Whether you’re desperate for work or you just want to consider a job change, working with a recruiter or a headhunter may be the way to go.
Using a headhunter, aka recruiter, lets you cut in line, so to say, to get directly in front of a hiring manager. “If I tell a hiring manager they have to see a candidate of mine, they will schedule an interview,” says Pamela Claughton, president and principal recruiter at Custom Search Group, “There’s a level of trust there with many of my clients. They know if I say someone is good, they are good.”
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But Caroline Cenza-Levine, a former recruiter and career coach with Six Figure Start, isn’t as optimistic that headhunters are a huge help to job-seekers—a candidate may not receive VIP treatment unless they stand out. “Recruiters like to find their candidates, not the other way around,” she notes. “Unsolicited candidates are automatically a red flag because if you’re so good, we would have heard of you already.”
Whether you approach a headhunter or one comes to you, there are certainly advantages to using one. So, when is it a good time to get in on all the perks that headhunters have to offer?
1. It’s Time to Make a Job Switch
They say that the best time to find a job is when you already have one. So, if you are currently employed, using a headhunter is a good way to see what’s out there without performing an all-out search. But if you are actively searching for something new, you shouldn’t rely solely on a headhunter.
Instead, you should activate your job search on “all cylinders” from the beginning, says Bonnie Zaben, COO at AC Lion. “Those first few weeks of a job search are the time to try everything.”
“It’s important job seekers recognize that headhunters are not agents or career counselors you call when you want to find a position,” says Jim Durbin, a headhunter specializing in the social media arena at socialmediaheadhunter.com. He says it’s a good idea to talk to recruiters while you’re employed, even if you’re not considering making a change right away. “The chances of having a job that perfectly fits someone calling in, in terms of salary, skills, geography, background, career path and cultural fit, is almost zero. Polite recruiters will say it’s possible, but it just doesn’t happen very often.”
Do you go exclusive with one recruiter or is it okay to play the field? Claughton says to send your resume to multiple recruiters, because different recruiters work with different companies. One headhunter does not cover all.
“If your background matches a current search, you’ll get a call. If not, you won’t,” Claughton notes. “So, you up your efforts by getting it to several recruiters.”
2. You’re Looking for a new Media Position
Digital is booming right now, Zaben says, and people who know their way around HTML, SEO, and the like are particularly in demand by headhunters and the companies they’re sourcing for. “Ad budgets are down all over the place but digital is going strong. And, from a jobs perspective, that’s where the hiring is. If you’re a job seeker with little digital experience, you’re in for a rough haul.”
Carroll agrees: “We [headhunters] know the best talent in the digital side of the media sector, and we know the companies the big media companies will buy.”
3. You’re Open to Temporary or Part-Time Work
If you’re unemployed or have been laid off for some time, Claughton suggests looking into creative staffing firms to get immediate work. Many handle permanent searches, while others focus exclusively on contract or contract-to-permanent jobs.
Donna Farrugia, executive director of The Creative Group, which specializes in placing contract and full-time employees in the creative arena, said more media professionals are looking at agencies like hers to help with job searches.
“Many hiring managers also are bringing in people on a freelance basis as a way to assess their skills and fit for the position before extending a full-time offer, making this a more attractive option for media professionals,” she explains. Farrugia says that type of arrangement also lets a candidate get a foot in the door at companies they want to work at and see if they like the job and environment before making a long-term commitment.
4. Social Media Isn’t Cutting It
Sean Carroll, a partner at Polachi, says that many recruiters use Facebook and LinkedIn to source candidates, so if you have a profile on either website, you’re on the right track. Using social media is part of a strong platform, but it’s not enough.
“The problem with using social media to get a job is that social media isn’t how you find a job,” says Durbin. “Doing the same tasks that a headhunter does to find open positions is how you find a job. So head to where recruiters share information and use social media to learn from them.”
Durbin says websites like recruitingblogs.com or ERE.net will help jobseekers understand what recruiters want and how they operate.
Here’s another reason simply having a LinkedIn profile won’t get you noticed by recruiters: Because more jobs are opening up, in-house human resources departments are too busy and are looking to recruiters to fill those roles. They look at social media profiles to find candidates, but it’s not the only strategy they use. So, you’ve got to explore other avenues to catch the eye of a recruiter.
5. You Want to Stand Out
Susan Gordon, president of Lynne Palmer Executive Recruitment, who recruits for mid- and senior-level roles, says the Internet has made it simple for job-seekers to blast out applications. As a result, companies are feeling overwhelmed trying to source the right candidates. “It’s unbelievable how much [recruiters] are needed right now,” she notes.
She says it’s important to network and use other job-search strategies in addition to enlisting a headhunter. “You are your own advocate. There’s a percentage of jobs that go to headhunters, and there’s a percentage of jobs that don’t.”
“It forces the job seeker to take control of their own job search and not rely on someone they are not paying,” notes Durbin.
Using a headhunter ensures that he or she will get to know you as an individual and then can connect you with the company as a personal referral. But it’s important for candidates to remember that headhunters do not work for them. Furthermore, don’t expect finding that dream gig to be as simple as waiting for a phone call, Gordon notes. You have to put in the legwork too.
“To find a job in this market—it’s getting to be a very good market—you have to rise above,” she adds.
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