Meeting with recruitment agency

SPM1959

I have applied for a very interesting role and the recruitment agency I applied to want to meet me to discuss in more detail.

It has been described as an informal discussion but would assume it will be more like an interview but not sure.

Can anyone give me tips on how to approach this meeting? For example what should I bring to the meeting, how should I dress, what kind of questions should I prepare?

I want to impress and ultimately get in front of the company for an interview.

TheBody

Hi there. Treat it like you were interviewing for the actual job. The recruiter wants to meet you to make sure that he/she can put you forward for the job and won't embarass them with their client.

Dress should be formal and bring along anything relevant. Have a friend do a mock interview with you to help you prepare some answers to questions.
Good luck!!

Eoin

If business attire is awkward for you to wear (e.g. you're nipping out from your normal job where it's casual dress), then tell them in advance that you'll be wearing casual clothes - just be presentable.

I wouldn't expect it to be as formal as an actual interview - they most likely will neither have the expertise or the inside knowledge to be able question you like the company's interviewer will have.

Also, they may have other roles in mind, so will want to find out a good bit about what you're interested in doing, as well as if you're a good match for a specific job.

If you're dealing with an agency, then do not be shy about getting into details on the salary. There's a (weird) convention in Ireland that the candidate should not bring up the salary question in an interview - but don't be afraid to bring it up (and other benefits) with the agent.

christy02

Hi,

I had an interview with recruiter few years ago. I ended up getting the job by the way. I dressed in a suit as like you I wasn't sure. They talked through my cv, salary expectations and future ambitions. They basically wanted to make sure I was suitable before putting me forward.
Tbh it is a credit that they do that. Too many recruiters just put quantity over quality.

Perfectly ok to talk salary as they aim to get the best salary possible as they get a percentage.

Its not a recruiter in fitzwilliam square by any chance? Not seen any other recruiters do this and have moved jobs a few times over last number of years.

SPM1959

Thanks for the advice – all very much appreciated.

The day I’m meeting them is business casual at my current workplace so I’m going to wear work chino/shirt/shoes which should be OK.

I have quite a lot of experience – sometimes I don’t realize/appreciate it though – but often stumble while trying to explain it and my CV. I plan on practicing talking through my CV in more detail over the next couple of days. And also linking it to the job spec requirements.

The recruiter actually told me the salary on the phone; it’s a big step up from what I’m on but I’m not going to advise him of that.

I really want this job so know I need to be ready to ‘shine’ at this meeting.

PS The recruiter is based in another part of the city but yes I agree, it is good that they are doing this in my opinion.

blindsider

SPM1959 wrote: »

Thanks for the advice – all very much appreciated.

The day I’m meeting them is business casual at my current workplace so I’m going to wear work chino/shirt/shoes which should be OK.

I have quite a lot of experience – sometimes I don’t realize/appreciate it though – but often stumble while trying to explain it and my CV. I plan on practicing talking through my CV in more detail over the next couple of days. And also linking it to the job spec requirements.

The recruiter actually told me the salary on the phone; it’s a big step up from what I’m on but I’m not going to advise him of that.

I really want this job so know I need to be ready to ‘shine’ at this meeting.

PS The recruiter is based in another part of the city but yes I agree, it is good that they are doing this in my opinion.

Important point, this. Having the experience is not enough. The Recruiter will not want to have to unearth this relevant info - they'll expect you to do that. In other words, "What have you done, that is relevant to this role? Sell it to me!"

The Agency will have met their client, so assuming they are putting you forward, ask what the Hiring Manager is like. What do they know about them etc. Look them up on LinkedIn and elsewhere and work out what they've done, where they've worked etc and try to build a bit of a picture. Also, put yourself in their shoes - what would you look for in a candidate?

Interviewers often use 'experiential' questions: "Tell me about a time when you were under pressure to meet a deadline, and how did you deal with that ?"

So you need to be able to apply your experience to their situation. If you feel that the recruiter is very interested in e.g. dealing with clients face to face, then ask them if that's a priority. If it is, then expand on it. (It's good to create/engage in a dialogue rather than have a "question and answer session".

On the Job Spec, look at the first 3 thing they list - these are usually the important ones - be prepared to go into these areas in detail.

Interviewers usually look for Attitude, Skills Knowledge and Experience. Attitude is the most important - the others can be learned. However, in a competitive jobs market, be sure you don't under-sell yourself on the other 3.

G'luck!

Mrs OBumble

Eoin wrote: »

If business attire is awkward for you to wear (e.g. you're nipping out from your normal job where it's casual dress), then.

FWIW, even in gigs with casual dress, I go in dressed up occasionally just to create an expectation.

If anyone asks about it, I tell them to guess whether I'm going to a funeral, going to a job interview or having a "decoy day" to make my boss worried.

SPM1959

Should I expect the recruiter to ask questions looking for specific examples of the competencies required for the role or will it be more high level than that?

Eoin

SPM1959 wrote: »

Should I expect the recruiter to ask questions looking for specific examples of the competencies required for the role or will it be more high level than that?

As I said, the odds that the recruiter won't know enough about the role or the competencies to be able to grill you in too much detail.

They're working on the company's behalf, but at the same you could earn them their commission, so I'd expect them to coach you a little rather than rule you in or out immediately.

Mrs OBumble wrote:

If business attire is awkward for you to wear (e.g. you're nipping out from your normal job where it's casual dress), then.

Good thinking! I must dress up a bit neater every now and again to keep them guessing.

IEG

SPM1959 wrote: »

Should I expect the recruiter to ask questions looking for specific examples of the competencies required for the role or will it be more high level than that?

No, when we ask someone to come in, its just to see what are you like in person, are you well presented, whats your communication like.
Each recruiter (unless very specialised) deals with dozens and dozens of clients and its next to impossible to learn off all the specific technical questions which we might ask.
Take the opportunity to ask the recruiter- are you persuasive enough? are you too loud/too quiet/too shy? have you done enough to persuade them to put you forward? is there anything you should add on your cv? is there anywhere you can improve?

SPM1959

I meant to but realized I haven't given an update on this.

When I arrived to the office and met the recruiter I was due to - he advised straight off that the role had been pulled last minute. I'm skeptical now was there a role or not..

We then proceeded to have a 15-20 minute conversation about my previous work experience; which was fine and helpful as I want to practice doing that. He had no suitable roles but advised his colleague might.

She then entered the room - far more 'in your face' than he was - and we also had a 15-20 minute conversation (the same one really) about my career history. She had a couple of roles of interest - we discussed them briefly - she advised she would send the full specs on to me. Well over a month later and nothing.

Overall, a poor experience and I don't hold any negative views of the industry as a whole.