I am…ahem…exploring my options, dipping my toe in the water, poking my head above my cube to see what else is out there. I’m not miserable in my job, just kind of bored and tired of dealing with the same old crap. If I don’t find something else, no big deal, but I think I want to take a look out the window and see what’s across the street, as it were.
I posted my resume at bestheadhunters.com, but I wasn’t sure if there was a real office I could pop into, drop off my resume, and have them deluge me with job opportunities. I didn’t see anything relevant than bestheadhunters.com via Google, and I’m a bit wary of trusting any old website that pops up on the first page of Google.
Anybody use a headhunter to get a new job? How did it work out?
I actually recomend that people use them, because, they frequently negociate a better package for you than you would do yourself, particularly if you are new to the job force. They also may be able to get a signing bonus for you. Also, a lot of the really good ones know about positions way before they’re posted, so they will know what is out there. Finally, using a HH halps you avoid the black hole that is Human Resources - unsolicited resumes frequently just sitin HR and become compost. A HH can bypass that roadblock and get your resume in front of the people that do the hiring.
The trick, though, is to find a GOOD. one. There are a lot of bad ones out there. I recomend that you find one that specializes in your field. You don’t want someone that (for example) does recruiting for programming and accounting (this is made up, but you see what I’m getting at - they need to know your industry). A good one will know your industry, (not just the buzzwords), and will be able to match you up to a position where you’ll excel. After all, they depend on repeat business, and have a vested interest in making the company AND you happy.
Ask around within your industry for names of good reputable head-hunters. People who have had a good experience with one or more will tell you - they’ll certainly tell you if they had a BAD experience. Once you talk with one, ask for the names of a few people they’ve placed and talk to them.
Headhunters are the absolute scum of the earth as a general rule but there are some good ones. I have gotten a few jobs through headhunters and consulting agencies and it worked out well but you always have to be on your guard. Flat out reject any that tell you to work with them exclusively. That is not only unethical but completely contrary to your best interests. Also reject any calls that seem to be coming from a call center or a resume mill. They can hurt you directly and indirectly.
Good headhunters will meet with you in person and outline jobs that they have and why they think you will be a good fit for them. You have to use your best judgement from there. I have been told that I had a job when I did not (they stopped taking my calls when I pressed about a start date), I have been lied to about being their top candidate when I was merely one of their fall-back candidates, and I have written special resumes for imaginary jobs that they simply made up to keep me hot in their resume listings.
I have met with well over 100 of them in the past 10 years and have gotten 3 jobs through headhunters. One company said that they hired me despite my headhunter and they put a corporate wide block on her right after that. The other two were good. One of those was outstanding and did things like take me out to lunch and call me after I had already gotten the job.
Beware, the odds are firmly against any given one of them. Don’t hesitate to hang up on them or stop taking their calls.
Oh God fuck no. Regular headhunters are scum but at least they just want your time and not your money. There is a special place in scam artist hell for so called headhunters that want money from you. The regular kind are usually bad enough but they don’t actually take a penny from you except the gas money to play reindeer games with them.
***Some of the regular ones are actually good but rare.
Check out my friend Nick at Ask the Headhunter. (Not a real friend, though we’ve exchanged emails.) He is a headhunter who makes good sense. He recommends networking, with some specific tips.
I did get a job using a headhunter, but the guy called me, and I was getting ready to be interested in a new job. The guy earned his money. Headhunters work for the hiring company, not you, and will work with you only if they think you have a good shot at the job.
When we were hiring, I think our HR people looked at the resume sites, but I don’t think we ever hired anyone from them. (We’re pretty specialized.) Wouldn’t you prefer to hire someone who selected your company, as opposed to putting a resume on some website?
I don’t personally know about headhunters, but from what I’ve heard about them you shouldn’t have to pay them. A friend got a job (that he likes) through a headhunter recently, and her fee was a significant percentage of his pay, paid by his employer.
To me this says to never pay a headhunter, but I can’t know for sure.
I worked as one for a year or so. I didn’t like it much, because making lots of calls takes its toll on more or less shy people like me. I probably don’t have anything particularly useful to add to what’s already been said, but at least I’ve been on the other side of the phone.
Some headhunters are, indeed, scum, while some are quite the opposite. One thing that would tip you off that you’re dealing with scum is that they seem to hold back information about the job. The only thing they should hold back is the name of the prospective employer.
Some might try getting info off of you without telling you they’re a recruiter. Scum.
Some try to get you to commit to using them exclusively. Scum.
There are, of course, places that want you to pay them. Double scum. Never pay a headhunter. A headhunter should have a set of companies that he has worked with, that trust him, and that are therefore willing to pay his fee. If the guy wants your money, he doesn’t have the goods.
Anyway, see if you can get a recommendation from the headhunter. Talk to them, and see if you like the cut of their jib. You might go in and see them, as well, if distance is not a problem (many placements are done non-locally). You don’t have to be terribly guarded about asking them questions, since they’re not an employer. Likewise, you don’t have to be terribly open about answering theirs, until you feel you trust them.
My daughter had a job with one when she was in high school. At night she would call company switchboards to try to associate names with phone numbers, by either getting voice mail or by entering random letters in the pbx person search function and seeing who she got. She also made contacts with potential recruits at home, using one of a set of assumed names. (a problem was keeping her aliases straight.) She reported she got extreme hostility from many of the wives of the people she was calling. This was in Silicon Valley during the bubble, so people were doing all sorts of underhanded things to recruit.
She couldn’t stand this job very long, and quit in a month or so.
I used to work for a headhunting firm many years ago (administrative job). This was a very reputable firm, but what I saw was appalling.
All the agents worked on straight commission. That meant that they had every reason to try to force square pegs into round holes. The companies that used headhunters were ones who pretty much had to pay the ginormous commissions these places charge, which is to say not the best kind of employers. I was in a position to hear the agents lying to both employers and prospective employees on a regular basis. It was hideous.
Some job placement numbers that came from a headhunter:
10% of jobs are from postings
10% of jobs are from retained search (nice term for headhunters)
80% are from networking.
If you want a new job, you need to make sure that your network knows your skills.
There was another study several years ago that showed that it was not friends that got you the job, it was friends of friends.
Headhunters are great folks, but they only care about placing someone in the job that they are paid to fill. If you call, you need to be ready to tell them what you are (Java programmer, 3 years experience, knows how to build for the SalesForce.com API). They will then know immediately if you fit their current search parameters.
Never pay a headhunter. They get about double your bill rate in fees from the hiring company.
Also, never forget that HH are basically glorified salespeople. They don’t care if a job is not quite a good fit for you – YOU have to make that decision.
A good headhunter is a great help. They can at least help me work through my resume, temper my expectations or get me to consider options that I hadn’t before. They also negotiate and can add value there.
In my experience however, this represents about 5% of all the ones out there. Most are worthless. So if you end up talking to one, interview them and make sure they are someone who will actually listen to you and will be able to help you get what you are looking for. Otherwise you are wasting your time.
