When applying for a job opportunity, the dynamic between you and the recruiter can have an impact on the final outcome.
In fact, their guidance and recommendation can help you go a long way in your chosen industry. This is even more so in the insurance industry, where both jobs and aspiring candidates are equally plentiful.
Here are five useful tips to help you bring your best to this vital relationship.
1. Present Your Best Foot Forward
This means that you are well prepared, even before your first interaction with the insurance recruiter.
For instance, is your professional resume updated with the most recent developments? Does it appropriately address any gaps in employment, or skills necessitated by the recruiter? Does it adequately capture both your short-term and long-term career goals? Finally, do you have updated references that can re-iterate your professional worth?
These details are crucial for two reasons. First, they help you become clear on what you want, so you do not waste time (both yours and the insurance recruiter’s.) They also help the recruiter to do their best for you for a particular job position in the insurance industry.
2. Be Authentic
If you misrepresent yourself in any way, insurance recruiters are experienced and intelligent enough to catch you. This can adversely affect your credibility not just with the individual recruiter, but also in the insurance industry!
For this reason, refrain from embellishing facts related to your professional experience, including tenure, salary, and positions held.
If you have been let go of by a previous employer for a specific reason, share this frankly with your recruiter. They will be more willing to help you when you come across as honest, and committed to learning from your mistakes.
Also, if an open position only fulfills your short-terms goals, do not hesitate to share this upfront with your recruiter.
They will be better equipped to guide you on the best career move – whether to accept the current position for the short-term, or to wait a short while and seek out that better position that opens in the near future.
3. Share Your Monetary Expectations
The trick is to do this graciously. You do not want to come across as overly aggressive. At the same time, you do not want to withhold (or undermine) your expectations, as this will interfere in meeting those very expectations.
In this context, the recruiter may ask you to justify your expectations. Do not balk at this point in the road, since it can be beneficial for both ends. It will help your recruiter understand why you deserve a particular pay scale – like your niche skills, industry certification, and so on.
If you are not there yet, do not hesitate to reach out to the recruiter, so you understand what is needed in order to command that higher pay scale. In the end, both of you are working towards one common goal – to fit you into the best position as quickly as possible, that suitably addresses both your needs.
4. Stay Connected, Even After Recruitment
Your recruiter is often the first “face” you see of a company, before you are hired. This means that they have a good understanding about the company, its expectations from you, and vice versa. (This is often true even if they work as independent consultants.)
Accordingly, they are specially equipped to help you fit effortlessly into your new company’s culture. Do not hesitate to make use of this opportunity, as you stay connected with them and share your initial experiences.
As a bonus, recruiters are also well-connected with the insurance industry. If your recruiter is a consultant, staying in touch with them can also help you become aware of other lucrative opportunities in the industry.
They are also in a position to take any negative feedback you may have with your present employer/client, and tactfully pass this on to the right authority.
5. Provide a Referral
It is human nature to share our rewarding experiences with our friends, colleagues, and family. Why should your relationship with your insurance recruiter be any different?
If you had a beneficial staffing experience with a recruiter, you should not hesitate to refer them to potential job candidates within your inner circle.
Why would you do this?
First, this can open them up to equally rewarding experiences. Second, your recruiter may be inclined to return the favor by updating you of stellar opportunities in the future. This creates a win-win situation for everybody involved.
