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Are clients the big boys or mostly smaller companies?
I don't recruit anymore.. but when I did I had clients that ranged from small start ups to medium sized companies (Virginia Power, Dominion Telecom) to big boys (think like ATT, Qwest, Adelphia).
Reverse question: What are recommended ways to identify and use a headhunter? If you were looking for a job, how would you pick a headhunter out of the thousands out there?
Is a head hunter the same thing as a recruiter?
I see lots of recruiters on Linked In.
Also, how can a headhunter help someone get a job with a big company if the applicant has already applied on that company's website? Do headhunters have "in"s with people in big companies? Do big companies work with headhunters? Or, it seems like, the big companies have their own process to identify candidates who apply for interviews (key words, etc).
How it used to work-- if you had already applied for the company on your own-- my contract with the company went nowhere. I.e. I couldn't place you there-- you had already applied. In some cases if I thought the person was really pretty incredible I would bring it up to them (but generally those were in cases where I knew that the hiring manager or HR would give me a new job to work as a thank you for bringing up a missed diamond in their resume pool. When I did that it was because I had a strong, solid relationship with my client and a give here was not going to hurt my bottom line and was good for karma.
NOW-- if the candidate applied to the company behind my back after I told them who the company was (as I stated in another post it was not in my best interests to not be completely honest) then that would be okay-- because I could prove when I made contact, discussed the position, etc. Generally speaking though- if you were that type of person who thought they could just do it on their own and then use my info and try to apply yourself, I would not really pursue working with you-- and quite frankly most of my clients that I worked for frequently-- would not either because it just had a seedy feel to it.
I enjoyed recruiting when I did (before 9/11). I loved the hiring managers I worked with over and over (usually Sr level management who had the responsibility of hiring across multiple states). When another job I went to and the company folded, I used that network to get a job at one of my former clients.
For your other question-- my big clients that used my services used me primarily for very hard to fill positions (senior level leadership, critical replacement in a dysfunctional department i.e. issues with the current team, leadership, need for help in reviving a dying area, etc).
Those hard to fill positions could be grueling-- but generally speaking they didn't use me for 90% of their other types of positions since the large companies generally have somewhat competent technology and resources to recruit on their own.
The headhunter is only going to be able to negotiate certain positions for you. They won't represent you in every job opening. So let them go after some jobs on your behalf, and you can go after others on your own. Headhunters generally only handle pretty high level managerial positions. They aren't filling your average rank-and-file positions. And typically they are positions that require a pretty unique set of skills.
The headhunter's commission will come out of your salary, so it IS costing you. It's just not a separate direct cost. That is, if the company can pay up to 100k, and you are hired through a headhunter that charges 10%, then the headhunter won't be able to negotiate a salary of more than 90k. If you approached them on your own you could've taken the full 100k home yourself (assuming you could get as far as negotiation on your own, which is the 'if' the headhunter is assuming you can't do).
The headhunter's commission will come out of your salary, so it IS costing you. It's just not a separate direct cost. That is, if the company can pay up to 100k, and you are hired through a headhunter that charges 10%, then the headhunter won't be able to negotiate a salary of more than 90k. If you approached them on your own you could've taken the full 100k home yourself (assuming you could get as far as negotiation on your own, which is the 'if' the headhunter is assuming you can't do).
I don't agree with this. I can tell you that when we hire we don't put any consideration in to the salary offered on if a fee is being paid to a recruiter/headhunter. It is a one time cost that is already accounted for.
The headhunter's commission will come out of your salary, so it IS costing you. It's just not a separate direct cost. That is, if the company can pay up to 100k, and you are hired through a headhunter that charges 10%, then the headhunter won't be able to negotiate a salary of more than 90k. If you approached them on your own you could've taken the full 100k home yourself (assuming you could get as far as negotiation on your own, which is the 'if' the headhunter is assuming you can't do).
That is exactly what I stated in another related thread. My friend found out about this and retracted his acceptance of the job offer. He went to work for the competition of that particular firm.
I don't agree with this. I can tell you that when we hire we don't put any consideration in to the salary offered on if a fee is being paid to a recruiter/headhunter. It is a one time cost that is already accounted for.
Has anyone here worked with and been successful in finding a good job with a headhunter? I got the number of one from a friend today. She said he got her in for an interview, negotiated a higher salary and the company paid him a percentage of her yearly salary for finding her (so no cost to her), so the bigger her salary the more he made. Do you think employers would find being "represented" as a plus or minus? I need opinions before I make the call. My friend is swearing he'll do as good of a job for me as he has for her.
A headhunter found my first job in the US and when I wanted to switch to another industry she was able to get me interviews with companies I hadn't even known were considering hiring (I backed out when I had to move suddenly for personal reasons). She was very well connected in her field.
It all depends on the headhunter and the industry. Certainly can't hurt and if your friend was helped then it seems this one can deliver. Definitely give him a call. They can also prep you for interviews so that you know what the "acceptable" answers are - sometimes it can be very surprising how canned the expected responses actually are.
I have a friend who used a headhunter and found a higher paying job in her career field. They're not the same as recruiters. If you can get in touch with one then I say it's worth a shot, especially if you meet the higher qualifications.
My H used headhunters with great success. Several times. They did all the work and he got the job. Worked out great for him.
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