I am currently looking for a job, and I have had a bad reaction with the same senior recruiter on two jobs now. I was a real contender in the initial stages, but both times she has been in interviews with me and the hiring manager, and it was clear that she didn’t like me as a person or a candidate. Needless to say, I didn’t get either job. What can I do? Can I request that she not be there if it happens again?

Contrary to some opinions, recruiters, or headhunters, are actually people too. They perform an essential service in the labour market. Their role is to act on behalf of their client – the organization doing the hiring – and scour the universe for potential candidates who will likely be the best possible fit for the position in question. Recruiters are the brokers who bring the two parties together in a “win-win” scenario: their client gets a star employee and the successful candidate gets an incredible career opportunity with a great new organization.

Recruiters typically review thousands of resumes in an average week, can interview dozens of candidates, and also need to keep marketing their services to potential clients to generate revenue. It is a very difficult job, with challenging clients, fussy candidates, and more competition than you can imagine.

Improve your chances with feedback from interviewers

In your particular situation, you may find that you will run into this recruiter again, so it may be beneficial to try to communicate with this individual and patch things up. Call her up, thank her for her consideration in the last two opportunities, and ask her if there were any elements of your candidacy that you could improve upon for next time. Don’t be confrontational, and be open to any constructive criticism from her. There is a positive note in this for you, after all – you were considered in the final rounds and did get to meet the hiring manager. This doesn’t happen for all candidates. There is obviously something in what you bring to the table that she finds appealing – so determine if there are any weaknesses that you may not immediately see. If you haven’t received feedback about your performance in the interviews, try to get it now, and act on it.

You should come from the perspective that this is not likely a personal thing – its business. Good recruiters, like most good professional business people, know that “What goes around, comes around,” and they would never want to treat a candidate badly, only to find that the same candidate is a possible client of theirs in another organization.

Last resort: Choose a different recruiter

OK, sometimes it IS personal. For whatever reason, this person just does not like you. If you feel that it is a personal issue, or for any other reason your candidacy will not be taken seriously in the future with this recruiting firm, you can simply choose not to work with them. It is a big world, after all, so there are lots of opportunities out there to work with others who you will connect to more positively.

Recruiters, an essential part of any healthy job search

Remember, recruiters are only one method for sourcing out your next job. Our research shows that successful job seekers work with three or four job search methods, including job boards such as CharityVillage, networking, direct contact (cold calling), and recruiters, among many others. Make sure that you are taking advantage of all the alternatives, and not simply relying on one.

Good luck!

Mitchell Stephenson M.A., CPCC, is a senior partner and a certified professional career counsellor at Catalyst Careers, a career transition, counselling, and outplacement firm. Mitch has been involved in human resources, career counselling and coaching in the health and legal sectors for many years. To contact him, visit: www.catalystcareers.ca.

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