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Finding a Recruiter with Integrity 

Finding a Recruiter with Integrity

A reprint of our blog article previously published on recruiter.com

The world of recruiting, too often, gets a bad name. Many candidates cringe and act as if they are trying to avoid the plague when they hear from a recruiter. Employer prospects and even clients will duck calls and avoid emails. Why? Because far too often recruiters simply lack integrity.  

A lack of integrity by some in recruiting gives others a bad name. Trying to push candidates into jobs that are not a good fit just to land a commission is a poor way to grow a strong, reputable recruiting business, yet it is standard operating procedure for the less invested recruiter. 

How to tell if a recruiter has integrity 

Identifying a recruiter with integrity is straightforward: find a recruiter that is genuine. A recruiter with integrity truly cares about helping candidates find the right job for them while also helping businesses fill their hiring needs with the right people. To that end, it is never a good idea for a recruiter to submit candidates to a position that is not a match. It wastes the client’s time and leaves the candidate disappointed when they don’t get an interview, or worse, bomb one. 

Recruiters with integrity provide real opportunities to candidates. They present them with the jobs that are the best fit based on multiple criteria and if they don’t have a good option, they say so. If an appropriate position becomes open down the road, they can reach out to the candidate then, but won’t tie them up with illusions and false hope in the meantime. 

Recruiters with integrity have excellent submission to acceptance ratios. Why? Because they get the nitty-gritty details on what their clients need and won’t submit candidates to a requisition unless they meet that criteria. Doing so is a waste of time for everyone and alienates the hiring manager. By submitting only candidates that are a solid match, hiring managers come to trust a recruiter and a partnership is formed. They take that recruiter with them when they go to a new company. They share that recruiter’s name with others. 

Perhaps one of the worst offenses of a recruiter without integrity is using fake candidates or fake job postings to lure in new clients. Recruiters with integrity know better. Pretending you have a good candidate for a position just to get your foot in the door will leave you out in the cold every time. Hiring managers can smell a fake from a mile away. If the “perfect” candidate suddenly disappears the minute the client signs a fee agreement, the client will immediately lose trust. This practice is a sure-fire way to destroy a relationship before it has even begun.  

How can you find one of the good ones? 

So how do you know if your recruiter is the real deal?  Check their reputation. Ask for a reference or look on LinkedIn at their recommendations. Recruiters that have a history of helping people have people who will share that story. Once a solid relationship has been established with a recruiter who has integrity, lasting relationships are built. Clients and candidates alike will hang onto them and return to them again and again over the years.  

Truly great recruiters with high integrity are honest and genuine. They stay in the business a long time because their reputation and ongoing referrals carry them through the years. One of the best ways to find a great recruiter is word of mouth. Ask around. Clients and candidates alike will share the names of trustworthy recruiters. Recruiters with integrity are worth their weight in gold and will pay-off for both sides time and time again.