another recruiter has already
submitted your resume to a company so they can avoid submitting you twice.