Episode #239 – This is the Perfect Time to Use a Recruiter as the Talent Agent for Your Career
Julea: Welcome to “The Animal Health and Veterinary Employment Insider,” brought to you by The VET Recruiter. In this podcast, Animal Health executive recruiter and Veterinary recruiter Stacy Pursell of The VET Recruiter provides insight and practical advice for both employers and job seekers in the Animal Health and Veterinary industries. The VET Recruiter’s focus is to solve talent-centric problems for the Animal Health industry and Veterinary profession. In fact, The VET Recruiter’s mission is to help Animal Health and Veterinary companies hire top talent, while helping Animal Health and Veterinary professionals attain career-enhancing opportunities that increase their quality of life.
Today, we’ll be talking about why right now is the perfect time to use a recruiter as the talent agent for your career. Hello, Stacy, and thank you for joining us today.
Stacy: Hello, Julea. As always, I’m glad to be here with you.
Julea: Stacy, we really haven’t talked much about a recruiter being a talent agent on the podcast, is that correct?
Stacy: Yes, that’s right Julea, and that’s one of the reasons why I wanted to broach this subject today and frame it within this discussion. We’ve made reference to talent agents in the past, but we haven’t explored the issue fully, and I think we should. When it comes to talent agents, one of the areas that people associate with them is the world of sports. The movie Jerry Maguire with Tom Cruise is a film that highlighted what sports agents do. Agents are also used in the world of entertainment. You’ve certainly heard of a modeling agency before.
Julea: Yes, it seems as though when there are people who are very much in demand, there are agents who represent them.
Stacy: Yes, that’s right! And that’s why now is the perfect time to use a recruiter as a talent agent for your career, because Animal Health and Veterinary talent is very much in demand right now. We’ve discussed this previously, but the overall job market is extremely tight for talent, and it’s even tighter in the Animal Health industry and Veterinary profession. My firm, The VET Recruiter is placing Veterinary students who will graduate in May of 2022 at employers. And some of these students are receiving multiple offers.
Julea: Multiple offers and they haven’t even graduated yet?
Stacy: Yes, that is the case. We are placing veterinary students in positions now when they don’t even graduate until May of 2022, so you can see how in demand Veterinary talent is at the moment.
Julea: But Stacy, won’t some veterinary professionals think to themselves that there’s no reason for them to work with a recruiter because the market IS so tight? Won’t they think that they have all the leverage and they don’t need any help?
Stacy: They might be tempted to think that, but it would be misleading to do so. In fact, during my career, I’ve spoken with people who have said something to that effect. They would say something along the lines of, “I’m a veteran in this industry. I know just about everyone. I don’t need help finding a new job if I want one.” However, if they are a busy and in demand veterinary professional that is even the more reason, they need a veterinary recruiter.
There are always advantages to working with an Animal Health recruiter or Veterinary recruiter, and that includes when the market is tight for talent and candidates have a lot of leverage in hiring situations. It doesn’t matter how much experience you have or how many skills you possess. If you talk yourself out of using a recruiter to help you grow your career, the only person you’ll ultimately end up hurting is yourself.
Julea: Stacy, what are some specific reasons why people should use a recruiter as a talent agent for their career, some reasons that perhaps our listening audience is not aware of?
Stacy: I do have some reasons like that, starting with the fact that employers expect top talent to use the services of a recruiter.
Julea: Really? They expect them to? Tell us more about that Stacy.
Stacy: Absolutely, and the logic here is straightforward and simple. After all, employers enlist the services of a recruiter to find the best candidates in the marketplace. So if they send recruiters to find the best, then they expect the best to be represented by recruiters.
And our second reason is related to this one. When a candidate is represented by a professional recruiter, their candidacy is taken more seriously by an employer. Representation by a recruiter makes a hiring manager take notice. It signifies that the candidate is a major player in the market, and in some cases, it can secure the candidate’s place for consideration within the hiring process.
