Whether it’s via Zoom, in the office or over a coffee at a local café, I have informal catch ups with candidates all the time – it’s what I do day in, day out. But over the last few months, something has surprised me a bit. More and more candidates (particularly on the permanent side of things) have been feeling the nerves before their meeting with me. Maybe it’s because they think it’s going to be super formal or it might just be a fear of the unknown…I’m not 100% sure. If I think back to when I was on the job hunt, that's probably why i did everything I could to avoid recruiters – but let’s not go there.
The thing is, there is nothing to be nervous about (at least not when meeting with me!). If you’re catching up with a recruiter anytime soon but aren’t too sure what to expect, here’s a few bits of advice:
Go in with an open mind and know that it’s just a friendly conversation, rather than a formal interview. The chat is all about you…what you do at the moment, where you are trying to get to in your career and all that good stuff.
What we chat about stays in the room, so being 100% transparent about your situation is the best way to go. Nothing is going to get back to your boss, so I want to hear the good, the bad and the ugly!
Think of your recruiter as a long-term investment in your career – in other words, a career partnership. Because we’re on the ground chatting to so many organisations, we’re in a unique spot to match your skills, your personality and everything else to the right environment…often better than you can alone.
We’re not here as a roadblock, it’s all about opening doors for you and making the recruitment experience something that you run towards, not away from! If you’re keen to have a chat about opportunities in Wellington’s tech space, drop me a DM or give me a call.