The art of working exclusively.


Never underestimate the power of this approach when you’re looking for your next job.


The amount of times that I’ve heard, “I’ve spoken to a couple of other recruiters and not heard back” or “My CV has been sent out to a few agencies, but I’m not sure where” continues to baffle me. Losing control of your CV is the very start of losing control of your job search. Why put yourself through this and hamper what we can do?

On average over the past 5 years, I’ve probably reached out to at least one candidate per week who was on the verge of accepting a role that they felt wasn’t quite right for them. At this point, you’ve gone through the pain-staking process of registering with two or maybe three recruitment agencies, highlighting what is important to you for your next role and running through the triggers that have prompted you making a call and enquiring into what else is out there for you and your career. But what happened next, how were you received by these agents? Personally, the most important aspect is what follows…

After spending 30-45 minutes on the phone with your recruiter, I hope that you haven’t been greeted by complete radio silence. I certainly hope that you haven’t had to put in a chaser call either. Have you considered response times as an indication of their ability? In my opinion, the first call with your recruiter is the most important; we should fully understand you and what you’re looking for. When you hear the words “I have a role for you”, it should be greeted by excitement, rather than disappointment when you’ve clearly been misunderstood or not listened to perhaps. Ultimately this moment sets the tone, and this is your opportunity to decide whether you fully invest your time into that recruiter, or not.

With all the above in mind, have you considered that putting all your eggs into one basket might be the right approach?

Working exclusively with a recruiter is the most under estimated element of a potential job search. I can imagine why it didn’t cross your mind; however why wouldn’t you want a 100% of my attention? Why wouldn’t you want to receive a bespoke service providing you with a planned approach for the top 5-6 companies? Why wouldn’t you want to present yourself as a ‘rarity’ and increase your value?

With this approach, we won’t receive the frustrating news of “your CV has already been introduced” as you know where your CV is going and where it has already been sent. You can then continue to be represented by an agency who you know has fully understood you. You won’t be kept waiting on the other end of the phone once you’ve registered either, as our chances of success together is far greater than a candidate who has sprayed their resume across half of the market.

Whilst the concept might sound terrifying, I can assure you that we/GKR London will understand you and every step of your career, whether this is your first venture into the property market, or you’re naturally looking for your next move, and we will get it right. As I look around the company, GKR London is filled with the very best consultants who have been in your shoes and have worked within the Residential, Commercial, Property Management, Office Support & Marketing sectors and we will give you 100% of our time, if you can do the same.

What you should find more terrifying is pressing send on a job board to an ambiguous employer and losing sight of where your CV may end up.

Written by Michael Woda, Head of Residential at GKR London Property Recruitment.
Tel: 0207 048 3304
Email: jobs@gkrlondon.com
Web: www.gkrlondon.com