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10 Pointers about
Using Recruiters in a Job Search
by Georgia Adamson
If you’ve never worked with a
recruiter (a.k.a. headhunter) but are considering doing it the next time
you make a change, here are some key points you should be aware of:
-
A recruiter will not act as your
personal employment “agent” by actively trying to find a suitable
position for you, tailored to your requirements.
-
Aside from corporate (in-house)
recruiters, there are basically two types of recruiters, retained and
contingency. A retained search firm has a contract with a company to
find a candidate and receives some payment as a retainer during the
process. A contingency recruiter has no search contract and receives no
payment unless a placement is made. Both types generally like to submit
multiple qualified candidates to a company for consideration—you’re not
likely to be their only one.
-
Many recruiters specialize in
certain fields, and it’s probably a waste of time to approach them if
your field doesn’t match their focus.
-
Recruiters do not like to deal with
people who want to make a career change. They typically work with
candidates who are on a more straight-line career path.
-
If you’re flexible about relocation,
you may be in a stronger position when you try to establish
relationships with recruiters.
-
Talk with people you know who’ve
worked with a recruiter successfully and use them as a referral when
making an initial contact with the recruiter.
-
As in many other fields, the
recruiting arena has its share of less-than-reputable players. It’s
important to do some research before you try to deal with any recruiter,
and that goes for those times when the recruiter is approaching
you instead of the other way around.
-
Recruiters will almost certainly
want to know your salary history and expectations before they talk to
their client company about you. Since their fee is often based on a
percentage of your first-year’s salary, they’re not necessarily looking
to short-change you or drive-down your asking price, but they want to
know what ballpark you’re in.
-
If you do manage to get a recruiter
interested in you, be responsive to his/her calls and serious about how
you handle the situation. Don’t brush the person off because you’re busy
or ignore him/her because you’ve decided you’re not so sure you want to
change after all.
-
Building a
recruiter relationship takes time, care and patience. It is not a
quick-fix solution to finding a new position.
About the author:
Adept Business Services has been
meeting client needs since 1991. A Successful Career emerged as a division
in 2003, in recognition of Georgia Adamson's extensive involvement in
career planning and management. Although located in the San Jose / Silicon
Valley region of California, she serves clients across the United States
and throughout the world.
Prior to starting her business, Adamson worked for, and with, executives
in high-tech companies in the Silicon Valley. She also spent over two
years living and teaching school in Melbourne, Australia, which gave her a
great opportunity to experience and appreciate cultural diversity. Over
the past several years, she has created and delivered career seminars to
diverse organizations, including business and professional groups, and she
has held a leadership position in an organization of small-business
owners. In addition, she has earned multiple professional certifications
and become active in three national careers associations. Her resume work
has been published in a total of nine books so far.
Like many business professionals, Adamson believes in giving back to her
local community, where she has deep roots. In particular, she is an
active, long-time Chamber of Commerce board member and Ambassador, as well
as a past Vice President of Membership. She also writes a career-related
column, "Career Smarts," for a weekly community newspaper.
Web site URL:
http://www.asuccessfulcareer.com
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