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Working with recruiters

The recruiter is usually not an economist, but they decide which interview you get. A few good questions at this stage can change the outcome.

3 min read · By Marc Sleiman

Not every employer of economists uses recruiters. Central banks, government agencies, think tanks and many research organizations hire through committees and HR offices, much like a department does. But most companies and consulting firms do, and when they do, the recruiter is usually your first conversation and your main point of contact until an offer. Understanding how recruiters work, and what they can and cannot do for you, makes the whole process smoother.

Three kinds of recruiters

In-house recruiters

They work for the hiring company itself and manage its candidates from first call to offer. They know the company’s process, timeline and interviewers, and they are judged partly on whether the people they hire succeed and stay. This is the recruiter you will deal with most often as a PhD candidate.

Agency recruiters

They work for an outside firm and place candidates at several client companies, usually earning a commission when someone they introduced is hired. They can be energetic advocates and may know of roles that are not advertised, but they work on many searches at once.

Retained or executive search recruiters

They are hired by one company to fill a specific, usually senior, role. You are unlikely to deal with them early in your career, but it helps to know they exist.

Remember who they work for

A recruiter can be helpful, friendly and genuinely on your side, but they work for the employer, not for you. Their job is to fill the role with the right person. That is not a problem; it just means you should be professional and strategic with them, as you would with anyone involved in the hiring decision. Everything you say to a recruiter can reach the hiring manager.

What a recruiter can do for you

A good recruiter can explain the process in detail, tell you what the team values, share information about the role that is not in the posting, help you prepare, pass along feedback after interviews, and later explain the offer and its components. Use all of that. They cannot make the hiring decision for you, and they may not know the technical details of the role beyond what the team has told them.

Questions to ask in your first conversation

Ask what each stage involves, how long it lasts and who conducts it; whether it includes coding, SQL, statistics, case questions, a take-home exercise or a research presentation; what the team is working on and why the role is open; what the timeline looks like; and whether there are materials that can help you prepare. Write the answers down. Descriptions are sometimes incomplete, so prepare for anything reasonably related to the role, but the answers tell you where to put most of your effort.

Explain your background clearly

Recruiters are usually not economists, and they may not know how an applied microeconomist differs from a macroeconomist or a data scientist. In two or three sentences, explain what you do, what kinds of problems you are strongest at, and how that fits the role. If the role seems to emphasize skills that are not your strongest, say so honestly and ask how much weight they carry. Clear information helps the recruiter place you in the right process and set fair expectations with the interviewers.

Be professional at every step

Treat every exchange with a recruiter as part of the interview, because in practice it is. Reply promptly, be on time for calls, be clear about your availability and any other processes or deadlines you have, and thank them for their help. If your plans change, tell them early.

Do not rely on one recruiter or one channel

Recruiters can handle dozens of open roles and receive many applications every week. Some messages will go unanswered, and some recruiters will go silent after an interview without explanation. That is common and usually not personal. Send one polite follow-up after a week or two, then keep moving with your other applications and your network. Keep the relationship positive; the same recruiter may contact you about a different role months later.

Sources and further reading

American Society of Mechanical Engineers, How to Work With Recruiters; Stanford Department of Economics, Ph.D. Placement Guide.