So you have yourself a career goal. Like a board game, you can see the finish line and you can see the steps laid out before you of how to get there. But how can you get there faster and with an extra “Chance” card in your pocket to give you that extra bit of luck and skill to make sure you are the winner, landing your dream job at the end?

Try putting a little bit of extra time into your relationship with your recruiter.

Yes, that is the answer. Seems so simple right? 

I'm not talking about anything complex here. It's about building a relationship that requires a little time and effort spent allowing your recruiter to get to know you, to understand your 5 - 10 year career goal.

Are you still there?

Some of you are probably rolling your eyes and running for the hills at the thought of having to plan 5 years in advance, but reverse engineering your career is something most of us actually do without even realising we are doing it.

Say you've always wanted to be a Site Manager or Structural Engineer at a Engineering Design Consultancy, well you don't just turn up one day and start working in your dream role now do you? 

You take steps to get there. You might finish school majoring in the subjects that will strengthen your skills to make you better equipped for your choice of career, perhaps followed by a degree or a diploma, and then you start working in the industry taking on small roles until you can hopefully one day step into the job you've always dreamed of.

Sure, it's a long process. And there's no guarantee you'll even get there. 

That's why you need to build on your relationship with your recruiter. Let me them get to know you so they can help you.

I deal with people all the time who are at different stages of this journey. Some are close to achieving their big career goal and only need to a little help to take open up the door to their dream role, whilst others are still at the starting line feeling a little overwhelmed where to take their first step.

But both of these stages need help in acquiring the right path, the right next step, and the right opportunity. If you take too long deliberating on the next step, you can miss out with someone else in the industry beating you to the punch.

If I know what you want and where you are at with work, and you make me better equipped with frequent updates, I can move quicker for you making sure I am always ready to bat for you.

Part of what I love as a recruiter, is the coaching aspect of my work. No matter where you are at in your journey, I can lay out the stepping-stones you need to get you where you need to go. By building on a relationship with me, you get to lean on my expertise and the industry tools I have available to me, like LinkedIn Recruiter and market knowledge (think the people, projects, pathways, salaries, expectations), plus I know who the important people are in the Construction and Engineering industry that you want to be rubbing shoulders with, I also know the next vacant job (and most of the candidates who are going to apply for the role) and what's more, I'll connect you with those people too.

So as you move through your career journey – keep in mind that your recruitment consultant is not a transactional agent, but someone who you need to build a relationship with, coming back to them over and over again, from getting a job, to sharing information and ideas along the journey. Keep us like a Chance card in your back pocket and you might just be the winner in the end.

Looking for help with your next step? Please reach out and let's start building on a business relationship so you can win the game of life. Follow me on LinkedIn