Stick with your recruiter for long-term career success

Some things in life are worth waiting for – not least the ultimate dream job. At Harvey John, we know that helping people build long-term career success is a marathon, not a sprint. We focus on building relationships with our candidates allowing us to consider great people for future opportunities as their experience grows.

Yes, we love using our skills and connections to help candidates find new roles quickly when the need for a job change is urgent, but we don’t like to consider ourselves a ‘one and done’ agency ‘ placing a person one day and forgetting about them the next.

The power of keeping in touch

It can take years to secure the perfect position with a salary level that an individual is aiming for long term. One of our recent introductions, which resulted in the successful placement of a Senior Tax Manager, can be traced back to conversations we started with that individual back in 2008! This wasn’t down to either party not knowing what they were looking for, in fact, quite the opposite. The many meetings and conversations over the past ten years meant that when that perfect role came to market, we were both able to act with pace, knowing this could be the one. And it was.

This is an example of an appointment which took time and dedication, from both sides, to complete. The long-term relationship we built with this candidate paid off in the long run, and the key was keeping in touch. A couple of emails a year, a handful of LinkedIn messages, or an annual catch-up over a coffee will suffice to retain that crucial connection and keep the recruiter-candidate relationship alive. Our skill is spotting a fantastic opportunity and matching it to the right person – more often than not, with someone who has kept in touch and is known to our team.

In the world of work, change happens fast, and personal circumstances dictate job moves happen relatively frequently.  As we operate in more candidate-driven markets, we’re finding that more and more candidates see the benefit to their long-term career success from staying in touch and being contacted for opportunities.

Be open and honest about your ambitions

To serve these candidates well, we need to know how circumstances, and therefore job requirements, are evolving in people’s lives.  You might have had a career break to start a family. Now you wish to return to a role where work-life balance suits your new lifestyle. You may have just completed a new accountancy qualification and be ready to ramp up your responsibilities and salary.

We’re here to assist. If we have worked with you before, we’re already familiar with your background and your competencies. Keeping us in the loop about recent changes, different skills you have acquired or perhaps an exciting new career direction you want to take, will give us the basis on which to find the right opportunities for you to pursue. If your long-term goals have changed, let us know so that we can adapt the way we support you accordingly.

Remember we are growing with you

The smartest job hunters are those who seek out a recruitment agency that is going places. Make sure you choose a specialist agency that is building a solid reputation. An agency that is expanding its reach in those sectors you aspire to and has ambitious plans for long-term growth. The better we do as an agency, the more we can do for our candidates. We know that candidates we stay in touch with and nurture over time will benefit from our expanding network of clients and influential connections.

Let opportunities blossom over time

In any relationship we build in life, communication and trust are often the keys to making it flourish. Our advice in today’s competitive job market is to put the effort in.  Building a strong relationship with your recruiter will mean you reap long-term career success for years to come.

“David definitely has commitment! 9 years to convince me to change jobs – he got there in the end.” – Tax Manager, Tunbridge Wells

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David Waddell is Managing Director at Harvey John.

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