Your first call with a recruiter: Best practices

I love talking to people on the phone, especially my candidates and clients. I have made my direct line number as accessible as possible for anyone to reach me. However, I completely understand how daunting it would be for some candidates to make that first cold phone call to a recruiter. That's why I decided to write this article highlighting some simple yet efficient practices to adopt while making that first contact.

Introduce yourself

Thank you so much for calling me! You have successfully taken your first step, but please make sure you introduce yourself. There have been so many instances where the candidates forget to mention their names. Paint a clear and good picture of yourself, and a brief introduction will help you in this regard. It doesn't have to be your work history; it could just be a summary. Remember I deal with a lot of people, so just telling me you’re “Conor, who applied for the Data analyst job” will not help me very much.

Remember the purpose

Even if you aren't contacting a recruiter for a live job, make sure you mention that. If you are contacting them for a specific job, be clear on which job it is, where is it based or any particular detail about it. Please don't say 'I saw a job on your website and I want to know more'. Tell me which jobs? Which field? It makes it much easier for a recruiter to place you in their radar.

Give and take

This practice is for job-specific calls. I do understand the need for a candidate to know what's happening behind the screen and all the whereabouts of the role. I am all in for providing those details. But think about it! How rude would it be to ask for all the information required and add zero value to recruiters? Give them some information about your skill set or experience. If you are not suitable for this role, they can contact you for a suitable one in the future.

Respect confidentiality

It would help if you understood that recruiters are not always in a position to disclose the name of the client until you are involved in the process. This might be for several reasons. Even if they disclose it to you, keep it confidential. The world doesn't need to know, company x is hiring for job y. The time will definitely come when you can announce that you have accepted the offer from that company.

Background research

The basic tactic to please someone - do some research about them. Tell recruiters what you know about them. I am not talking about mentioning creepy personal details. Just talk about how you follow their content or jobs that they post. It will grab their attention. Maybe you can mention this article when you talk to me!

Get in front of their eyes

While you are on the phone with a recruiter, it's always better to get in front of their eyes. Send them a CV beforehand and tell them to have a look or mention your LinkedIn profile or let them know that you are connected, and they can have a look at it. Recruiters can then associate you with something alongside your voice on the phone.

These simple practices can help candidates create a great first impression. Get in recruiter's shoes and think about it. Create an impact and differentiate yourself enough to be contacted and remembered in the second phone call with them. Finally, as I always say, if you are an IT or Digital candidate, call me on my direct line +353 164 98 545 let's have a chat!