“No thanks, I am very happy with my current employer, I will come back to you if anything changes”

You don’t have to be unhappy in your role to speak with a recruiter.
Talking with a recruiter is confidential and costs nothing, you can gain valuable market insight and benchmarking information.

A conversation doesn’t have to result in going for an interview, it can give a good idea of your career at the current point and where you can get to. Recruitment consultants who are successful will “consult” and not hard sell to you about live roles but get in touch when the role that ticks all the boxes comes live.

Recruiters have roles that are not advertised and are p+c so unless you have had a conversation prior you would never know about the roles.

Network and build relationships with recruiters prior to needing to look for a role is my best advice, having options in the future is the best scenario not just when you are in need of a new role as there might not be the perfect role available then.

The door/phone/message is always open so feel free to get in touch.