Nobody likes to be left hanging, especially when you are actively searching for new opportunities. Objectively, recruiters are great with time management as they know that time can make or break a deal, but they are often asked why they don’t call candidates back. Below are a few of the top reasons why your recruiter may not be calling you back:
They Are People Too
Recruiters are people too and sometimes they can forget or just haven’t gotten to your name on their list yet. Recruiters are always juggling many tasks at once as they have to constantly find candidates and new jobs and then match them accordingly. Good recruiters will not forget often as all are highly commission-based, so if they don’t get back to you timely on something that could move forward, they could lose a large portion of their compensation. Most recruiters will feel bad and apologize for not getting back to you right away as the silence can be deafening when you are on the job hunt. Keep in mind that time is a recruiter’s only commodity and they have to spend it wisely because there is no prize for second place. “Time kills all deals” is their mantra, so they are likely working on deals that are close to closing if you’re not hearing back timely unless they fall in the following category.
They Are Not Good At Their Job
Good recruiters are professionals first, and if you’ve spoken with them prior and they have agreed to work with you, you should always expect a return call. It may not be immediately, but they should be able to find time within 24-48 hours to give you a quick call, text or email acknowledging your call. Bad recruiters do exist though, and they care more about themselves than you. If they’ve determined you are not likely to earn them a quick fee, you might never hear from them again. Conversely, a good recruiter will let you know upfront if they can’t help you or will manage your expectations if they see a lot of difficulty in placing you. Others are just rude and will ignore your calls until it benefits THEM – that is, when you potentially fit one of their open positions. If you’ve left a couple of messages with no response, write these bad recruiters off because they’ve already done the same.
They Want To Share Good News
The best call to make is one with good news. Recruiters work hard and they don’t want to update you until they have something good to report or have hit a snag. A great recruiter will always be working simultaneously with many dozens of active candidates and cannot afford to call each one every week with nothing to report. They will have a very good system that alerts them when you are a good fit for a role they uncover, and you can bet you’ll be the first person they call. They need to spend their precious time beating the bushes for new roles that you could potentially fit. Many times the recruiter has a strong job lead in their sights and they are simply waiting to let you know until it is confirmed.
Check-In Time
Recruiters appreciate when candidates check-in from time to time. How often should you check-in? Once every two weeks or so is an appropriate amount of time. Similar to most other business situations, a daily check-in is too often as it does not give the recruiter enough time to uncover new jobs or report on what they have in the hopper. Recruiters like to hear from their candidates as it shows that their interest level is still high in transitioning into a new role.
Every recruiter is different and may prefer email over the phone or vice versa. When you are starting your recruiter relationship, ask them which form of communication is the best way to get in touch with them and how often you should check-in.
Open And Honest
If your recruiter is struggling to communicate with you—call them out on it (professionally of course). Similar to any healthy relationship, being transparent with your recruiter can help build trust between the two of you. Great recruiters want to do a good job because they know it will lead to repeat work, so keep that mind before you get too frustrated.
The same goes for your recruiter too—they want to be open and honest with you at all times. If that means they are having trouble finding a good job for you or there are some issues with your interviews or resume, encourage them to tell you. The constructive feedback they provide could make a positive difference for you in the near future.
If you have any further questions about working with recruiters or anything about the recruiting process, give us a call at 713-357-9565. We want to give unbiased answers to your questions, whether you choose to engage our help or not.
Happy Hunting!
