People’s experience of recruitment agencies may vary widely. Some will keep in touch and routinely inform you what positions they have found on your behalf and how the process is developing – on the other hand there are agencies who ask prospective employees to send in resumes/CVs and fill out other forms but then give no feedback.

Some agencies will use what is known as a recruitment consultant. A recruitment consultant is a person who works with the agency. They will interview prospective employees and sometimes ask them to take some tests to decide what opportunities would suit them best.

A lot depends on what tactics you invoke in your job search. You may register with a large number of agencies or you may decide to register with one or two agencies with a specific target market. If you do the latter then it is a good idea to form an amiable relationship with your recruitment consultant and keep in regular contact with them.

One of the best ways of securing a job that you really want is to get your name and your capabilities known by consultants in your preferred industry. These people will have their finger on the pulse of what is going on in particular companies and if they know you are interested they will often inform you of some of the best vacancies available.

If you want to be the person at the forefront of a recruitment consultant’s mind then you need to keep in regular contact with that consultant.

A recruitment consultant may deal with a great number of clients and receive literally hundreds of resumes/CVs a week. It makes sense therefore to keep your name at the forefront of a consultant’s mind if you don’t want to be left on the shelf when a suitable vacancy arises. It is the job of a recruitment consultant to assess you as a person and to match your qualifications and skills to a particular employer.

They can do this much better if they really know who you are. This means that it is important to form a relationship with your recruitment consultant.

If you take the time to know your recruitment consultant then they will take more time with you.

A good consultant will also form cordial relationships with prospective employers. They know how to help you present yourself and your abilities in such a way as to interest prospective employers – they know how to help you market your transferable skills so that you attract the interest of the greatest number of employers. In short a good consultant is almost as important to your job search as is a good degree and a good CV.

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Recruitment is when employers actively seek people to undertake a specific job. Recruiting is undertaken in a number of ways.

Some employers will advertise jobs in national and local newspapers, others will use the services of a recruitment agency and still others will attend business fairs while actively looking to recruit people for a specific role. Recruitment can also take place through graduate recruitment centres at college or through job centres. There is often a screening process that takes place when people reply to advertisements or are sent for a job by the job centre.

Screening is necessary so that employers only interview those people who have the required skill set or educational qualifications.

When employers or agencies are undertaking recruitment they will look for candidates with skill sets that match the job requirements, once unsuitable candidates have been weeded out. This is usually assessed through a formal interview, sometimes recruitment agencies will require job seekers to undertake certain tests before they will put them forward for work that is on offer.

Sometimes the person who applies for the job that is on offer may first have to fill in an application form. Often such forms will have a list of essential skills and a second list of desirable skills – where potential employees are deficient in one or more of the essential skills they may be eliminated from the recruitment process before the interview stage.

In many cases those trying to recruit employees will ask for a resume or CV with a record of the candidate’s skills and job history.

While someone may obtain an interview on the basis of their resume it is rare for them to get the job simply on the basis of the information they have provided. Most employers and recruitment agencies will require candidates to undergo some sort of test where they display skills such as typing speed and familiarity with certain computer software. Depending on the vacancy they are trying to fill, employers and/or employment agencies may also request potential employees to take a written test.

When employers and recruitment agencies fail to recruit the calibre of employees that they are looking for, then they might resort to more aggressive tactics to find the right person for the job. Firms might employ a third party to try and poach someone already working for a competitor. Sometimes this agent may try to approach the potential employee at their place of work by posing as a legitimate client or salesperson.

Increasingly companies are making it more difficult for those people who are trying to headhunt successful employees.

New technology is increasing every day and this is nowhere more evident in the field of IT recruitment. Qualifications that were more than adequate six months ago are now regarded as insufficient for what is happening in the present.

It used to be the case that new graduates could take their pick of jobs after leaving college that is no longer the case. Because there is such high competition, IT recruitment is becoming more rigorous. Some companies are cutting back on full time IT staff and outsourcing for temporary and part time staff.

This is making it more difficult for new graduates to get on the first rung of the ladder in an IT career.

Increasingly IT specialists are turning to recruitment agencies in their search for work. In the UK a number of specialist IT recruitment agencies have opened up.

This is advantageous for graduates who will submit their resume or CV to the agency and probably undergo some sort of test or evaluation of their skill level. Some of these agencies look to place candidates in permanent full time employment while others guarantee regular temporary work to IT consultants on their books. At the moment people searching for IT jobs need all the help they can get as this is such a competitive market.

Using a good IT recruitment agency is probably the best way of gaining employment in the field of IT. A good agency will locate suitable positions for you and then liaise with your prospective employer on your behalf.

If you’ve never used a recruitment agency before then you might not know what to expect from one.

Specialized IT recruitment agencies are useful because they keep on top of what is happening in this constantly changing market. Employers’ IT needs can vary from one week to the next therefore it makes sense to sign up with agencies which specialize in recruiting for the IT market. A reliable IT recruitment agency will have good links with a number of IT departments – this gives them a much greater insight into matching IT professionals with what employers’ need.

The agency acts as a middleman between a company and a prospective employee.