Think Before You Go to a Recruiter

I dream I’m giving a speech to a convention of recruiters.   They rise and applaud as I approach the dais, wiping away tears of gratitude.  Why?  I had persuaded job seekers to STOP CALLING THEM.  Then I awake, go to work, and the first client of the day asks, “Should I go see a headhunter?”  The dream fades.

That question really means:  “Please direct me to someone who will do the work FOR me so I don’t have to.”  It doesn't work that way. Search firms work for the client, not you. You can't go to a recruiter and say, "Gee, I thought if I could look at the jobs you have, I could figure out which ones I’m qualified for.” They’ll take the resume and smile sweetly; but if you don't look like a job order they already have, it hits the round file when you leave.

If you’re a garden-variety worker, most recruiters aren’t interested in you.  They get paid between 10 and 35% of the hired recruit’s first year’s salary.  Companies don't spend money like that unless they can’t find candidates, or they’re rushed to make a huge hire or they don’t have the staff to do it.  Plus, most recruiters specialize in one or two areas:  computer programs, creative people, human resource managers, CEOs.  Their attitude is, as executive searcher Annie Gray told me, “Don’t call me.  I’ll find you.” They troll their sources:  directories, former placements, friends, colleagues, source-filled Rolodexes, and the Internet.  Sourcing is an art, and hard, hard work.  Their fees are called “contingency” (they get paid only if they find someone) or “retained” (they get paid for presenting qualified candidates.)  A few work on an hourly basis. 

  

Some employment firms ask the job seeker to pay a fee, usually several thousand dollars.  These are bottom feeders who go after the unskilled, unsophisticated, desperate or lazy job seeker.  They don't produce the desired result, though their hand is out for your ready cash.  The dog work remains yours to do.

If you want to use a recruiter, do your work first.  What kind of job are you seeking?  Which recruiters specialize in what you do?  Tell the recruiter about yourself in 20 seconds. You might get lucky and become a candidate, but only if you're a hard-to-find candidate who called the right firm.  Statistics say only10% of seekers get a job through recruiters. The grind is yours:   figuring out what you want, making networking calls, scouring the want ads, trolling the internet and scrambling to get an interview. 

It ain’t glamorous, but the process works.  I'm actually encouraged when clients ask me about headhunters.  I've learned it's their last hopeful swipe at the easier way before they get down to the serious business of job hunting.