7 Tips for Working with a Technology Transfer Recruiter

Have you ever found a job through a technology transfer recruiter before? If not, you will be pleasantly surprised. You not only learn about opportunities that may not be published elsewhere in the technology commercialization field, but you have someone doing the back and forth for you.

But if this is your first time there are a few things you should know:

7 Tips for Working with a Recruiter

1. Don’t lie, embellish, or leave important information out when talking with them. They’re going to bat for you with the employer. Their reputation is on the line, too, if they present you as a skilled candidate and there’s something you’re hiding. If you misrepresent yourself, you can be assured that will be the last time you do (with them).
2. Be open about salary expectations. Don’t say you’ll accept something and then change your mind.
3. Know who’s paying the bills. Recruiters want to place good quality candidates and the best recruiters believe in developing long-term relationships. But in the end, they work for the employer.
4. If you work in a specialized field like intellectual property, don’t sign up with a general recruiter. They don’t know the industry and won’t be privy to the exclusive openings at the top-notch research institutions.
5. Understand whether they are an exclusive recruiter or one who works on contingency. Most executive searches are exclusive searches where that recruiter is the only one sourcing for the position but other levels of management are also turning to retained (or exclusive) recruiters. When there is not a retained search contract in place, anyone can bring a candidate to the table. These contingency recruiters are more interested in placing than who they place. They won’t get paid unless they find the “winning” candidate.
6. Practice explaining issues on your resume to your recruiter. Are you unemployed? Do you have a large gap in your employment history? Explaining this to a recruiter is good practice for an interview.
7. Get found. Social media is one of the easiest ways to get found by a recruiter, particularly LinkedIn. Publish articles to Pulse or post status updates. Polish your bio, particularly your headline. Make sure it contains the words people would search for in order to place a candidate of your caliber.

Don’t be intimidated by working with a recruiter and don’t let a bad experience in the past sour you. Recruiters can make your job hunting life very easy and can help maintain your privacy. When you send out a barrage of resumes hoping to hit a target, that’s hard to do.