I’ve spent years on different sides of the job search – first as a candidate, then as an executive career coach, résumé writer, and now as a Recruiting Partner with Goodwin Recruiting.  

People still ask me what a talent recruiter can actually do for them. Some professionals see recruiters as another way to learn about open roles, and think, “I can find and apply for jobs myself.” Of course you can, but a good talent recruiter gives you an edge in your job search. 

For those who ask what a recruiter can do, I welcome the question. It’s an opening to help change their lives. 

Your recruiter has access to a lot more than job openings 

A good talent recruiter gives you information you won’t find in job postings. They have deep insights into hiring companies. They identify experience or skills that may not be obvious in your résumé. They coach and prepare you for interviews, provide employer feedback, and help you navigate the hiring process from the first conversation through the final hiring decision.  

And at Goodwin Recruiting, there is no fee involved for job seekers. Our services are paid for by hiring companies that choose to hire and onboard our skilled candidates. 

We start by getting to know you  

Before presenting a job candidate to a client, we need to understand more than what’s presented in a résumé. We want to know where you are in your career and where you want to go next:  

• Why are you considering leaving your current role?  

• What would make a new opportunity worth pursuing?  

• What level of compensation do you desire or require?  

• What type of company and leadership style work best for you?  

• What do you consider your greatest strengths?  

• What do you see as the ideal next step toward your career goals? 

• Are you open to relocation?  

Having this conversation with you matters because a successful placement needs to work for both you and a hiring company. We need to know whether you are a good match for what our client needs – and whether the opportunity is the right match for you. 

A wrong hire is expensive for an employer. A wrong career move can be costly for you, too.  

We know more than what you see in a job posting  

Job listings give you the basics. A recruiter often knows the bigger story behind those job openings. We meet with our clients and learn what is happening inside the organization, the division, and team: 

• Why is this position open?  

• Which qualifications are truly important for this role?  

• What does success look like for the person in this position? 

• Who will the new hire report to?  

• What does your company or team need to thrive?  

These conversations give us answers to important questions. Is the company growing, restructuring, opening a new location, replacing someone, or creating a new position?  

As a result, we’re able to share something very valuable with you: context. Our due diligence gives you an opportunity to ask us questions and decide if you want to pursue the role – or move on to a different opportunity before you invest time in a lengthy interview process. 

We see talent and skills your résumé doesn’t show  

This is one of my favorite parts of recruiting. Sometimes, the most revealing qualifications I discover in a candidate are not presented anywhere in their résumé or LinkedIn profile. Some professionals bring a lot more to the table than they realize, and this demonstrated experience may hold great value to a hiring company.  

Let’s say your current title is Assistant Manager. When your manager was away for an extended period, you were effectively running the operation, managing the team, handling P&L, or overseeing the budget. Or maybe you trained employees, opened a new location, led a key project, worked directly with ownership, managed a major client, or performed other responsibilities beyond your job description. 

Those are examples of things I hear from candidates during our initial phone calls, but that aren’t articulated in writing. And from my vantage point as a recruiter with open jobs to fill, this is what I see: 

• You may have already performed responsibilities associated with the next level of your career. 

• You are already doing much of the job that my client needs someone to do. 

• I realize that you may be an excellent fit for another opportunity altogether.  

We help hiring companies recognize your transferable skills  

Job candidates sometimes eliminate themselves too quickly from new job opportunities:  

• “I haven’t held that title.”  

• “I haven’t worked for that type of company.”  

• “I come from another industry.”  

Granted, sometimes those things matter as certain roles require specific licenses, certifications, technical knowledge, or industry experience. But not every qualification is tied to a title or industry! 

• Leadership skills and experience transfer. 

• Sales skills transfer. 

• Financial acumen transfers. 

• Managing P&L transfers. 

• And so does experience in developing teams, opening locations, improving operations, managing change, building relationships, and solving problems.  

A recruiter knows and understands what an employer is trying to accomplish. We recognize when you have already solved similar problems or achieved relevant accomplishments somewhere else. We’re able to communicate why you’re a strong candidate for a company’s open role.  

Again, your next career step may be hidden inside the work you’re doing today, and your recruiter is your direct connection to those opportunities. 

We help employers see the experience behind your title  

This is where my background as a career coach and résumé writer comes into my recruiting work every day. If your résumé was written in the past, it may not tell the full story of what you are doing today.  

Even if your résumé is current, you may not know which skills or parts of your experience matter most to a particular employer.  

We do.  

For example, if my client needs someone who has opened new locations, I want that experience to be visible in a résumé. If leadership scope, revenue growth, budgeting, a particular system, certification, or type of client matters, I want to know and understand it before I present a candidate to a client.  

Therefore, sometimes, we may suggest changes to your résumé. Other times, we simply make sure the employer knows and understands experience and skills that a résumé alone does not communicate. As recruiters, our relationships with clients include verbal communications that bridge understanding. 

