guide to finding and working with headhunters and recruiters - pdf

Guide to Finding &

Working With Headhunters and

Recruiters

Resume to Referral ©2013

Guide to Finding & Working With Headhunters and Recruiters

1

Table of Contents

Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 1

What is a Headhunter? And What's the Difference Between a Headhunter, a Recruiter and

a Sourcer? ........................................................................................................................ 2

So, How Do Headhunters Get Their Clients Anyway? ...................................................... 4

How Does a Headhunter Get Paid and Who Exactly Does the Headhunter Work For? ..... 7

What Does It Mean When Headhunters Say They'll Keep My Resume on File? .............. 10

What Do Headhunters Look For in Job Seekers? ............................................................ 11

So, How Do I Find a Headhunter Who Will Work Best for Me? ..................................... 16

You Found a Headhunter -- Now Do Some Background Research on Them .................... 22

I Found a Headhunter -- Is There Anything I Should be Wary About? ............................. 24

Tips on How to Work with a Headhunter in the Most Effective Way .............................. 28

Conclusion .................................................................................................................... 32

Guide to Finding & Working With Headhunters and Recruiters 1

Guide to Finding & Working With

Headhunters and Recruiters

Introduction

We as job seekers should always be open to new possibilities in our search for

the next career position. Whether it’s turning to a new networking resource or

reworking our resume or going back to school, we should continually be

looking for some new asset, some new tool that will not only make us more

effective in our job search, but will make us more desirable as candidates in

this highly competitive market.

And in casting our eye from one possibility to another, our interest may

happen at one point to rest on the idea of getting another person to help us in

our search for a new job; someone who is more familiar with the job market

and, who, ideally, has insider access to hiring companies and their managers.

In short, at one point or another, we may consider the idea of working with a

headhunter to help us land a new job.

Of course, that’s when the questions come rushing in, especially if we’ve never

worked with a headhunter before. Where should I go to find a good

headhunter? When I do find a headhunter, how do I know if they’re any

good? And what’s the likelihood that they’ll actually find me a job?

Indeed, the very idea of presenting personal information to a stranger in the

hopes that that person will find you a new position can be a very strange one to


some people, and even daunting. But, as this guide will demonstrate, using a

third party, such as a recruiter or headhunter, to help you find a new job can

hold a lot of potential and is an avenue that should definitely be explored; that

is, as long as you understand how these individuals work within the

employment world and as long as you can manage your expectations.

So then, why don’t we kick off our discussion on headhunters by first

explaining who exactly a headhunter is, what he or she does and how a

headhunter compares to the role of a recruiter.

What is a Headhunter? And What’s the

Difference Between a Headhunter, a

Recruiter and a Sourcer?

Before we even discuss how to find and work with a headhunter, an

understanding needs to be reached about who exactly this person is and what

role he or she plays in the greater landscape of the employment world. Some

distinguishment also needs to be made between a headhunter and a recruiter,

two roles that are oftentimes mistaken as the same.

So, what is a headhunter and what do they do? Well, the common definition

is that a headhunter is an individual who operates as an independent

contractor and who is hired by a company to find a suitable candidate to fill a

particular position within that company. As opposed to other members of the

employment world, a headhunter takes an active role in their search for

candidates. What that means is that instead of waiting for job seekers and

other potential candidates to approach them, headhunters use networking

resources like LinkedIn and job fairs to go out and contact potential candidates

for the positions they are representing.


Traditionally, a headhunter is

only involved in the initial

phase of the hiring process.

Meaning that once a

headhunter finds a candidate

or, more likely, candidates, who

may be suitable for their

client’s open position, a headhunter will only be involved with introducing the

candidate to the hiring company and perhaps scheduling a first interview. All

the hiring steps that follow, such as salary negotiations, second interviews, etc.,

will not include the headhunter.

Understanding how a headhunter works with their client, i.e. the hiring

company they are representing, is incredibly important since it will help you as

a job seeker better manage your expectations of what the headhunter can and

will be willing to do for you in your search for a new opportunity.

Furthermore, it will help you understand where the headhunter’s motivation

lies in relation to you getting a new job, which is something that is also

extremely important.

So, if we now know a little more about who headhunters are and what they do,

who then are recruiters? And how do they function in the employment world

in comparison?

Well, the common distinction between headhunters and recruiters is that,

whereas headhunters act as independent contractors for the company that is

looking to hire, recruiters are usually part of the company itself – more

specifically, they are usually part of the company’s human resources team.

This distinction is pretty important. After all, if you have one person working

on commission, i.e. a headhunter, and another person working on direct salary

from the company itself, i.e. the recruiter, this makes an enormous difference

... a headhunter is an individual who operates as an independent

contractor and who is hired by a

company to find a suitable candidate to fill a particular position within

that company.

“[


in how the individuals function in their respective roles, and makes a difference

too in their order of priorities and in the kind of pressure they face.

There are recruiters out there who are active in finding candidates for their

company; but, generally, if a recruiter is part of the company’s staff, they are

more passive in searching for candidates than headhunters.

However, once a recruiter does a find a candidate (or candidates) who they

would like to interview with their company, the recruiter is far more involved

in the interviewing and hiring process than their headhunter counterparts.

They typically will be involved in some shape or form from the first interview

all the way to the candidate’s first day on the job, if the candidate is fortunate

enough to be hired on.

Okay, so now that you understand who recruiters and headhunters are and

how they function in the hiring world, who in the world are sourcers then?

