Recruitment agencies often get a bad press, and if you come across what you regard as a poor recruiter at an agency, you definitely shouldn’t work with them. But there are some very good reasons why you should work with recruitment agencies.

Here are my five reasons to work with a recruitment agency:

• Networks of contacts: It is the job of a recruiter to have a vast network of contacts in their specialist field, and a high proportion of those contacts are individuals responsible for hiring people.
• Reworking your CV: If you have the sort of experience that an agency is looking for, it is often in their interest to help you rewrite your CV to make it stand out from the crowd. Naturally, you can use that advice when you send your CV elsewhere.
• Honing your interview skills: This works in two ways. First, being interviewed by a recruitment agent is a great opportunity to practice your interviewing skills. And second, when an agent gets you an interview with one of their clients, they will help you to iron out any issues with your interview technique.
• Agencies market you: recruiters are sales people, and their product is you! Make sure your recruitment agency only sends your CV with your permission. They will promote your CV to their contacts, push for an interview for you, and make sure you have the best possible chance of getting the position you are going for. Recruitment agents really are very proactive on your behalf!
• They’re free: Best of all, you get all of their services for free! The best recruiters are paid by their clients to find people like you, meaning you don’t have to pay them. But a quick warning, some recruiters attempt to get people to pay to become a candidate, if this happens to you, move on.

In the next part of this series, I’m going to take a look at the last piece in the recruitment agency puzzle: getting noticed by a recruiter!