1. It’s free.  Well not exactly free; but recruiters don’t get paid until you get a job.  And when they do get paid, they are paid by the employer via a percentage of your first year’s salary.  That means that you won’t have to pay a cent out of your own pockets and they only get paid for the results they provide.  That’s a huge incentive for them to find you work and to make sure that you get paid as much as possible.
2. The best recruiters have extensive contacts and relationships with employers in your field.  By having a recruiter present your resume to an employer your leverage that recruiter’s reputation and relationships to get the job you want.
3. Recruiters have access to many jobs that will never be listed on a job board.  And if the jobs are listed on the job board it is only after the recruiter has sent his/her selected applicants to the employer to be interviewed.  By hiring a recruiter you give yourself a chance to get access to jobs before they become public knowledge.
4. Hiring a recruiter allows you to maximize your job search ability.  A recruiter works as a second pair of hands out there searching for job opportunities which can reduce the amount of time it takes for you to land your next job.

The recruiting business is not just a business designed to fill job orders and source candidates, it also about building relationships with hiring managers so that recruiters can work as a partner in helping the employer meet their long-term talent needs and by extension their business objectives. Below are some of the key ingredients recruiters need to build strong relationships with hiring managers:

1. Recruiters who have a strong relationship with an employer’s hiring manager will have a position at the table when employers decide which jobs need to be filled to help them meet their business objectives.  When a recruiter is working as a partner with the employer they will know well before the job order is placed which positions are vacating, which are being created and which are being discontinued. If you do not have this type of relationship with an employer yet, begin facilitating the relationship by asking on a periodic basis about which jobs are being vacated or created.
2. Recruiters who have a strong relationship with an employer’s hiring manager will be included in the workforce planning process and will be asked to contribute their opinions as decisions are being made.  One way to begin building this type of relationship with employers is by offering this type of service to current clients.  Let them know that you are available and able to offer your professional input when they are engaged in workforce planning.
3. Recruiters who have a strong relationship with an employer’s hiring manager will remain in the loop well after the job candidates has been hired and will receive feedback on how the new hire is performing. A great way to get employers into the habit of giving you feedback after a new hire has been onboarded is to include feedback as an automatic part of your recruiting process.