Well, sourcers are people solely tasked by companies to locate or “source”

particular individuals. As a group, sourcers are much more marginal in the

recruiting and headhunting world and, typically, the individuals they are

tasked to find are only very in-demand, high-income executives.

So, How Do Headhunters Get Their Clients

Anyway?

When meeting with a headhunter, the headhunter will ask you, the job seeker,

to provide a detailed description of things such as your professional history,

your education, your interests and much more. Why is that? Because

headhunters need this information from you to see if you’ll be a suitable fit for

any of the positions they are currently representing.


But, in divulging all that information on your part, it’s natural that you would

want some sort of reciprocation. It’s natural that you would want to know a

little more about the headhunter in return. Indeed, as you sit down with a

headhunter for the first time, questions general to the headhunting business

may be circling in your head. Questions like how does a headhunter go about

building a working relationship with their list of clients? Or how do most

headhunters end up in the headhunting field to begin with? And how do I

know if the headhunter I’m meeting with truly has a working relationship with

the clients he or she is trying to introduce me with?

These are all very good questions and knowing answers to some or all of them

will certainly give you more confidence as you consider using a third party to

help you find a new position. So, why don’t we see if we can get some

answers.

First off, know this: headhunters are not a cookie-cutter group of professionals

with identical educational histories and identical ways with which they built

their client relationships. As a professional group, they are incredibly varied as

far as their personal and professional backgrounds.

Part of the reason why the headhunting profession has such a varied

background among its members is because there is no traditional headhunting

school; similarly, there are no headhunting certificates that headhunters can

earn, nor are there even headhunting

trade schools.

Instead of learning the profession by

earning an academic degree from a

university or a specialized trade

school, headhunters gain the skills,

experience and client contacts needed

to become a headhunter solely by

working in the actual headhunting profession.

Headhunters do not learn the in’s and out’s of the search profession by

earning an academic degree … they

gain the needed skills … by working in the actual headhunting profession.

“[


But, how do they get into the business to begin with?

Well, it turns out that also varies. For example, many headhunters begin their

career as human resource professionals and then branch out to develop their

own headhunting business after gaining the needed skills and client contacts.

Other headhunters begin at headhunting firms in entry-level positions and

gradually work their way up. Still others enter the business through simply

knowing enough client contacts to open up shop.

So, the way in which headhunters enter the headhunting profession is pretty

varied. But, that should not take away from one cardinal rule of the

headhunting business – that, a headhunter’s reputation in the employment

world and, particularly, their reputation and relationship with their clients has

a dramatic effect in their ability

to place you in a new position.

Like most things in life, there are

good people and there are people

whose moral compass and

motivations are, well, a little

more suspect. The same goes for headhunters. There are good headhunters

and there are headhunters who are less trustworthy and who do not have your

best interests as a job seeker in mind.

So, what fits a headhunter in the latter group? Well, this is a topic that will be

explored in greater depth in a later section of the article, but, in part it has to do

with the quality of the headhunter’s relationship with their clients.

It’s important to know that there are some headhunters and independent-

working recruiters out there who will do almost anything to place a candidate

with a company and earn that commission, even if it means acting dishonestly

or in poor judgment. These are headhunters who may submit your resume to

clients who they have absolutely no working relationship with. These are

… a headhunter’s reputation in the

employment world … and their

reputation and relationship with their clients has a dramatic effect in

their ability to place you in a new

position.

“[


headhunters who most certainly have poor reputations not only in the

headhunting world, but in their chosen industry of representation as well.

And these are the type of headhunters that you as a jobseeker must spot and try to avoid.

Because their poor reputation will corrupt your reputation as a job seeker.

How Does a Headhunter Get Paid and Who

Exactly Does the Headhunter Work For?

First off, let’s clear up this potential misconception right away: headhunters do

not work for you, the job seeker. They are not in any way, shape or form

career counselors and your need and desire to find a new position is not the

first priority on their list.

This may sound harsh and it may

be deflating news. But, without

question, it is important for you

to know as a job seeker who’s

beginning to consider working with a headhunter.

So, who then do headhunters work for? Well, simply put – headhunters work

for no one else but their clients, which, as we explained earlier, is the company

that’s searching to have one or more of their positions filled.

The agreement between the headhunter and the hiring company goes

something like this: the company hires a headhunter to find a suitable

candidate for their open position (or positions), and, in a traditional agreement

between the headhunter and the hiring company, the headhunter only gets paid if

and when the headhunter finds and successfully places a suitable candidate with that

company.

[Headhunters] are not in any way, shape or form career counselors, and

your need and desire to find a new

position is not the first priority on their list.

“[


As a job seeker, it’s in your best interest to understand this agreement, as well

as its implications. After all, knowing that your desire to find a job comes only

after the need for the headhunter to serve his or her client will help manage

your expectations of what your headhunter can and will be willing to do for

you.

It sounds callous and insensitive, but you must understand that you as a job

seeker and a potential placement candidate are a commodity in the eyes of the

headhunter. If the headhunter considers you a possible match for the client

they are representing, then you will be a focus of their attention in as much as

they will try to prepare you for interviewing with their client. And you will

remain a focus of their attention as long as they consider you a viable

candidate for at least one of the clients they represent.

On the other hand, if the headhunter does not or no longer considers you a

match for any of their clients, then you are no longer a viable means through

which they can earn a commission. Which means, as harsh as it sounds, that

you will fall very quickly out of that headhunter’s radar and the likelihood that

you will hear from them again will be very low.

