Managing Your Job Search Frustrations - what to expect and how we try to manage your expectations

Personally, I pride myself on being as honest as possible with both my clients and candidates when it comes to the likelihood of me being able to assist them in their search for a new role or new employee. It stands to reason that maintaining an excellent level of customer service throughout the recruitment process will generally lead to happy clients and candidates, and ultimately; repeat business.

My main objective as a recruiter is to make placements, and it stands to reason that I will place the best fit, giving clients a strong shortlist of 3-4 candidates. This unfortunately means that up to 40 applicants who may believe themselves to be “perfect for the job” will be discounted from the process. We strive to ensure all applicants are made aware if they're not suitable for a particular role as would hope there would be another opportunity around the corner, so whilst that one may not be the right one on this occasion, remain positive and confident that your skills and experience will help us find the perfect role for you.

Gareth’s top 5 tips for senior executive candidates are:

1) Choose a recruiter that is a specialist in your field and take time to get to know them. Where possible, its certainly worth taking the time to meet with them face to face and build up a solid working relationship. At Finegreen we run free seminars and exhibit at a series of conferences throughout the year that allow us to meet with our candidates and clients alike.

2) Amend your CV and covering letter to ensure you match the role that you’re applying for. Taking a little extra time to show how you’re a good fit can really help recruiters when discussing you with a client. We can also provide candidates with a templated CV to help with this process and ensure you are including all your essential skills without being over detailed.

3) If the advert stipulates certain criteria with regards to experience or qualifications, be aware of this and don’t expect to be shortlisted if you do not meet the minimum standards. Being ambitious is great, but it's important to be realistic as well.

4) Ensure you have a visible online presence with social media on sites like LinkedIn and Twitter. Both are a great way of having an online CV and can be excellent tools for networking and finding out about latest vacancies and events in your area. The Finegreen company page also regularly gives useful tips and recommendations, as well as advertising featured jobs.

5) If you’ve been unsuccessful for that job don't despair. Draw a line under it and move on to the next thing. We will keep your details on our live database and ensure you are contacted when a suitable role becomes available. Registering for live job alerts will also enable you to apply for the latest jobs when they come in.

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We hope that Gareth's insight into the recruitment process is useful for you. All the specialist consultants at Finegreen take great pride in offering excellent customer service to help as many of our senior level candidates when looking for their next role. We hope that understanding where recruiters are ‘coming from’ will aid you in your next job search. How?

• By providing a clearer understanding that developing professional relationships is key, and appreciating that recruiters do need to service their clients; these two points together will hopefully be an aid to either moving on after a disappointment, to help you keep pushing, and to keep trying safe in the knowledge your recruiter is working at the best of their ability to find a suitable role that meets your requirements.
• A strong balance of realism, resilience and expectation management will serve you well during your job search.

Should you wish to discuss your senior executive recruitment needs, please contact Gareth directly at gareth.longley@finegreen.co.uk

Coming next week, our Lead Resourcer Rebecca Taylor gives us her top DO's and DONT's in recruitment and how they can help with your recruitment search.