Personnel recruitment team looking for new employees. Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.

As a new graduate (or soon-to-be-graduate), you’re getting ready to hit the job market with everything you have. You’ve heard stories about how rough it is out there, and you have no intention of being left by the side of the road. You’re covering all the bases: Making the most of your online and offline social networks, getting professional help with your resume, and lining up a full schedule of networking events, conferences, and job fairs. You’re also making contact with recruiters.

Congratulations! Your search is on target and you’re setting a clear course to success. But while you work to attract the attention of recruiters and staffing pros, keep a few things in mind. Knowing these things can help you avoid feelings of frustration as you navigate the bumpy road ahead.

1. Recruiters don’t work for you.

This can be a hard truth for some young job seekers to accept. After all, once they reach out, recruiters are usually friendly, warm and interested in learning more about your background. So it can come as a shock when the line suddenly goes silent or a promising connection disappears into thin air. Keep in mind that recruiters work for their employer clients, not for you. It’s their job to find the right candidate for the open position—NOT to help you find work.

2. Help your recruiter to help you.

If she asks you to send an updated copy of your resume, don’t wait 48 hours to respond. Send it immediately. If she asks you for updated contact info or more detail about your past, deliver. If she makes a suggestion or coaches you on how to improve your standing with a potential hiring manager, listen. Don’t drag your feet, harp about salary, or ask what’s in it for you. You can negotiate the terms of any offer after you have the offer in hand.

3. Be persistent…but only to a point.

Employers and recruiters appreciate signs of persistence and determination, but as you interact with staffing pros, don’t take this too far. Follow up and show interest, but don’t send more than one message or voicemail per week. Again, your recruiter doesn’t work for you. Rest assured that she got your message, and she’ll call you back when and if she has any news for you.

4. Never treat your recruiter like a stepping stone.

If you’d like to be respected, show respect to others. If you’d like others to be polite to you, be polite to them. This is the first, last, and most important rule of career success (and life success). If you’re coarse or surly with your recruiter, don’t expect to hold her attention for very long. If she invites you for a face-to-face interview, dress nicely, come prepared, and sit up straight. Answer her questions with detail and honesty, and ask her for as much information about the employer as she’s willing and able to give you. In order to gain the trust and interest of the employer, you’ll have to make a strong impression with her first.

Need The Kind of Help a Recruiter Can’t Provide? You’re in Luck

You have more resources ever at your fingertips. Compare your resume to other job seekers by taking a look at resume examples in your industry. With over 800,000 real-life resume examples, you can see what smart moves—and deal-breaking mistakes—other applicants are making in their search for work.

LiveCareer (www.livecareer.com), home to America’s #1 Resume Builder, connects job seekers of all experience levels and career categories to all the tools, resources and insider tips needed to win the job. Find LiveCareer on Youtube and visit LiveCareer’s Google+ page for even more tips and advice on all things career and resume-related.