Yes, it’s harsh, but, as they say, that’s the nature of the beast, and that’s the

nature of the headhunting world.

But, having heard all that, you may still be wondering about one thing: dollar

amount. How much do headhunters earn when they finally do successfully

find and place a candidate with a company?

It turns out that depends on the particular headhunter and the particular hiring

company, as well as the type of agreement they have with each other. For

instance, there exist what are called “retained recruiters” who work on very

specialized high-end positions and who get paid a flat fee for producing a

certain number of qualified candidates. There are also headhunters and


recruiters out there who work on short-term contracts with their clients and get

paid by a separate model.

But, for the typical headhunter who gets paid only upon successfully placing a

candidate with a company, the industry average in this agreement is to have

these headhunters paid somewhere between 15% to 25% of the candidate’s

total first annual salary. However, in some cases, headhunters can be paid a

much higher rate. For example, if a headhunter successfully places a

particularly high-earning executive at a top company or if the headhunter finds

a person to fill a very specialized niche position, that headhunter may request a

commission of up to 50% of the

candidate’s first annual salary.

So, being a headhunter can be

pretty lucrative, and that’s

certainly one of the reasons why

they can be aggressive in their

search for candidates.

Okay, so assuming a headhunter successfully finds and places a candidate with

one of their clients, what happens if it turns out that the candidate is not a

successful match with the hiring company? What happens if the candidate

leaves the company the headhunter placed him with in say a week or a month?

Does the headhunter still get their fee?

That’s a good question. Typically, there are agreement stipulations in place

between the headhunter and the company they represent safeguarding the

company from those not too uncommon scenarios. For example, the

company may instruct that the placed candidate be on their staff for at least 3

to 6 months before the headhunter can receive their well-earned commission.

... the industry average in this

agreement is to have headhunters paid somewhere between 15% to

25% of the candidate’s total first

annual salary.

“[


What Does It Mean When Headhunters Say

They’ll Keep My Resume on File?

You now have a better understanding of how competitive and even

unsympathetic the world of headhunting can be. With this understanding, you

hopefully now know that because headhunters operate in an extremely

competitive market and because they only get paid on commission, their focus

will always be directed on those candidates who can earn them money.

But, headhunters are human and the majority of them do know the stakes

involved when they are working with their candidates. So, if it happens that

the headhunter no longer sees you as a fit for any of the companies they

represent – whether that’s because you interviewed with one of their

companies and it didn’t work out, or for some other reason – many

headhunters will say that they will keep you and your resume in mind for

future positions or future clients they represent.

But, what exactly does that mean? And is there any truth to their words?

Unfortunately, the answer to this last question is, in most cases, no. Unless

you have a very close relationship with the headhunter, their promise to keep

you in mind for future positions is really just a softening-the-blow technique.

Here’s a couple somewhat sobering statistics to give you an insight into what’s

going on behind the scenes when you work with a headhunter: when looking

to fill a company position, a headhunter typically will consider 10 job

candidates. Of those 10 candidates, the headhunter will select 3 to actually

send to an interview with the hiring company. Of course, of those 3, only 1

candidate in most scenarios will be selected for the job. Thus, because

headhunters typically send more than one candidate to interview at an open

position, on average, your chance of getting hired in that position is only 25%

to 33%.


These are real statistics and

you have to keep these in mind

as a job seeker in order to

manage your expectations.

So, as you can tell,

headhunters have a lot of job

candidates that they won’t be able to help. Furthermore, it’s part of their job to

continually meet a steady stream of new candidates.

Therefore, yes, the headhunter may keep your resume in their directory list.

However, the chance that they will go back and scour through that contact list

at a later point in time or the likelihood that they will remember your resume

in the hundreds of resumes and job seekers that they encounter is very slim.

What Do Headhunters Look For In Job

Seekers?

As I just mentioned, headhunters meet and are approached by a lot of potential

candidates on a weekly and even daily basis. A good portion of these

candidates, the headhunters choose not to represent either because they do not

have the time to do so or because the candidates do not have skills that match

the positions the headhunters are currently searching for. All to say, it’s

usually not as easy as simply calling up a headhunter or e-mailing them and

asking if they can find you a job.

So then, how do you go about attracting a headhunter’s attention? How do

you make them not just willing, but eager to represent you? And what type of

profiles and skills are headhunters generally looking for?

… because headhunters typically send more than one candidate to

interview at an open position, on

average, your chance of getting hired in the position is only 25% to 33%.

“[


Well, let’s try and answer some of these very critical questions now. But,

before we do, we first must delve a little deeper into how headhunters work

and how they are organized as a professional group.

Here’s something that’s key to know – like a lot of professions in this day and

age, headhunters operate in a very specified manner. What that means is that

they are a very industry-specific group of people. There are IT headhunters;

there are attorney headhunters; there are entertainment industry headhunters.

And all of these headhunters only represent jobs within their respective

industries and, naturally, all of these headhunters are only open to meeting

candidates with skills and experience in these industries.

Indeed, some headhunters are so specified in their representation that they

limit themselves to representing subsets within a specified industry. For

example, some IT headhunters will limit themselves to only representing .NET

programmer jobs or only JAVA development jobs.

What does this mean for you as the jobseeker? What it means is that it’s

critical for you to have your “story” straight when trying to attract a

headhunter’s attention. More

to the point: you cannot

approach a headhunter with an

“I’m open to any kind of job”

mindset. You need to be

directed in what kind of new

job opportunity you’re

searching for and if and when

you’re able to meet with a headhunter, you need to communicate this direction

to him or her.

