Many finance professionals choose to work with a recruiter when seeking out new career opportunities. Staffing firms reduce the legwork and stress of a DIY job search, and they increase the chances of finding a job that truly aligns with your skills and goals. However, many job seekers don’t quite know how to prepare for their first meeting with a recruiter because they are not applying for a specific job at a specific organization. If you are ready to jumpstart your search by working with a financial staffing firm, here are some tips to help you lay the foundation for a successful partnership.
Know Your Goals
Recruiters can help you find a job that will allow you to achieve your goals, but that is only possible when they know just what those goals are. Staffing professionals are not mind readers and no two finance candidates will have the exact same goals. Before your meeting, prepare a concise goal statement that sums up what you want to achieve through your job search.
Whether your goal is to take on more responsibility, make more money, work with a specific type of company or something else, make sure you can articulate it to your recruiter. When they are clear about what you want out of your job search, they can make accurate matches when opportunities arise.
Understand Your Ideal Culture
According to the Society for Human Resources Management, one of the biggest reasons why new hires quit within a few months of accepting a position is poor cultural alignment. If your personality, work style and values do not match up to the culture and values of your employer, you cannot be happy and you will not thrive, no matter how talented you may be.
You can help your recruiter find the right corporate culture by describing the environment in which you do your best work. Consider factors such as:
- Management style: Hands-on or hands-off
- Company size: Large, medium or small
- Team size: Large, medium or small
- Communication style: Frequency, method
- Culture: Formal, informal
- Development: Training opportunities, advancement possibilities
Know Thyself
You know your skills and competencies better than anyone, so be sure to outline your strong suits to your recruiter. Every hiring manager they work with will put emphasis on different skill sets, so your recruiter will want to know exactly what it is you do best.
The recruiter will also ask about your weaknesses. You don’t have to list out every potential flaw you’ve ever discovered, but be honest about areas where you may not excel. The more honest and upfront you are with the staffing firm, the better for you, the recruiter, and your eventual employer.
If you are ready to jumpstart your financial job search, partner with the experts at Systems Personnel, Western New York’s leading finance recruiting firm. We value the success or our candidates and take every measure to ensure that you are matched with your ideal employer. Contact us today to learn more about the ways we can help you take the next step in your career.
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