As specialist recruitment consultants to the market research industry, we aim to give both our clients and candidates advice on getting the best out of the recruitment process:

		Ensure that candidates that you see have been screened properly. Screening means that they have been interviewed, face-to-face, by your recruitment consultant for at least 45 minutes. Insist that candidates know that their CV is being sent to your company before it is sent in and that they have been properly briefed on the role.
		Do invest time in briefing your recruitment consultants properly, not just on the job, but also on the company and context of the role. If you are using the right consultants, you should end up with a handful of relevant CVs to consider, not have to do all the screening yourself.
		Use recruitment consultants who advertise regularly in market research specific press. Consultants who don’t advertise need to headhunt: they are likely to be headhunting your staff and replacing them with other people’s!
		Draw up a preferred supplier list but don’t restrict it to just 2 or 3. Do stick to recruitment consultants who specialise in market research - they are most likely to understand your needs and therefore not waste your time.
		Don’t be afraid to offer a good candidate a job, even if they are the first person you see. If they fit the bill, snap them up – if you don’t a competitor will. You may waste a lot of time and resources finding someone as good.

		Don’t send your CV to too many recruitment consultants at the beginning of your search. Clients will brief all the main consultants on their vacancies. There is, therefore, no advantage in dealing with 6 consultants when 2 would cover all the vacancies relevant to you.
		Take the time to meet your recruitment consultant face-to face: this will help the consultant to suggest roles which best match your skills and your personality. You will develop a closer rapport and get a better, more personal, service.
		Insist on being briefed on roles before your CV is sent out to clients: unscrupulous recruitment consultants will mail your CV out to all their clients to ensure that only they can represent you. This scatter-gun approach is to benefit them, not you!
		If you are actively looking for a job, do take the trouble to keep in regular contact with your recruitment consultant. This will keep you in the forefront of their mind when considering candidates for jobs. Keep them informed on any changes in your aspirations and circumstances.
		Go to an interview fully prepared: your recruitment consultant should have told you all about the job, the company, how to handle the interview and even what you should wear! Do your own research, too: look at websites and the trade press.
		Don’t be bullied by recruitment consultants into accepting a job offer as soon as it is made: explore all the other current possibilities before deciding on the one which best suits your long-term ambitions. It is vital to you and the client that you are making the right choice, so they should be prepared to wait a week or so, if they really value you as a potential employee.