Communicating your direction begins with your resume. In fact, it is highly

likely that your resume will be the first thing that attracts a headhunter’s

attention. As we’ll see later in the article, with the introduction of online

You need to be directed in what kind

of new job you’re searching for and

when you’re able to meet with a headhunter, you need to

communicate this direction to him

or her.

“[


candidate profiles hosted by the likes of Twitter, BranchOut and, arguably

most importantly, LinkedIn, headhunters do much of their headhunting by

searching through resumes that are posted online.

That means that your resume may very well be the first thing about you that

the headhunter sees. And its quality may be the only factor that the

headhunter uses in his or her decision in whether or not you’re worth the time

to work with. Therefore, it is extremely critical that your resume communicates focus

and direction. Further, it’s incredibly important that your resume be directed toward

some sort of specific industry, both as far as your past work experience and as far as what

you’re looking for in your next career move.

So, having industry-specific direction and focus as a job seeker is quality #1 in

attracting a headhunter’s attention. But, what else do headhunters look for?

Well, earlier this year, Business

Insider asked this very same

question to the country’s top-

performing headhunters and

recruiters. And many of these

headhunters replied with a

common response. The

response was: it was not the flashy candidates with elaborate means of

attracting the headhunter’s attention who were the most successful candidates.

Rather, it was the candidates who were able to nail down the “basics” who

most often won the headhunters over and were the candidates who were most

frequently introduced to the hiring companies by the headhunters.

Good to know. But, what exactly are these “basics”? Well, as we’ll see, the

“basics” have a lot in common with the basics of good interviewing skills,

something which job seekers should already know a thing or two about.

… it is extremely critical that your

resume communicates focus and direction. Your resume should be

directed toward some sort of specific

industry…

“[


So, here’s the run-down of what these highly prized “basics” are, as described

by the headhunters in the Business Insider article. Keep in mind – as a job

seeker who is considering trying to arrange a meeting with a headhunter, these

are not just suggestions, but are fundamentals to working with a headhunter or

recruiter:

1. Treat Your Meeting with the Headhunter Professionally

Simply put, do not make the mistake that so many other candidates

have made in the past when meeting with a headhunter. What

mistake is that? It’s the mistake of treating your meeting with the

headhunter overly casually.

Here’s the thing – just because you’re meeting with a headhunter as

opposed to the actual hiring manager does not mean that this meeting

is in any way less important. So treat it like any other interview.

Dress appropriately; appear well groomed; and come to the meeting

with a smiling, personable attitude and a firm handshake. Even if

you’re sitting down with the headhunter over coffee at a

neighborhood Starbucks, treat it with the significance that it deserves.

Think of it this way – in meeting with the headhunter, he or she is

looking to see if you are presentable enough, both in appearance and

qualifications, to introduce to his or her client. Come off with a poor

first impression and even if your skills and experience are a good fit

for the position, that headhunter may not want to risk introducing

you to their client. Which means no first interview. Which means no

job.

2. Come Prepared to Articulate Your “Story” in a Thoughtful and

Coherent Manner

Along the same lines as the item above and along the same lines as

having focus and direction as a job seeker, appearing at your meeting


with the headhunter prepared to tell your “story” in a thoughtful and

organized way is essential to making the meeting a successful one.

Like most relationships, working with a headhunter is a two-way

street. In order for them to represent you effectively and in order for

them to know if you will truly be a strong match for the positions they

have been hired to fill, headhunters need to gain a real understanding

of your experience and your capability in your chosen industry.

So, in order to really connect with the headhunter, be prepared to

communicate a thorough summary of your work history and

qualifications in a personable manner.

3. Follow Up with the Headhunter and Work to Build a Relationship

with Them

With all the candidates that headhunters meet on a regular basis,

coming across as a candidate who cares – not only about their own

career, but about forming a genuine relationship with the headhunter

– stands out in the eyes of the headhunter. In a later section of this

article, we’ll discuss how important it is to research your headhunter

before contacting and meeting with them. But, as a preview, gaining

background information on the headhunter is one of the ways that

you can demonstrate that you are engaged and care about the quality

of your relationship with the headhunter.

When sitting down with your headhunter or recruiter, not only

should you come prepared to articulate your story, it also immensely

helps if you can arrive with some knowledge about the headhunter’s

background. If you can find out information like the headhunter’s

professional history, what their client list is like and how long he or

she has been in the profession prior to your meeting and

communicate this knowledge in some form during it, it will go a long


way to showing that you’re seeking a real relationship with the

headhunter.

Also, keep in mind the long-term aspect of finding a new career

opportunity. Clients can be a very fickle bunch and sometimes the

positions that the headhunter was looking to line you up with fall

away. Have patience in the headhunter and keep in mind that

connecting a candidate with a job opportunity does not usually

happen overnight. After your initial meeting with your headhunter,

make sure you check in with him or her on a regular basis, and if the

headhunter communicated that they were looking to connect you

with a particular company, make sure you inquire about this

opportunity in your check-ins.

So, How Do I Find a Headhunter Who Will

Work Best for Me?

Okay, so now you have a better understanding of how you should prepare and

act when you meet with a headhunter. But, knowing how to act in meeting

with a headhunter takes for granted one very important thing – namely, that

you know how to go about finding a headhunter; and not just any old

headhunter, but one who will have the best chance of getting you to that new

position in your career.

