Why Use a Recruiter For Your Next HVAC Job?

You’ve made the decision. Things aren’t quite working out in your job, whether it’s the hours, the travel, the pay; whatever the reason, you know it’s time for your next move. 

One question on your mind is likely to be ‘should I use a recruiter?' You can search the job boards and apply for relevant jobs yourself of course, but there are enormous benefits to using an experienced HVAC recruiter.

9 Ways a Recruiter Can Help You

Looking for your next HVAC or refrigeration career move can be daunting, especially if you’ve been in your current job for a long time.

Recruiters who know the HVAC market will speak to dozens of individuals in your situation every week and just as importantly dozens of recruiting managers. We can help you understand what’s a sensible approach, what financial packages are on offer and how to get the best role for you.

A recruiter can help in several ways:

• Market knowledge – specialist recruiters who work exclusively in the HVAC and refrigeration sector, will know the market inside out. They know who the top companies are, who are the best employers (and perhaps those who aren’t) and whether they are looking or not. This can save you a lot of time.
• Using a recruiter that knows the market and the relevant companies means they can get your CV straight to the hiring manager and then chase them for feedback – this can be the difference between getting an interview or not and also will save you time filling out an application form for each company.
• Recruiters often know who’s recruiting before the jobs have been advertised so they can put you forward before the wider job-seeking public. HVAC and refrigeration is a busy market and often it’s easier for recruiting managers to ring a trusted recruiter than it is to write an advert, get it approved internally and wait for responses. We’ll also ensure that your CV gets in front of the right person in the quickest possible time
• Choosing the right job to go for – no one likes wasting their time. You don’t want to apply for or travel to interviews for jobs that aren’t right for you. If you apply directly, you might not realise the fit isn’t right until you’ve spent hours filling in application forms, or worse travelling the country to go to an interview. Recruiters can work with you to decide which roles are right (our live HVAC jobs are here by the way).
• Interview preparation and coaching – you’ll get advice on what to expect at interview and which areas of your experience you might want to highlight. Your recruiter will help you through it and let you know what the company is looking for in potential employees.
• CV advice – recruiters know how to structure a CV to make sure it is seen by and appeals to hiring managers.
• Negotiating the right package for you – as you know, it’s not always about the basic salary. With HVAC and Refrigeration roles there are on-call rates, travel time, over-time and even pension contributions to weigh up. Sometimes the best financial packages have lower basics but excellent travel-time or on-call payments. We can talk you through the pros and cons of all the offers we get for you. Also, you may be the best negotiator around but pushing too hard for more money can be detrimental and even push an offer off the table. We know how much to ask for because, in the vast majority of cases, we’ve placed people with them before. 
• Awkward questions – interview advice always suggests you should avoid questions around salary, holiday, sick pay, travel time and so on. A significant benefit of working with a recruiter is that they have asked these questions already. They will know the nitty-gritty details of the package and, if not, they can ask these awkward questions impartially without any comeback on you.
• Advice on resigning and counter-offers – a big step in the recruitment process is leaving your current role to take the plunge into a new position. Remember that this industry is small, and people talk. Burning your bridges is not a good idea. Recruiters can give you advice on how and when to hand your notice in and what to do if you receive a counter-offer.

Calibre Search have been servicing the HVAC and Refrigeration industry for more than 15 years and place hundreds of engineers a year. To speak to an experienced consultant call John Cassidy on 0113 234 6047, email him on john.cassidy@calibresearch.co.uk or have a look at our HVAC jobs page here