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The technology sector is one of the fastest growing in Australia, primarily because companies across all industries are investing heavily in tech solutions to ensure their continued success. This growth is reflected in the growth of the number of IT and Business Transformation job opportunities being advertised (up 22% on last year alone).

As a technology professional this means that now is a great time to look for a new role as you can have your choice of job, location and company type. However, to truly take advantage of this unique market and to ensure every opportunity is available for consideration, most people will choose to speak with a recruiter. The issue at this point, is how to effectively select the right recruitment agency for your specific circumstances. Here is our guide to doing exactly this.

Reasons to Work with a Recruiter

The most common benefit associated with working with a recruiter is the exposure they are able to provide to job opportunities that aren’t publicly visible, as they aren’t listed on job boards. This can be in the format of current live job requirements or the recruiter taking a proactive approach and exploring their networks on your behalf for opportunities that can come up, or even be created, for a person with your specific skills and experience. In both scenarios a recruitment agency or recruiter specialising in your particular niche or sector is more likely to be able to offer this benefit, as by being specialist they will have built up strong connections with relevant employers.

However, even if a recruiter can’t help you with a role right now, you’ll rarely end up with less direction than before. This is because, in addition to connecting you with job opportunities, recruiters are in the perfect position to offer guidance on your job search, for example, advice on how to improve your CV or tips to improve your interview technique. Specialist recruiters will also be able to provide further assistance around industry specific topics, such as your career path to date, industry salaries, future career opportunities and advice on the availability of both contract and permanent job opportunities.

How to Spot a Great Recruitment Agency

With over 7,000 Australian recruitment agencies, choosing the right technology recruiter for your personal circumstances can be a daunting task.

In general, if working in a specialist sector such as IT or Business Transformation, in most situations you will get more out of a specialist technology recruitment agency, because they’re more likely to understand your role and the sector and have established connections in that space. Specialisation may also extend beyond the sector, to a particular niche or even location. For example, at Enterprise IT Resources we specialise in IT and Business Transformation recruitment in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and Brisbane.

Whilst choosing to work with a specialist recruiter will help to narrow the search, there are still plenty of options available. The obvious place to search is to look at the kinds of IT roles an agency advertises on job boards or their own website. This is a valid method, however we recommend looking beyond this. Try seeking recommendations from industry peers (ensuring that person has a similar background to your own), recruiter websites found from Google search or searching for specific recruiters on LinkedIn. In each situation, look for tell-tale signs of their involvement with your industry and also testimonials from likeminded technology professionals. For example, recommendations on LinkedIn, reviews on Google, or an industry blog covering recent events and news.

Once you’ve chosen a particular recruitment agency or recruiter, there are further signs that can point to whether that agency is likely to be great or not, these include:

• Their customer service and how they treat you. For example, do they take the time to carry out a face-to-face interview or make do with a quick phone meeting.
• How engaged they are and the quality of questions they ask. For example, demonstrating genuine interest in your role and planned career path.
• The quality and relevance of the job opportunities they discuss with you
• How well they communicate with you during the job search process

At Enterprise IT Resources we know the recruitment sector struggles with having a reputation of poor service and feedback to candidates. To counter this, we have a dedicated Customer Service Consultant, whose sole job is to update our candidates on the progress of their applications, new opportunities that are available to them, and to respond to queries and feedback. This is just one example of how we try to differentiate ourselves and ensure as a IT or Business Transformation professional we’re helping you to get the very best results.

How to Ensure You’re Getting the Most Out of Your Recruiter

Working with a recruiter is a two-way process, and there are therefore several key things you can do to get more out of the relationship. Providing honest and direct feedback to a recruiter, especially when it comes to interest in specific job opportunities, is a great start, as it helps recruiters know where you stand straight away and can refine our search to best suit you.

It’s also important to keep an open mind. As specialist recruiters our industry experience sometimes means that we can spot something in a job that others can’t. Whilst we will only ever present a vacancy that we believe is going to add value to your career, this change in perspective can often open up new opportunities you may not have been thinking about.

Summary

Sometimes the position you wish to apply for may be with an agency that doesn’t appear to be specialist or particularly great, in which case there may seem like there is little choice but to apply. However, in a lot of situations technology companies will list their job opportunities with multiple recruiters, so it’s worth cross checking with your preferred recruiter before you apply to make sure you’re dealing with the best recruitment agency for you.

When it comes to recruitment, it’s about initially finding the right agency or recruiter for your own individual situation and then building the relationship as you go. This partnership is really the key to your long-term success as it not only means you’ll get career advice and that much needed perspective but also that they will be in contact with opportunities as they arise and be with you as you navigate your career journey.

If you’re ready to work with a specialist IT & Business Transformation recruitment agency that prioritises your individual needs then please feel free to get in touch with the team at Enterprise IT Resources.