And there’s no doubt about it – finding a suitable headhunter is a skill in and

of itself. But, take comfort – there are resources you can use and steps you can

take to improve your chances. Why don’t we get into some of these now.

First for some good news – if you’re one of those candidates who are currently

working and, better yet, if you’re visible online by having an account and a

resume posted on a site such as LinkedIn, there’s a good chance that you’re


already on a headhunter’s radar. And if you happen to be one of these

candidates and if you happen to be contacted by a headhunter, there’s no

doubt that you’re in a much more advantageous position as a job seeker than

those who have to reach out to get a headhunter’s attention.

But, even if you’re not one of these candidates, and further, even if you’re not

currently working, there are resources you can refer to and steps you can take

to track down a headhunter who will be suitable for you.

But, first let’s return to that #1 quality of job seekers that headhunters are

continually looking for – that is, focus within a specific industry and direction.

As it turns out, having focus and direction as a job seeker will not only

exponentially improve your first impression with the headhunter, it’s also a

first step in searching for a headhunter.

As you recall, headhunters as a professional group are divided based on

industry. Therefore, assuming you are directed in your job search, you can

narrow your search for a headhunter based upon those headhunters who work

in your chosen industry.

But, where do you go to find these headhunters? Are there publicly offered

directories? And if so, where can these directories be found?

Well, you’ll be glad to know that, yes, there are many directories of

headhunters and recruiters that are published to the public which you can

easily access, sometimes for free, other times for a fee. It’s in your best interest

to do a Google search to see if there are any headhunter directories specific to

your particular industry. However, with that being said, we can go over

several big headhunter-finding resources right now, resources which span

across dozens of different industries.

RileyGuide.com


Founded in 1994, Riley Guide has grown to be a primary

resource for job seekers looking to connect with headhunters.

Riley Guide is a free online job search resource site that provides

links to recruiter and headhunter directories.

Just go to the site’s ‘Directories of Recruiters’ page

(http://www.rileyguide.com/recruiters.html) and you will find a

list of recruiter directories, such as Oya’s Directory of Recruiters

and findarecuiter.com, complete with a link to each directory’s

web page.

Conveniently enough, Riley Guide’s directory list divides itself

between those directories that are free and those that require an

access fee. Feel free to first browse around the free directories

before moving onto the ones that require some money. But, just

know that those directory sites that require an access fee are

generally more up-to-date and more comprehensive. Either way,

taking a look at what Riley Guide has to offer is certainly worth

your time.

LinkedIn.com

The importance of LinkedIn as a way of connecting with

headhunters and recruiters cannot be overstated. As an active job

seeker, having a LinkedIn profile that is complete and up-to-date

in this day and age is almost non-negotiable. Indeed, some

headhunters go so far as to consider an active job seeker without a

LinkedIn profile as a red flag. Still others will consider not even

representing a candidate if they do not come to the table with a

complete LinkedIn profile.

But, besides its cache with headhunters, LinkedIn also serves as a

rich search resource for you the job seeker. That’s because


LinkedIn has about 90,000 recruiter profiles on its site, and,

conveniently enough, many of these LinkedIn recruiter profiles

list the specific industry that the headhunters work in.

To find recruiters on LinkedIn who are in your industry, simply

click on LinkedIn’s Advance Search tool, which can be found on

the site’s home page, to the right of the upper search bar. This

will take you to an Advanced People Search page. Here, in the

Keywords field, type in a keyword for what you’re looking for

(i.e. if you’re looking for a recruiter in the technology field, a

suggested keyword would be something like “technology

recruiter”; if you’re on the hunt for a headhunter or recruiter in

the legal industry, a keyword you could use would be “legal

recruiter”).

Once you enter in a fitting keyword, you will be taken to a list of

all recruiters and headhunters on LinkedIn who fit your search

query and, ideally, dozens of recruiters and headhunters who

work in your specific industry.

LinkedIn holds such a powerful and extensive database of

professionals that it takes a little practice to word your search

terms appropriately. But, as you gain more experience in using

LinkedIn’s search engine, you’ll be better able to refine your

terms to hone in on suitable headhunters.

Now despite LinkedIn and Riley Guide’s significance in the third party search

world, they aren’t the only guys offering directories of working headhunters

and recruiters. Two other sites that you may want to look into are

searchfirm.com and onlinerecruitersdirectory.com. Both of these are free

sites that offer their own list of recruiters and headhunters.


And if you don’t mind spending some cash on your search for a suitable

headhunter, there are two more sites that may be worth investigating: namely,

RecruiterRedbook.com and BlueSteps.com.

BlueSteps.com is a site built by the Association of Executive Search

Consultants that includes a database of more than 4,000 recruiters and that’s

geared particularly toward executives. Access to the database is priced at a

one-time fee of $289.00 with a possible requirement of annual renewals.

Meanwhile, RecruiterRedbook.com is an online version of “The Directory of

Executive & Professional Recruiters”. Published since 1971, this directory is

essentially the Kelly Blue Book of the recruiting world and access to its list of

more than 16,500 recruiters comes in at an online price of $59.95.

As you can see, there are plenty of online resources that you can refer to in

order to search for a suitable headhunter in your field of expertise and in your

geographical location.

But, besides looking up headhunter names in a directory, which admittedly

feels somewhat distant and not very personable, you may be wondering if

there’s another way of finding an appropriate headhunter, one that ideally feels

a little less like cold calling.

