Welcome back to part 2 of “Ask a Recruiter“, a collection of questions to help you get the most out of interactions with recruiters. As you might remember, when you’re happy, we’re happy!

To get the most asked questions, we went to Reddit and Quora and gathered the questions people have about how to work with recruiters and what information to share.

If you haven’t read part 1, here are the first 6 questions.

Should you tell your recruiter if the salary is too low?

If the offered salary is too low, you should let us know immediately. We need to know why you think it’s too low and how much you would like to have. Then we can go back to the client and re-negotiate your salary. In many cases clients are understanding and will increase the initial salary. 

Sometimes the opposite is true as well. Recently we helped more people who were willing to accept a lower salary for a better work life balance. 

Ideally we would know all this information in the beginning to manage everyone’s expectations, but if for whatever reason we don’t, please let us know as early as possible.

Should you reach out to the hiring manager after the interview?

Reaching out to the hiring manager after your interview can be very beneficial. It shows that you are proactive and really interested in that position and company. It will also help you to stand out from the other applicants because it creates another touch point with the hiring manager.

You can connect with them on LinkedIn or send them an email. You can write a simple thank you message highlighting some of the points you talked about during the interview. This is also a good chance to answer any questions that were left open in the interview. 

Should you tell your recruiter you need more time to think about an offer?

It’s completely fine to need some time to think about an offer. This is a very big decision for your future career that shouldn’t be rushed. Most people want to discuss this with their family, friends or mentors as well before accepting or rejecting a job offer.

It’s also very common to wait for other ongoing processes to complete so you can compare different offers and make the best possible decision.

Usually companies give deadlines of 3 to 7 days to accept an offer but if you need more time than that, please let us know why and how much more time you need. Then we can get back to the client and decide on a timeline. Transparency is key here because if you’re too ambiguous the client might think you’re stalling or might be unhappy with the offer.

Can you ask your recruiter about the salary range of a job?

Yes, similar to how we ask for your salary expectations you can always ask us for the salary range of a job we introduce to you. Knowing this up front will help you to decide whether to apply for a job or not.

That being said, many companies are flexible with their salary range based on your experience and how well you do in the interviews. Some companies don’t even have salary ranges at all because they don’t want to filter out potential good applicants. They will decide on that after meeting you. So don’t let the salary range be a deterrent if it’s slightly off.

Should you tell your recruiter you’re unemployed?

Yes, you should be transparent about your unemployment, whether that is voluntary or involuntary. It’s fine if you have been freelancing, working on personal projects or simply taking some time off. That’s perfectly normal. We just need to be able to explain any gaps you might have in your resume.

So please let us know about your situation and expectations, so we can present you in the best possible way. If you’re unemployed and are urgently looking for your next job, let us know, so we can add more urgency to your situation or be more flexible in the jobs we introduce you to.

Should you read and believe reviews on Glassdoor?

Yes, you should totally go to Glassdoor and check the companies you are interested in applying for. It can give you a good overview of the company and can help you formulate questions you want to ask during interviews.

Just keep in mind that Glassdoor is open for everyone to write reviews and just because someone had a bad experience, doesn’t mean it’s a bad company. Companies also change over time. So if there are a lot of bad reviews from 2 or 3 years ago, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s still the case. In general, people are more likely to write a negative review after a bad experience than to write a positive review after a good experience.

It’s a good way to get some information but it’s always better to directly speak with someone who is currently working at that company.

And that’s it. These were the 12 most asked questions for recruiters. Hopefully, you got a better understanding of how to work with recruiters to get the best outcome for your career.

If your question wasn’t covered, please connect with me on LinkedIn and I’m happy to answer any further questions.

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Anju Kajihara
Manager | Marketing

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