5 reasons successful people use specialist recruiters

Posted by Kieran Cole on 10 Mar 2020

You’ll know that using a recruitment agency to find a new role can save you time and help the whole process run smoothly and effectively, compared to applying for a role directly.

But there are key advantages to partnering with recruiters who are specialists in your field - and much of these are down to the sector knowledge and niche expertise consultants bring.

Let’s look at why working with a recruiter who fully understands what matters to you in your career is so important.

1: Specialists only work with talent like you

A generalist agency will aim to cater to everyone, working with a wide spectrum of candidates and clients.

But clearly not all industries are the same. That’s why choosing a specialist who’s able to focus on particular industries makes sense.

At RHL we work with clients in a few chosen sectors: facilities maintenance; built environment; manufacturing; energy; life sciences and transport and infrastructure. And we take on only technical professional candidates with the skills, experience and key characteristics that we know these clients are looking for to steer their business to the next level.

2: Specialists grasp your technical skills

Your CV is packed with impressive accomplishments and technical skills built up over time. But will a general recruitment agency know the job titles and functions you’ve held, inside and out? Will they fully understand what you do? Will they be able to spot your potential to go onto even greater things, and champion you to the client to land an interview? The jury’s out on all these questions.

A specialist consultant, on the other hand, understands your career history and can represent you credibly to clients, as they know who hires high performers like you.

Technical professional roles are becoming increasingly specialised, calling for hyper-specific skills and precise knowledge. That makes it useful for consultants to have a career background in the area they work in, which many of our team at RHL do.

3: Specialists have extra intel

A job advert may give you the basics about the role but learning more can help you decide if the company is the right fit for you.

That’s where specialist agencies come in. Sector knowledge allows them to fill in the gaps about a potential employer - their current key projects and what’s in the pipeline.

They’ll probably already have successfully placed candidates in that business, so will have a good idea about company culture and working environment too.

Being connected to a large industry network also gives them knowledge on what’s going on in the market in general, the projects other companies are working on, who might be moving and where the best technical talent is heading to.

4: Specialists get the best terms

Specialist recruiters guide you through all stages of the recruitment process if you need it - from an initial application to attending the interviews to negotiating terms and conditions at the job offer stage.

And when it comes to salary benchmarking, they have a firm grasp on what other technical professionals in similar roles are earning so can offer advice on pushing for the best package.

5: Specialists keep you in the loop long term

At RHL we build up relationships with technical professionals who are actively looking for their next role.

But we also keep in close touch with passive candidates - people who aren’t looking right now but might be interested if the right opportunity comes up.

Even if you’re not proactively job hunting, a specialist consultant will be on your side for the long term, keeping you in the loop about what’s emerging in your sector for when the time’s right to move.

Our key takeaway? Partnering with a team of recruitment consultants who know the intricacies of your particular field, and getting the right support - whatever stage of your job hunt - is crucial for hitting your future career objectives.