The Pros and Cons of Working With One Recruiter Exclusively

Have you ever heard the saying “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket”?  It refers to somebody putting ALL of their resources behind one specific effort hoping for something good to come from that effort.  Recently, I was in contact with a Web Developer located in the Bay Area and my interaction with him made me think of that saying.  I sent him an email telling him about some relevant opportunities I was representing for him.  I was surprised to hear his response that he was already exclusively working with a recruiting company and out of fairness and respect to them he was not willing to hear about the opportunity.  Just to throw in some extra context, in the 7 years I have been a recruiter I have only had maybe one or two other candidates say something like this to me.

As a recruiter I respect the nobleness of his decision as I know that there are favorable arguments to working with a single recruiter, but I also know by creating those boundaries he could be potentially selling himself short and missing out on making connections that could greatly benefit his career.  

With that said, working with too many recruiters can be disasterous and I would never recommend that either.  But finding 2-3 strong ones that specialize in your market is in my opinion the healthiest balance and the best way to maximize your career search options while staying protected from the negatives of working with either one recruiter or too many recruiters.

Cons to working with a recruiter exclusively:

• If the exclusive recruiting company fails to provide you with a new job or a run of favorable interviews, you run the risk of wasting time while the other available jobs might very well be taken by other candidates.  You then find yourself stuck with nothing to fall back on. 
• A recruiters loyalty is to filling their open positions.  Who they fill those positions with is of considerable less importance to them.  Meaning, just because you are working with the recruitment firm on an exclusive basis, doesn’t mean the recruitment firm is working with you exclusively.
• If a candidate comes along who is more qualified for the same position that you are being considered for, that same recruiting company WILL for a fact create a competitive situation between you and that candidate for the same job.
• Not all recruiting companies have the same client base, meaning by working with one recruiter exclusively you are closing your doors to other potentially stronger opportunities.
• Many times companies give recruiters exclusive right to work on a position, if you limit yourself to one recruiter you might never know about those other great opportunities. 

Pros to working with a recruiter exclusively:

• It saves you time.  Working with one recruiter eliminates the interruptions you will receive throughout the day from multiple recruiters.
• Working one on one with a recruiter helps build a stronger relationship.  They know your career goals and everything you look for in a job. 
• It reduces the risk of your resume being submitted multiple times to the same company.
• Many recruiters specialize in a specific niche.  Working with a recruiter in your niche increases your chances of finding one of those unpublicized positions that you might not know about otherwise.