You have many choices to make when you are looking for a job. And I don’t just mean boxers or briefs. I mean, you could choose the lonely path and do it on your own. Or, you could choose to work with a qualified, and (dare-I-say-it?) fascinating and bubbly recruiter like Moi! Let’s compare the two options, shall we?

Option Number One:

You get home from that job you hate, grab a beer and the remainders of the Cheetos you haven’t polished off yet, and plant yourself in front of the computer.

“Ok, let’s see…what do I want to do? Oh, man, I’m getting Cheetos all over the keyboard. Dude, this stuff is hard to wipe off. Kjsbrguhas;ogih. Oops. Backspace. Delete. Hmmmm…let’s see….where to start? Job board! That’s what I’ll do. I’ll go check out some job boards and see what’s out there. Oh, wait, I need to create an account. Looks like I need to type all the stuff from my resume into this form. And another form. I need another beer. Ok, looks like I need to wait for my confirmation email. I wonder who Bret Michaels chose on Rock of Love? That Lacey girl was crazy. I hope he didn’t pick her. Oh, hey, my confirmation email is here. Ok, time to start working now.”
Over the course of the next hour or so, you shoot your resume to any job that looks even remotely like a possibility. You’re barely even reading the job descriptions.

“Might as well blanket these places. The more I send out, the better my chances that someone will call me for an interview. I’m not really qualified for that, but hey, maybe they won’t notice. Oh, that looks cool, but the pay sucks. Oh, what the heck.” Click click click.

Weeks go by and guess what? No one has responded to you. No one looked at your resume. Or, they looked at it but your job title didn’t perfectly match the position in question, so the HR manager didn’t keep reading. After all, she has 800 of these to get through today.

Should you manage to get a call and an interview, you are pretty much going on that paragraph in the job description because that’s all you have. You can’t be calling them everyday asking what’s up.

“Are they interviewing other people? Do they like me? Did they have any concerns? If this thing works out, will they pay for me to move? Is it a cool place to work or are they all drones?”

Unfortunately, you probably have to be there for a few in person interviews to get the real scoop. And, should it come down to an offer, you are on your own.

“That dollar amount isn’t really what I had in mind. If I don’t accept it, will they move on to the next candidate in line and offer it to her? If I ask for more, would that be out of line? I really need more relocation money. How do I approach that subject?”

Now, let’s take a look at Option Number Two:

“My buddy told me that this recruiter named Shannon helped him land his gig. I think I’ll give her a call.”

You spend some time on the phone with Shannon discussing your skills. She takes a long look at your resume and offers some advice on how to tweak it. She tells you that since you’ve had that job title for about 3 years, it looks like it’s time to move up to the next level in title and pay. She tells you that you have a good skill set for three jobs she has. She tells you which ones are moving fast. She tells you Agency A is ultra hip but the hours would be longer. She tells you Agency B doesn’t pay as much but if you go and work there for a year, you can write your ticket to where you want to go next. She tells you that Agency C is courting a new executive level person from Agency A and that it is going to be big if you get in now.

She says you have been grossly underpaid and that her goal is to get you as much as she can. She gets your resume to the person in charge the same day. She hears back that they want to talk to you this week. She gives you the inside scoop on the woman you’ll be meeting with. You learn that what this agency really wants is someone with a very strong charm-factor, someone who can really sell it. She encourages you to show your sense of humor and your excellent presentation skills. She tells you not to wear a suit. Too stuffy. She tells you that the job pays a lot more than what you’re currently making and that they can’t find anyone with your specific skills. She tells you that they are very interested. Then she arranges for them to fly you out on their dime and put you up in a nice place near the agency. You adore Shannon and agree to send her fancy chocolates and expensive gifts every week for the next year.

You arrive armed with the inside scoop. You have been prepped on exactly what questions they will ask you. You know who you will be meeting with. You brought work samples because you knew they’d ask. Everyone is impressed with how prepared you are. You chat for a bit with the Hiring Manager about her beloved Scottish terrier named Scruffles because Shannon told you that this woman is crazy for her dog.

Afterwards, Shannon calls you to see how you’re feeling about it. You like it but what about money? You tell Shannon what you must have to make this move. Shannon goes to them with a bigger number and pitches that. They bite and tell Shannon that they will meet that number. You do a little dance in the privacy of your own living room that is slightly embarrassing but since no one else saw it, it’s cool.

In the end, you land the job you wanted, the one that was a good fit for you. You were not lost in the shuffle. You were prepared for every point of contact with this agency. There were no surprises. And you have more money for beer and Cheetos. Choose wisely.