Recruiters are hitting you up left and right, but why respond? You’re happy, or at least content, in your current position. Why waste time even entertaining other opportunities?

A good recruiter serves a much higher purpose than simply helping you find a new gig. She/he is your personal career consultant, coach, guide, sounding board and benchmark toward future growth. Having a recruiting partner in your pocket helps along every step of your professional development, regardless of stage. Here are four reasons why you should pick up the phone the next time that recruiter calls:

1) Map your career path.

Where do you want to be in the future? Is your plan to move into a leadership role? Maybe there’s an ideal job you’ve imagined but you’re not sure how to get there. A great recruiter will help map out your future. She will advise on the steps, projects or the next role you should take to gain the skills necessary for that dream job.  

For example, let’s say you want to be a senior manager. Great! Your recruiter places senior managers in your space all the time. Thanks to that, she knows that if you want to snag this role, you’ll need at least two years of product management experience. So, she finds you a career accelerating project management role to put you on the right trajectory.

No matter what you’d like to do in your career, it’s essential to have a partner who can be your guide to get you where you’d like to go.

2) Know your worth.

Is your current compensation above or below market? How do you know for sure? Public sources like Glassdoor are often way off and it can be awkward to ask a colleague. But, recruiters speak with talent and companies in your field every day, gaining in-depth knowledge of the demand and value of specific skills. They’ll tell you if you’re being paid what you’re worth and, if not, give tips on negotiating a raise or help you find a new role in a company that appreciates you.

3) Prepare for anything.

You never know when you’ll need a recruiter by your side. What if your company is acquired and does a sudden round of layoffs? What if you get promoted and your boss asks what type of raise you’re looking for? Or, somebody close to you is looking for help and you want to refer them somewhere? Our careers are in a constant state of flux. The surest safeguard against change is having a recruiting partner in your pocket that you can call upon if you should ever need help!

4) Benchmark against other opportunities.

You don’t know what you don’t know; the truest sentence ever spoken. There’s often something that would make a job even better. It could be right next door, but you don’t know if you don’t ask. If you were presented with a role that’s parallel but offers, for example, more work/life balance, advancement opportunity or a higher salary, you might consider it. Whether you’re looking now or just want a recruiter to keep their eyes peeled, connect with them to get a benchmark of how your current position stacks up against others in the market so, at the very least, you know what’s possible.

Unlike most recruiters, at Talent Solvers, our focus is long-term results. It’s even one of our core values! This means we’re not here to simply fill a role and move on. We’re consultants, partners and coaches. Our investment is in your long-term success and that means being there for you throughout every step of your professional development, not just when you’re looking for a new role.

Ready to meet your personal recruiting partner? Reach out and we’ll schedule a chat!