How should you manage your relationships with recruiters?

As the old joke says, carefully.

I get calls from recruiters at a fairly constant rate and have 3 principles that I use when talking with them. Note that most of the folks I speak with are retained search recruiters, they are paid, in advance, to fill a position. Companies tend to use retained search firms for more senior jobs and the search firm has an exclusive arrangement with the firm. I occasionally get a call from a contingency search firm. These firms are paid when they fill a job and are not exclusive. Most of what I am going to say is applicable to retained search folks who have a more relationship based business. Contingency folks are more transactional, so relationship building may not be as critical. Even still, making friends is always worthwhile. On to the principles.

First, always take the call. I speak with every recruiter that calls, even if they are recruiting for a position that I am not appropriate for. Someone gave me the advice that you should cultivate a recruiter network. It was good advice. In order to build that network, you actually need to speak to them. So, even if I am not right for the position, I chat with the recruiter. Often, especially for analytic jobs, they don't know the space, help them understand the job rec (truly!) or refer them to someone else. I always try to make the calls a positive experience for both of us. Even if we just chat about raising kids.

Second, if you are not interested in a job really try to pass on a referral. I almost always pass on a name. This means that I need to spend a couple of minutes looking through my contacts and see who might be appropriate for their job. One of my former direct reports is my go-to guy for referrals. If I am not interested in a job, he gets the referral. This helps him build his network and helps me deepen my relationship with the recruiter.

Third, be honest in your assessment of your interest level. If you are not the right person for the job or the job is too small, tell the recruiter. Don't try to get the interview for the practice. You'll mess up your relationship with the recruiter. Having said that, I have let a recruiter talk me into interviewing at a company, even though the scope was too small. The company agreed and then built a job around my skills. I wound up not taking the job, but I was up front about my concerns and they decided to proceed with the process, anyway.

I consider my recruiter network a real asset. Every job offer I received (I had 3) was through a recruiter. A good recruiter network will make your job search much easier.