Don’t overexpose yourself

Caroline Palmer

Last week I received a CV and was rather taken aback by the covering letter…

“Please email me in the first instance and only if you have a position to fill - no need to reply if you can't help. Sorry to be blunt but this is heading out to 30+ recruitment agencies and I'm unable to take a phone call from each.”

While this is an extreme case, we are frequently seeing candidates who are spreading themselves very thinly and registering with a large number of recruiters. Don’t get me wrong, I understand that you need to ensure that you’re maximising every available opportunity, but all too often where candidates are registered with so many recruiters they find they are unable to build a strong personal relationship with each recruiter. They are then often put forward for roles which don’t suit their skill set or fit their desires, and most worryingly they lose track of where their CV has been sent.

It doesn’t look great to potential employers if they receive a CV numerous times, it tends to suggest a candidate cannot do something as simple as keep tabs on where their CV has been sent and can be viewed as disorganised or unfocussed.

My advice, pick your recruiters carefully, keep the list short and spend time talking to them and telling them about your hopes and dreams – it’s the way we work here at Direct Recruitment and it works for our candidates!