How to Work With a Recruiter (So They Actually Work for You)

Here's something candidates rarely hear said out loud: recruiters have favorites. When a great role lands on our desk, there's a shortlist of people who get the first call — before the posting, before the database search. This post is about how to get on that list, and also about what you're entitled to expect from any recruiter who wants your time.

How the relationship actually works
A staffing recruiter is paid by the client, not by you — that part everyone knows. What follows from it is less obvious: a recruiter's entire livelihood is their credibility with that client. When we submit you, we're spending reputation. That's why we screen, why we ask hard questions, and why we won't submit you to a role that's wrong for you even if you push. Every honest recruiter has walked a candidate away from a bad match to protect both sides of the ledger.

Once you understand that, the way to work with a recruiter becomes clear: make it easy to spend reputation on you.

Be findable, then be specific
Keep your profile and resume current where recruiters look, and when one calls, skip the generic answers. “I'm open to anything” sounds flexible but gives a recruiter nothing to work with — nobody staffs a req for anything. “I want data platform work, ideally healthcare, hybrid within an hour of Edison, at or above this rate” — now three actual roles come to mind. Specific candidates get specific calls.

Tell the truth about everything, early
Your real rate floor. Your visa situation. The other interviews you're in. The gap in 2023. None of these things scare a decent recruiter — we've seen everything — but discovering any of them at offer stage kills deals and trust in one stroke. Candidates who are straight with us get pitched harder, because we can vouch for them without holding our breath.

Respond fast during an active search
Staffing moves in hours. When a recruiter sends you a role, a same-day yes or no keeps you in the running; three days of silence usually means the slot went to someone else. And a fast, honest “no, because…” is almost as valuable as a yes — every no you explain teaches us your actual criteria, and the next call gets sharper.

What you should demand in return
This street runs both ways, and you should hold recruiters to it. A real recruiter tells you the client name before submitting — never let anyone float your resume blind, because duplicate submittals can knock you out of contention entirely. They prep you properly for interviews: the team, the project, what the manager cares about, why the last person didn't work out. They tell you the truth when the client passes, including the uncomfortable why. And they call you during the engagement, not just when placing you again. If a recruiter fails on those basics, spend your energy on one who doesn't.

The candidates who thrive with staffing firms treat one or two recruiters as career allies — a quick check-in a couple of times a year, honest updates when something changes, a referral when they know someone good. Years of first calls come out of that small investment.

Common questions
Should I work with many recruiters or a few?
A few, deeply. Give two or three firms real information and attention, and tell each what the others are doing so nobody double-submits you.

A recruiter asked my current salary — do I have to answer?
In many states they can't ask. Redirect to your target rate; a good recruiter cares where you're going, not where you've been.

Why did a recruiter go quiet after the client passed?
Bad practice, and common. Ask for the feedback anyway — firms that give it are the firms worth keeping.