Julea: I have to admit, I was not aware of how highly employers think of candidates who are represented by recruiters.
Stacy: Yes, and that’s just the beginning of the value that recruiters provide for professionals. The third reason they should use a recruiter as a talent agent for their career is that a recruiter can help them to reduce the risk of mistakes.
Julea: That would make sense, especially if the recruiter is experienced.
Stacy: Yes, while you might be tempted to “go it alone” in terms of your job search or growing your career, recruiters do this day in and day out. They’ve navigated hundreds if not thousands of hiring situations, and they’ve seen just about every scenario imaginable. Their advice and insight is very valuable.
The next two reasons, though, are perhaps the most important. They’re the most important ones from the point of view of the candidate, anyway.
Julea: Which reasons are those?
Stacy: The fourth reason is more leverage during negotiations, and of course, we’re talking about offer negotiations, including starting salary, benefits, and other perks of the job. Let’s face it, the negotiation phase of the hiring process can be tricky. This is where experience matters the most. If the recruiter places candidates regularly with an organization, they’re going to know how to handle any situation, and the candidate can benefit directly from this knowledge.
And that leads to our fifth reason, which is a better all-around deal. Ultimately, this is what everyone wants: a better starting salary, a better benefits package, a better everything, all at one of the best organizations in the industry. In just about every case, working with a recruiter and allowing them to be the talent agent will help you to achieve these things and also help to grow your career in the long run.
And our final reason is also incredibly important.
Julea: Which reason is that?
Stacy: When you use a recruiter as a talent agent, they can help you always be on the lookout for a better job. And it doesn’t matter who you are or whether you work in the Animal Health industry or Veterinary profession, you should always be on the lookout for a better job. In fact, the best time to find a great job is when you already have a job. We’ve discussed this before. When you already have a good job, you automatically have the leverage you need to explore other employment opportunities and find a great job.
Julea: But not everyone does that, do they?
Stacy: No, they don’t, and you must keep in mind that there’s a difference between always looking for a better job and always switching jobs. Just because you’re always looking doesn’t mean you always have to make a move. And there are three reasons why a professional should always be looking for a better job, and these are all logical when you think about it.
First, the more you look for a better job, the more opportunities you’ll uncover.
Second, with more opportunities, you’ll have more options.
And third, with more options, you’ll have the flexibility to be selective about which opportunities you pursue and which ones you do not.
Julea: And you’re saying that a recruiter working as your talent agent can help you be on the lookout for better jobs.
Stacy: Yes, this is where having a good relationship with a recruiter in your industry can pay off.
That’s because looking for a better job doesn’t have to fall 100% on your shoulders. When you partner with a knowledgeable recruiter and use them as your talent agent, they can take that burden from you. While you’re busy in your current position, they can keep their eyes out for better employment opportunities and let you know when they come across them.
So, in essence, partnering with an experienced professional recruiter can help create more opportunities and options, which in turn will give you the luxury of being selective about which opportunities you pursue and which ones you do not.
Julea: So if you work with a recruiter and use them as a talent agent, then you shouldn’t really miss any good job opportunities that would help grow your career.
Stacy: Yes, if you’re working with a good recruiter, then there is no reason why you shouldn’t always be looking for a better job. However, not only should people always be on the lookout for a better job, but they should also always be open to opportunity. Because you can’t take advantage of an opportunity if you don’t know about the opportunity. You also can’t take advantage of an opportunity if you know about it, but you don’t do anything about it.
And I have a story that I’d like to share that I have yet to share on our podcast.
Julea: Great! I always enjoy your stories, Stacy.
Stacy: Thank you, but believe it or not, this story is not from my recruiting career. Instead, it’s from when I was a teenager. I was a junior in high school when one of my good friends told me a story about her dad. Her dad grew up with Sam Walton.
Julea: Wait a minute . . . Sam Walton, the founder of Wal-Mart?
Stacy: Yes, that Sam Walton.
