If you ever wondered how should a CV be sent to a recruitment agency, you are in the right place. Recruitment agencies handle a high percentage of the job offers that come out every day, and most of them don’t go public because they are usually confidential, that is why it is vital to appear in their databases.

What makes a recruitment agency special?

A recruitment agency helps its clients (companies) to find the best talent for a concrete job position. The recruitment agency has normally a huge data base full of candidates, and it is aware of the educational background, the processes and the technologies that the sectors they work with are demanding. This is the reason why it is fast and efficient when it comes to searching. Furthermore, that’s why they want you to send them your CV: to get to know you and inform you in case a new opportunity where you can fit comes out. In addition, and way differently to job websites or job listings of official institutions, the person that is in charge of the selection process is always going to give you feedback on your candidature (and this is how it always should work).

We must also distinguish between a recruitment agency and a temping agency: a recruitment agency searches for those candidates that have a certain qualification and experience, language skills, specialisation in precise knowledge, and that can prove their worth with achievements. The key difference between HR consultancies or recruitment agencies and temping agencies is that, as its name suggests, the second ones manage only temporary jobs. Whether you are looking for a job actively, or you are just open to new opportunities, we firmly recommend you to keep some things in mind.

6 pieces of advice when sending your CV to a recruitment agency

And now… if you believe your profile could be of interest for any recruitment agencies, follow these 6 pieces of advice:

1. Normally, recruitment agencies are specialised in different sectors, so you cannot just spread your CV out everywhere: you have to think first in which sector you would like to work, and note down the recruitment companies that work in those areas. There are always some exceptions, but you will always have way more opportunities in the sector from your two last working experiences

2. Typically, a recruitment agency needs only your CV to get a first evaluation of your profile and to have access to your contact data. Leave your motivation letter for the occasions where you apply for a certain job position or when a recruiters directly asks you for it

3. To learn if the recruitment agency is active, we recommend you to check how frequently they post new job offers, check their social networks and the type of posts they write in their job page in LinkedIn

4. One of the most differential values between recruitment agencies is how they treat their candidates: we all have been candidates at least once, and we all want to get an answer about the result of our candidature, and also to keep us informed throughout the selection process. It is simple, but not every recruitment agency takes this into account. You should keep this virtue in mind when it comes to sending your CV away

5. Before sending your CV via email, try to visit their job page in their website. If there is any web form to send your CV: use it. Forget about sending it to a generic email address: what most probably may happen is that nobody will type it down into the database and it might get lost in between thousands of emails. It is also not appropriate that you send it out to every manager in the company: if you don’t fit in job vacancy that they have open in that very moment, they will certainly ignore it

6. Send your updated CV with precise information: include job functions, responsabilities, achievements, teams that you have managed, tools you have used, methodologies you followed, and languages spoken. Write your CV with attention to detail: tons of candidates are rejected because of spelling mistakes. Remember to include your phone number (and your international phone code too), email address and Skype ID: promptness when getting in contact with you can mean to be left out or to be part of a selection process. If you have an active LinkedIn profile, point it out in your CV

Being part of the database of a recruitment agency would let recruiters notice you, and take you into account for any other position. Nevertheless, we firmly recommend you to have an updated and well-written LinkedIn profile.