Well, this is where your creative networking and resourcefulness come into

play. This is where you should think about the network you have in your

particular industry and consider the ways in which your industry and your

network can connect you with a suitable headhunter.

For example, as you go about searching for a headhunter, see what your

immediate network of industry contacts has to offer. Do you have a lot of

friends and colleagues in your industry? Even if you have a few, don’t be

afraid to ask them if they know of good recruiters who work in the industry or,

better yet, if they’ve worked with any recruiters which they could recommend.


But, there are still other resources that you can refer to. Does your industry

have any mass printed and distributed newsletters or other similar news media?

If so, oftentimes headhunters and recruiters who work in your industry are

quoted in these media outlets. Keep an eye on these newsletters and

magazines; subscribe to them if they are free or if they charge a nominal

membership fee; and if you come across any names of headhunters or

recruiters that show promise, look them up on Google or LinkedIn.

The great thing about discovering a headhunter through this last method is that

it gives you an easy way to begin a conversation with that headhunter.

Everyone enjoys a compliment. So, assuming you’re able to find the

headhunter’s contact info, when you do contact him or her, start off by

complimenting them on their quote in the industry magazine and go from

there.

In this day and age, sites like LinkedIn, Google and Glassdoor

(www.glassdoor.com) give you so many more ways to find a headhunter who

can help you in your job search. But, even with all this modern access, never

forget that there is, and always will be, a human element to finding a new

career position. So, stay connected in your industry, be creative in your

networking and do not be intimidated in contacting a headhunter you’ve never

spoken to before.

Finally, one last important note to

mention: no rule states that you

can’t work with more than one

headhunter or recruiter at a time.

We’ll discuss this situation in more

detail later in the article, but having as many people working for you in your

job search, and getting your name out to as many people as possible, is always

in your best interest as a job seeker. So, even if you do find a suitable

headhunter, that doesn’t mean that you can’t find a second headhunter to

work with as well.

… no rule states that you can’t work with more than one headhunter or

recruiter at a time … “[


You Found a Headhunter – Now Do Some

Background Research on Him or Her

If you’ve discovered a headhunter who may be a suitable match for your

particular industry and skillset, great job. But, now a second, equally as

important, step must be made – namely, researching as much information

about that headhunter as possible prior to making contact with him or her.

There’s a number of reasons why you want to do this. First, as a job seeker,

your time and energy is precious, and doing some background research on the

headhunter prior to reaching out to them could help you conserve those two

important assets. After all, after doing some brief research, you may discover

that it’s in fact not in your best interest to meet with this headhunter. You may

discover that the headhunter has too little years of experience or focuses on a

different industry than you originally thought. To be clear – trying to arrange a

meeting with a headhunter can take time and energy, and it even can be a

momentary distraction from your primary job search. Therefore, all that

energy and time you would have exerted in trying to arrange a meeting with

the headhunter would be saved from the outset with a little bit of research.

But, there’s two other reasons why doing some research will help you – one, as

we’ll discuss later in this article, there do exist bad headhunters out there who

do not have your best interest in mind. And brushing up on a headhunter prior

to contacting the may help you spot these bad egg headhunters before it’s too

late. Second, knowing a little about the headhunter – about his or her

background, his or her professional interests, even some of the clients that he

or she has represented in the past – can help you immensely in gaining a

meeting with that headhunter. Finally, all that background information will

help you more closely connect with the headhunter when you do sit down with

him or her in a meeting.


So, research is pretty important. And thanks to online resources, doing a quick

investigation on the headhunter is now pretty easy. If you discovered your

headhunter of interest through an industry connection, such as a colleague,

then Google the name of that headhunter and peruse through the search

results. Are there any potential red flags? Note those. And if the Google

search for some reason comes up with nothing, that may be a red flag in and of

itself; after all, all headhunters should have some sort of online presence.

But, what if you discovered the headhunter online, through a resource like

Glassdoor or LinkedIn? Well, a lot of these sites not only provide directories

of headhunters, they also provide background information on the professional

life of these headhunters.

Again, because of its importance in the job world and because it hosts profiles

of more than 95% of all headhunters and recruiters nationwide, let’s focus on

LinkedIn and give a couple major tips on how to check up on a headhunter on

this site.

As mentioned, LinkedIn is an incredibly powerful resource and deserves an

extensive exploration by all job seekers. But, as far as researching a

headhunter is concerned, assuming you can find their profile on LinkedIn, first

check out their public recommendations. Recommendations on a

headhunter’s LinkedIn profile are essentially public endorsements of his or her

level of service and expertise. If the headhunter has several public

recommendations from clients of theirs, that’s a good sign that the headhunter

values lasting relationships and would be worth the effort to contact and meet.

Next, take a look at the headhunter’s LinkedIn network. If their network

includes a solid number of HR managers, senior execs and directors, then

that’s a sign that people are willing to connect with that manager. This, once

again, speaks positively toward the headhunter’s reputation and care of

service.


Finally, check to see what kind of LinkedIn industry groups the headhunter is

a member of. Being a member of industry groups on LinkedIn is a

demonstration of their level of connection with the leaders of that industry.

Certainly, if you see a headhunter that is not a member of any LinkedIn group,

that’s not the best of signs and may even be considered a red flag. But,

assuming they are a member of one or a number of groups, check to see what

these groups are. Furthermore, check to see how frequently the headhunter

communicates in these groups and what their communication is like. This is a

great way to get a feel for the headhunter’s personality prior to contacting and

trying to arrange a meeting with them.

