In other words, are you someone who will easily find new work if and when the need arises?

Recruiters often talk about whether or not a job searcher is placeable. This distinction determines whether or not a recruiter will work with you to help you find a new job.

A placeable job candidate is a person who a recruiter can place with one of their clients and as a result, get paid. This job candidate has great skills, has a great background and generally has the traits that a recruiter can get paid to place within a company.

Recruiters look for the most placeable candidate when they are trying to fill a position. They look for the most desirable candidate who will get a job offer and take the job.

A non-placeable candidate is one that recruiters wont work with because they are not someone that companies will generally pay a recruiter to find.

Recruiters get paid to place candidates, therefore we look for placeable candidates.

Quite frankly, some job searchers wont get placed by a recruiter because companies simply wont pay for every candidate put in front of them.

For a company to pay a recruiter to hire a particular person, this person had better be exceptional in one way or another and had better have above average skills.

If you are the type of person who can easily be found on an Internet job board or if your skills and experience are pretty well-supplied, why would a company pay a recruiter when they could find such a person themselves, possibly for free?

They wont.

Here are some ways to ensure that you are seen as being a top-tier job candidate in the eyes of recruiters and employers:

1. Ensure you are available and reasonable. You are available for interviews and you are reasonable in terms of your overall expectations ie. salary expectations. You are someone that a recruiter wants to help and someone that an employer wants to hire.

2. Understand what makes you stand out from other people and ensure its well-documented on your resume. What makes you exceptional? What skills do you have that are hard to find and in demand? Make sure you sell yourself during the interview process, too.

3. Realize that employers want people who have a stable work history. If you jump from job to job, expect to be asked during interviews why you leave jobs frequently.

4. Ensure that your career shows progression. Each job you hold should move you forward in terms of the level of responsibilities and skills required. Taking a new job for short term gain (ie. more money) can result in long term pain if it doesnt move your career forward.

5. Be honest. The worst thing you can do is lie because when you inevitably get caught, you will have a lot of explaining to do. People typically lie about their job title, responsibilities, salary and education. Dont be one of those people. Tell the truth.

6. Understand that recruiters help people they like and employers hire people who they like. All things being equal, a hiring manager will hire someone they like over someone they arent sure about. How likeable are you?

7. Have great references. Anyone can brag about their own accomplishments but do your references say the same things about you without being prompted?

8. Remain employed! The most desirable job candidates are usually ones who are already employed. The best position to be in is when you are interviewing for a job but are already happily employed elsewhere. If you are unemployed, you need to understand how you will respond to questions about why you are unemployed especially if you have been out of work for some time.