It finally happened – a recruiter found you and reached out to you. They sent you an InMail on LinkedIn, emailed you, or called you directly. They have a position that seems like a perfect fit with a company that’s even better. Now what? Here are the first things you must do once a recruiter contacts you.
Take a moment to reflect
Before you even think about responding, take a moment to reflect on where you currently are in your career. You may be perfectly content with where you are now, but how will that change in the next six months? Year? Two Years?
Do you see yourself growing into your current position and within the organization? No matter how satisfied you are with your current position, it’s worth hearing out the recruiter. With today’s candidate-driven market, this may just be the best move for your career! Candidates have lots of options and accepting a new opportunity may be the best way to grow your career and lock down that pay raise you’ve been working hard for!
Do some research
Was it a third-party recruiter or an internal recruiter that contacted you? If it was an internal recruiter, it’s time to do some research!
Head over to their website to learn more about the organization. Check out their mission and vision statements. Visit their ‘About Us’ page and try to feel out the company. While you’re there, go to their open jobs and see if you can find the job description to learn a little more about the position.
You can also check out their social media pages to see what’s happening with the organization. Look out for new product launches, events, awards they received, etc. When doing your research, try to envision if this is a company you can see yourself working for.
If a third-party recruiter reached out to you, you may not know the actual company’s name yet. Instead, find the recruiter on LinkedIn and get a feel for them. Read their summary to learn a little more about them. Check to see if they have any recommendations from other clients or past candidates. Be sure to do a little research on the recruiting company they work for to ensure everything checks out.
Update your resume
This is probably self-explanatory, but the recruiter is going to want an updated copy of your resume. They may have found an old resume online or just found your experience on LinkedIn, but you want to be sure they have a fresh copy of your resume with your most recent experiences and accomplishments.
Even if your resume is up to date, this is a perfect opportunity to look at it with a pair of fresh eyes. Besides, once you know what the job is, you can tailor your resume to match the position and really demonstrate that you’re a great fit for the role.
If you need some help tweaking your resume, we have a ton of resources to help make that resume stand out to the hiring manager!
It can be really exciting to be recruited. The best thing you can do as a candidate is be prepared! Good luck!