We don’t just forward your résumé. We present you.  

There is an important difference. When you apply for a job online, your résumé becomes one of many applications, sometimes hundreds or even thousands. 

When a recruiter presents you directly to a client, we already know you’re a solid contender for the role and can explain why you are worth meeting. We are able to illuminate the match between your experience and what the hiring company needs. 

This is important for several reasons: 

• Your title vs. their open job title may not tell the whole story of why you are a good fit. 

• Your résumé may not explain why a career transition makes good sense for an open role.  

• An employer may not immediately recognize how your skills in another industry are highly relevant to their business and operations.  

A recruiter advocates for you, adding context around why we are presenting you to one of our clients as they search for the right candidate.  

We prepare you for success at each interview stage  

Being invited to a job interview is important, but it’s not the finish line. Before you meet with our client, we help you prepare and know what to expect in advance:  

• Who will you be meeting?  

• What is their role in the organization?  

• What is likely to matter most to them?  

• Which parts of your background should you be prepared to discuss?  

• What questions should you ask during the interview?  

This preparation is important for any job candidate, and it’s especially valuable for candidates who are interviewing for senior and executive roles.  

You may meet with an HR leader, a hiring manager, your future boss, someone in operations, a CFO, CEO, owner, or other stakeholder in the company. During the interview and hiring process, you may interview with more than one company representative, or there may be a group interview. 

Each person may be evaluating something different. HR may focus on overall fit. Your future leader may want to understand how you manage people. A CFO may focus on financial discipline. A CEO may want to hear about strategy, leadership, and business impact.  

Your recruiter can help you prepare for those different conversations and gain confidence during the recruitment process.  

You get feedback and valuable insights for what comes next in the talent acquisition process 

When candidates apply for jobs directly with a company and are invited for interviews, they often complete the interview – and then wait. Sometimes, candidates receive a standard rejection email. Sometimes they receive very little feedback or no follow-up at all. 

When you work with a recruiter, there is another person in the conversation. After your interview, we want to hear your feedback. Then we speak with the employer. Perhaps they liked your operational background but want to hear more about leadership. Now we know what you should address in the next interview. Maybe you liked the role and company but still have questions about compensation, relocation, or the team. We answer and clarify those for you, too.  

For executive searches that tend to involve several interview stages, this is especially valuable. Regardless of the position, after each conversation, we reassess and prepare you for the next one. You are not navigating the interview process alone.  

You receive highly specific career guidance at no cost 

Professional career services can be valuable, particularly during a major career transition. I spent years providing these services myself. Candidates hire résumé writers, LinkedIn specialists, career coaches, and executive coaches to help position themselves and their experience and prepare for interviews. 

Professional career support services can also be a significant investment. Executive résumé and personal-branding services, depending on the candidate and industry, may cost $1,500–$3,500 or more, while experienced executive career coaching may cost $300+ per hour. 

When you work with a recruiter on a specific job opportunity, much of that role-specific support, including positioning your experience, interview preparation, employer insights, and feedback, is provided at no cost to you as the candidate.  

While a recruiter is not a replacement for comprehensive career coaching, your recruiter offers you important advantages for a specific opportunity:  

• We know the employer.  

• We know the position.  

• We understand what the company is trying to achieve or solve.  

And we know which parts of your experience matter most for this particular opportunity. Our insights allow us to help you prepare for the real interview in front of you, not a hypothetical one.  

We’re up front with you if a workforce opportunity isn’t the right fit 

Being your recruiting partner does not mean persuading you to interview for or accept just any position. Compensation, relocation, company culture, timing, or some other aspect of a job may simply not align with what’s best for you and your career. And that’s okay. It’s better to determine this early on than have you invest weeks in an interview and hiring process that was never going to work.  

Our goal is not simply to place people in jobs. Our goal is to create ideal matches where both the candidate and the hiring company can win.  

The best recruiting relationships can last for years  

I know the value of talent recruiters from personal experience. Two of the longest and best positions of my own career came to me through recruiters. Today, as a recruiter myself, I understand even better why this business is not just about filling jobs. It is about relationships. 

A good recruiter wants to be your advocate not just for today, but for the life of your career. Technology, AI, LinkedIn, or a recruiting platform may help us connect, but building a genuine relationship is what translates into a rewarding job search and long-term career success. 

Explore your next opportunity with Goodwin Recruiting by your side  

My name is Elena Sabry, and I am a Recruiting Partner with Goodwin Recruiting. If you are considering your next career move and are looking for a competitive edge in today’s job market, connect with me and let’s explore your opportunities together. 

You don’t have to be actively searching for a job to start a conversation. Some of the strongest candidates I meet are successful where they are. They are simply willing to listen when the right opportunity comes along. If that sounds good to you, reach out any time.