I Found a Headhunter – Is there Anything I

Should be Wary About?

First off, one very important point needs to be mentioned that hasn’t been

touched on yet – regardless of whether the headhunter you meet with is a good

one or an incompetent one, being represented by a headhunter makes you a

more expensive candidate in the

eyes of whatever hiring company

the headhunter introduces you to.

A common figure is that you will

become 25% more expensive in

the eyes of a hiring company

when a headhunter or

independent recruiter represents

you.

As discussed earlier, based on the traditional headhunter-hiring company

agreement, if the company that the headhunter represents hires you, that

company must not only pay your salary, it also must pay the commission to

... regardless of whether the

headhunter you meet with is a good

one or an incompetent one, being

represented by a headhunter makes

you a more expensive candidate in

the eyes of whatever hiring company

the headhunter introduces you to.

“[


the headhunter. So, in comparison to a candidate who is not represented by a

headhunter, you are a more expensive candidate. This, unfortunately, can

hurt you in several ways: one, it can hurt your chance of getting the job; two, it

can affect your chance of negotiating a higher salary if you do get the job.

But, as they say, that’s the nature of the beast and in order to manage your

expectations, it’s in your best interest to keep this fact in mind as you work

with a headhunter and as you go out on interviews with companies that he or

she introduces you to.

Here’s the thing – even if you do due diligence and research the headhunter

prior to meeting with them, research can only tell you so much. And the

question of whether the headhunter is a good one or a bad egg may still be

nagging at you, particularly if you happened to discover this headhunter

through some route other than through a colleague or other network

connection. And, as we already mentioned, like in all fields, the headhunting

industry is not without its bad eggs. Make no mistake about it – there are

headhunters out there who are dishonest and who carry a low reputation in the

employment world. And that’s bad news for you if you happen to connect

with one of these bad eggs. Because, as already touched on, their poor

reputation will quickly rub off onto your reputation as a job seeker.

But, be glad because there are some fairly easily distinguishable signs that can

help you tell whether the headhunter you connected with is a trustworthy,

good one or a bad egg. Let’s take a look at the major red flags now.

The headhunter asks you for a fee in order to connect you with his

or her client.

As we mentioned several times already, in most agreements

between the headhunter and the hiring company, the headhunter

only gets paid when he or she successfully fills a position with a

candidate. In this agreement, the only party who pays the


headhunter, or should pay the headhunter, is the hiring company.

This is a real and nearly universal rule of the headhunting world.

Therefore, any headhunter who requests a representation fee from

you the job seeker should be looked at with suspicion and the

decision for them to represent you should immediately be called

into question.

The headhunter indicates in some way that he or she has never

placed a candidate with the client he or she is representing.

If a headhunter contacts you about a particular position, the

first question that you should pose to him or her is “How many

people have you placed with this employer, the one you are

contacting me about, in the past 12 months?” If the headhunter

fumbles for words or says that this will be their first time

placing a candidate with the employer, this is not a good sign

and you want to really consider whether it’s worth your time to

work with this headhunter.

There are headhunters out there who do what are called

“candidate flashes”. That is they collect resumes from a host of

candidates and then send these resumes out to numerous hiring

companies, even to companies that the headhunters do not

know or have working relationships with. This is a desperate

approach taken

on the part of a

desperate

headhunter that

has a number of

detrimental

effects: first, it annoys the hiring companies; second, it further

damages the headhunter’s already poor reputation in the

… the first question that you should pose to [a headhunter] is “How

many people have you placed with

this employer … in the past 12 months?”

“[


employment world; and third, if your resume is included in this

batch of candidate flashes, it essentially eliminates your

candidacy for that position in the hiring company and may

even eliminate your candidacy as an applicant in the company

as a whole.

Here’s the thing – if the company decides to hire you, even if

they discover you and hire you outside your relationship with

the headhunter, because you were included in this candidate

flash, the company may still have to pay the headhunter a

search fee or potentially face messy litigation. Companies

obviously want to stay far away from any thought of litigation,

so, therefore, they will stay far, far away from you.

Ideally, you want a headhunter who has a close relationship

with the hiring manager at the hiring company. Better yet, you

want the headhunter to have known and worked with the

managers and the hiring company for a number of years.

Therefore, when you meet with a headhunter, never be afraid

to ask him or her detailed questions about their relationship

with the client, or clients, he or she represents.

The headhunter asks that you sign an “exclusive representation”

form.

If you sign an “exclusive representation” form, it means that

you are giving up your right to work with another headhunter

besides your current one. Do not sign a form like this. And if

the headhunter you meet with requests that you do, consider

this as another red flag and, once again, think carefully about

whether you want this person to represent you.


As mentioned earlier, you have all the right in the world to

work with more than one headhunter at a time. All

headhunters working in the search business should know and

understand this. Therefore, there’s no reason for you to sign an

exclusive representation document and definitely no reason

why you should be threatened to.

As one point to add, if you do decide to work with more than

one headhunter at a time, consider these few suggestions: first,

working with more than two headhunters may strike some as a

sign of desperation, so perhaps keep to only working with two

headhunters; second, transparency in your relationship with the

headhunter always makes for a better outcome. Therefore, it is

in your best interest to inform each headhunter that you’re

working with more than one search party.

