When a recruiter reaches out to you, it's in order to determine:

1. If you're a match for the more nuanced aspects of the position. (Because words on paper are a poor indicator of overall ability.)
   
   
2. If you're at all interested in having that conversation.

Once they're in the workforce, many people go through life wondering.

Wondering if they are in the right job.

Wondering if they have some hidden talent or secret superpower that would burst forth if only the environment were right.

Wondering if someone with a better knowledge of career paths and the job market could help them discover their latent talent and suggest a perfect job for them.

Wouldn't that be awesome?

Job seekers are always curious about how search firms work. Who pays the fees? What are the differences between a contingency recruiter vs a retained search firm? Which is best for the job seeker?

First things first. You can pay a career counselor to help you write your resume, or to help you plan your search, but no search firm should ever charge you. Ever.

When a recruiter contacts you about a job, what's the best way to respond?

One of our most popular posts was on "How to Introduce Yourself to a Search Firm." But what happens when you have already been contacted by a search firm and are going on an interview with one of their clients?

(This post originally appeared in the Washington Business Journal)

Recruiters always make you a million promises, tell you a thousand good things about the company, and try to convince you it's the best place in the world. Of course they do - they want you to work for them! But can you really trust everything they say? How do you know what is really true versus what is exaggerated? Business consultant Jesse Lyn Stoner wrote a great post on how to tell if an organization is really values-driven.

When we're recruiting someone, we're often asked the salary range for the position, but we never disclose it.  Candidates think that knowing the salary range will help them decide if an opportunity is worth pursuing.  In fact the opposite is true.   Whether you are above, below or in the middle of the salary range, talking about it just gets in the way.

Looking for a job?  Think recruiters are lined up to help you do that?  Think again.