Relocating to a new country, wanting to change your job or career path, looking to receive some advice on your cv – it can be hard as a candidate to know where best to go for this, which agency can offer you the best service? put you in touch with the best roles? It’s a tough decision and one candidates do not always get right!

There is no doubt that recruitment agencies have changed over the years, there is more competition and more and more agencies are now recruiting staff from the industries they will be recruiting too, thus in theory making it easier for the recruiter and potential candidate to be working along the same line. The right agency should be eager to assist you the moment you contact them, advising you on your CV, your prospective career prospects and preparing you for attending that all important interview, let’s face it if you look bad, they will look bad too.

So here are a few quick and easy tips when choosing an agency:

• Referrals from your peers, which recruitment agency did they use, would they recommend them and why.
• Is the agency a Specialist or Generalist agency, this will often depend on whether your role is specialized, some agencies do not deal with specifics areas so it is important to understand this before registering.
• Check the company website, are they large or small, which one do you feel more comfortable with?Is their website up to date?
• Check out the Linkedin page of the recruitment firm, are they regularly posting interesting content that might help potential candidate in their search for a new role.
• How long has the recruitment agency been around, recruitment firms that have been around for decades are typically industry leaders.
• Talk with the recruiter, do they understand your industry? Do they sound professional and genuinely keen to help you?

So next time you are looking for your next role, take some time to think about who to register with, get it right at the beginning and it may save you time and energy down the line.