Tips On How To Work With A Headhunter

In the Most Effective Way

If you’ve never worked with a headhunter before, working with one as you

search for a new career position may be unlike any other professional

relationship that you’ve had. Your foremost goal as a job seeker is to put

yourself in the best position possible to find a new job. But, here’s the kicker –

in knowing that a headhunter could potentially fulfill this goal for you, you

may be lead to take certain actions or make certain decisions that,

unbeknownst to you, could ultimately be detrimental to your burgeoning

relationship with the headhunter. For instance, you could be tempted to

enhance your salary history or hold back certain information about your

employment history.


But, as we’ll see, actions of this kind will do nothing but make the

headhunter’s chance of placing you at a company that much more difficult and

could ultimately jeopardize your relationship with the headhunter.

So, what are some of these actions that are a definite no-no when working with

a headhunter? Well, here are the biggies.

Holding back information about yourself as a job seeker.

Transparency is the name of the game when working with any

headhunter or recruiter. Why? Because at the heart of the

headhunter-job candidate relationship, headhunters need to know

whether or not you’ll be a good fit for any of the positions they are

representing. Once they know that, depending on the headhunter,

they then may need to know how to market you to the hiring

company. Both these steps require your information as a job

candidate.

So, when meeting with a headhunter and in building your

relationship with him or her, headhunters will want to know

detailed information about such things as your employment

history, your industry strengths and knowledge, and a detailed

idea of what you’re seeking in your next position, among other

information points. They need this information and they do not

need a false variation of this information. That will do no good

and if you’re hired as a result of working with the headhunter,

doing something like holding back important information points or

telling a variation of the truth could lead to serious future

complications.

So, be as transparent as possible when working with a headhunter.

“Running around” a headhunter that you’re working with.


What does “running around” a headhunter mean? It’s a term that

describes the following scenario: a headhunter tells a job seeker of

an open position at a company and instead of waiting to be

introduced to the company by the headhunter, the job seeker

directly contacts the company himself or herself.

This is a big no-no in the headhunting world. After all, not only is

running around your headhunter highly unethical, it will also

seriously damage the trust the headhunter has in you and may

very well terminate your relationship with him or her.

Another cardinal rule of the headhunting world: if a headhunter

tells you of an open position at a company, you must wait to see if

your headhunter chooses to introduce you to that company. If the

headhunter decides not to, then there’s probably a good reason

why and, unfortunately, all you can do is swallow the bitter pill

and wait for another opportunity to come your way.

Being vague or downright dishonest about your salary history and

expectations.

We all want to earn a higher salary. That’s a given. And, because

of this, when beginning to work with a third party like a

headhunter, there may be a temptation to artificially inflate your

salary history to give you a better chance of earning a higher

compensation at your next job position.

But, do not do this. Not only is it dishonest; but, once again, if

you do get hired by the company the headhunter introduced you

to, it may lead to complications at a later point in time or, worse, it

may be cause for your termination.

Harassing your headhunter.


We mentioned earlier in this article how important it is to keep in

touch with your headhunter during your job search. Keeping in

touch with your headhunter, say by an email or phone call once a

week to remind them of your availability is one thing; but,

harassing the headhunter by calling or emailing them numerously

will only reflect poorly on you. Above all, it will make you seem

desperate, which is definitely what you do not want as a job

seeker. And if you harass the headhunter enough, they might just

decide to end their relationship with you.

So, keep the amount of times you contact your headhunter to a

reasonable level.

Expecting the headhunter to do everything and save the day.

One of the major points that this article hopefully communicates is

that your expectations as a job seeker as you begin working with a

headhunter must be appropriately managed.

The percentage mentioned earlier bears repeating: the likelihood

that you’ll find a job through a third party like a headhunter or

recruiter is between 25% and 33%. That means that the numbers

are not stacked in your favor. Which means that you cannot give

into the temptation of feeling safe and secure in being represented

by a headhunter or of feeling like, now that you are represented,

you will undoubtedly find that perfect, well-paying career position

through the headhunter.

The most important cardinal rule of all that you must be mindful of is this:

even if you gain representation by a headhunter, you still must be as

vigilant as ever in your job search and continue with your search

independently in the same way as before you gained representation.


Conclusion

This last point just mentioned, although it’s a little sobering, is a good one to

end the article on. As you begin to research and connect with members of the

third party search world, it’s vital for your well being and confidence as a job

seeker to keep in mind that headhunters do not have some magical key to

automatically get you that new perfect job. Yes, they may have industry

contacts that you otherwise may have not had a chance to connect with, but

working with a headhunter is not a guarantee that you will get a new job

through them.

So, don’t step to the sidelines if and when you gain representation with a

headhunter. Be as proactive as possible in your job search. Connect with

other network contacts, work to meet with hiring managers on your own, and

above all, if you don’t have a complete LinkedIn profile yet, hurry up and log

into LinkedIn and complete a full profile that includes a professional, clear profile

photo. Good luck to you!

Regards,

Teena Rose, Book Author/Published

Writer/11-Year Resume-Writing Veteran

Resume to Referral

http://www.resumebycprw.com

http://www.teenarose.com (outlines credentials,

public relations involvement, books written)

Follow me on Twitter! http://twitter.com/teenarose

And, send me a LinkedIn invitation:

http://www.linkedin.com/in/teenarose. Let’s grow and excel together.

© Copyright 2014, Teena Rose, All Rights Reserved

Reproducing any portion of this guide without permission of the Author is strictly prohibited

Self-published by Teena Rose, Resume to Referral

www.resumebycprw.com

http://www.resumebycprw.com/

http://www.teenarose.com/

http://twitter.com/teenarose

http://www.linkedin.com/in/teenarose

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