10. Gain direct access to hiring managers. Recruiters speak with hiring managers every day, and have established relationships. By knowing a few recruiters in your industry, you potentially will have access. No more sending your resume into HR, not hearing back, and having it end up in the proverbial “black hole”.

9. Learn what your competitors are doing. If you are talking with a recruiter specifically in your niche, they will most likely know what all of the competitors are doing in the industry. They’ll usually be glad to share with you some of what they hear.

8. Access an expanded network of industry contacts. Recruiters have vast networks of connections. You potentially could get connected to many other people in the industry through them. One way to start doing this is to connect with them on LinkedIn.

7. Know your worth in the marketplace. Recruiters know what people are paid, and what companies are offering. You should be able to ask your recruiter how you compare to others with similar skills and experience levels. You may be positively or negatively surprised.

6. Know the level of hiring activity in your industry. If you are ever thinking of changing jobs, it might be best to gauge the level of hiring activity in the marketplace first. Recruiters can tell you if there is a lot of hiring going on, or very little.

5. Gain market knowledge. Recruiters are having conversations all day long with industry professionals. They pick up a lot of information as to what is going on, not just on hiring, but in all kinds of other areas. The information is usually fairly current and could be useful.

4. Have a personal career coach & trusted advisor. Recruiters can offer a lot of good advice. Starting with; resume-writing tips, interviewing tips, when to make a job change, offer negotiations, resignations, etc. They can even give you a read on what they hear about particular companies you may be interested in.

3. Confidentiality in searches. Recruiters can offer a layer of confidentiality. Would you really want to email your resume into a competitor, not knowing who was going to see it, or if it might get back to your employer? Recruiters can make a confidential introduction of your credentials and stress the need to keep it confidential.

2. Become aware of current job opportunities. Recruiters have newsletters, websites, LinkedIn Groups, blogs, etc. By connecting with a recruiter you trust and respect, you should be able to know about current openings they are working on at all times.

1. It could change your life. Seriously, how do you know what you’re passing up if you don’t listen? The recruiter could be calling you about a fantastic job opportunity. You’ll never know what it is unless you listen.

Remember, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” By establishing relationships with a few trusted, respected, and experienced recruiters in your field, you could become aware of excellent job opportunities, get some good career advice, and get connected to the right people. Most Presidents and CEOs of major companies have relationships with retained search firms. It’s done at all levels.

It could change your life – don’t hang up!

Article from LinkedIn

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