With the recession mounting and unemployment rising, these are definitely trying times for job seekers searching for their next career. What I have seen this past year reminds me of my Econ 101 class with a supply and demand curve twisting and turning like nothing I’ve seen before in my seven years of recruiting. The demand for new people is low, the supply of people seeking jobs is high, salaries are dropping because they can, people are taking jobs beneath their skill level because they have to… what a mess!

Although this post is clearly self-serving, I have to say that there is no better time than now to work with a professional recruiter. Let me say that again. There is no better time than now (pause for effect…) to work with a professional recruiter. Just like every other industry today where only the strongest survive, so to is the case in my world. In my industry alone, I have witnessed numerous recruiting firms fall by the way side because when times got tough, they got going (out the door). Simply calling one’s self a recruiter does not necessarily make it so. This is a tough industry, and things like integrity, honesty, experience, hard work and empathy mean more today than they ever have before.

My advice for you is to research the recruiting firm as diligently as you would the firm you are planning to interview with. A simple Google search should do the trick. Search on the name of the recruiting firm followed by the words “scam, complaints,” etc. We have one competitor that is so prevalent on the scam boards that they created their own “compliments” board to counter all the complaints. Nice…

Also, when you make initial contact with the recruiting firm, have a serious chat with the recruiter. Ask him or her the tough questions. Make sure you are comfortable with them as an industry expert before agreeing to have them represent you. After all, if they don’t really know what they’re talking about, how can you expect them to have any credibility with the client they represent?

Finally, use your intuition. If it doesn’t feel “right” when you’re talking to the recruiter, it probably isn’t. There are plenty of shady operators out there in every industry - mine included. So make sure you feel comfortable that the firm you are working with is competent, coherent and honest. After all, this is your next career we’re talking about!

Things are tough enough. You don’t need to add to the existing challenges by making a mistake with your recruiter.