Received a Direct Job Offer After Connecting with a Recruiter

Hi everyone! About a year ago, I had a conversation with a recruiter who reached out to me to explore potential opportunities. During our chat, I learned that they were working with a company I was very interested in, and I inquired about open positions. However, the recruiter mentioned that there weren’t any at that time.

A few months later, I noticed the company was directly hiring for two roles that caught my eye. I decided to apply for one of them, and recently, I received an offer!

Today, the recruiter got in touch with me to provide an update about that company. I’m planning to be honest with him, but I wanted to get your thoughts—was it wrong for me to apply directly? I was concerned that if I waited for the recruiters to find out about the open position, I might miss out if another candidate was already in the running. I didn’t think to inform the recruiter when I submitted my application. Would love to hear your opinions!