Once upon a time, Sam Walton told my friend’s dad that he was going to open a “five-and-dime” store and asked him to join in the business. My friend’s dad said no because he wanted to become a schoolteacher. He was still a schoolteacher when I met my friend in high school, and Sam Walton . . . well, Sam Walton was the founder of Wal-Mart.
Julea: Wow, that was a missed opportunity!
Stacy: Yes, but what’s important in this story is that my friend’s dad said no without even fully considering the opportunity. And unfortunately, that’s what some professionals do when they’re faced with an opportunity or one is presented to them.
When it comes to turning down a job opportunity, there is really nothing to turn down unless you literally have the job offer in your hand. It costs you absolutely nothing to look into or investigate an opportunity.
There’s nothing wrong with turning down an opportunity—if one is actually presented to you. Just make sure that you know exactly what the opportunity is and how it could benefit you. Then, if you still believe that it’s not the best move, you can turn it down. But turning down an opportunity without even considering it is not a good idea.
Julea: Stacy, we’re just about out of time for today. Do you have anything else that you’d like to add?
Stacy: Yes, there is one more thing that I would like to add about working with a recruiter, and this is critical. When you work with a recruiter and you choose to use them as your talent agent, it is critically important that you work with a recruiter who you trust.
Julea: I had not thought of that, but that makes sense, too. When you work with someone, you want to be able to trust them, especially when it involves something as important as your career. The recruiting profession is like any other profession. Some recruiters are trustworthy and some are not.
Stacy: Yes, sadly that is correct, and I have another story that illustrates this.
Several years ago, I was speaking with a company official whose department had a job opening it was attempting to fill. During our conversation, this person mentioned that they were receiving unsolicited resumes over the general office fax machine. Of course, I’m aging myself a little bit with this story, because who uses fax machines anymore?
So I asked the company official who was sending the faxes, because I thought perhaps job seekers or candidates were doing so.
Julea: Let me guess. They were not.
Stacy: You are correct. Recruiters were faxing resumes, and these were recruiters who the company official didn’t even know. They were unsolicited resumes. Of course, these days, instead of fax machines, recruiters use email, but there are plenty of problems with what these recruiters were doing.
One of the biggest problems is that none of these recruiters had a relationship with the hiring manager, which means they were not working a specific search. Instead, they were just blasting resumes in the hopes that something would “stick.” Recruiters who have integrity do not just blast resumes to organizations. So not only did these recruiters brand themselves in a negative way, but they also branded the candidates they were representing in a negative way, too, simply by association.
The company official I was speaking with at the time indicated that they would never work with these recruiters and they weren’t about to consider the candidates, either.
Julea: It seems that when it comes to working with a recruiter you trust, it involves knowing where your resume is going.
Stacy: Yes, that is a big part of it! When a professional who is looking to grow their career works with a recruiter, they must trust that recruiter to send their resume in a discreet and confidential manner and to do so with organizations with which they have a relationship.
Julea: I guess there’s no point in using a recruiter as a talent agent for your career if you’re not able to trust that recruiter.
Stacy: You’re right. There is no point in doing that. So if you engage the services of a recruiter—and I highly recommend doing so, especially if you’re a top candidate in the marketplace—be sure to do your homework. Conduct research and find a reputable, experienced, and knowledgeable recruiting firm that works in your industry and has a track record of placing professionals just like you.
Julea: So the members of our listening audience can use a recruiter as a talent agent for their career like Cuba Gooding’s character did in the movie Jerry Maguire.
Stacy: Yes, that’s absolutely right, because now is perfect time for those working in the Animal Health industry and Veterinary profession to do just that!
Julea: Stacy, thank you so much for all of this great information. We’re out of time for today, but for more information about The VET Recruiter and the services that it provides to both Animal Health and Veterinary employers and professionals, we invite everyone listening to visit www.thevetrecruiter.com. Once again, thank you, Stacy, for joining us today.
Stacy: It’s been my pleasure, Julea, and I look forward to our next episode of the “Animal Health and Veterinary Employment Insider”!