Any danger in talking with headhunters?

As an analyst is there any danger in speaking with headhunters, or are they typically professional and keep things discrete? Don't want any blow-back impacting me at my current firm and with so many reaching out I'm interested in seeing what is out there.

 
Brosef Stalin17:

I have never had any issues, other than them not knowing their heads from their assholes.

Haha, classic. I've been getting the same vibe and made this thread for a few reasons so hoping for a couple of comments. I'm happy where I am but when you have guys (and mostly girls) calling you saying you're in position to interview and potentially land a job making 250% of what you're currently making, you've got to be pretty dumb not to set up that meeting, but the sense I've been getting from most of these recruiters is they are the type to gossip and I don't want my current firm thinking I'm looking for the nearest exit, because I'm not.

 
Sil:

I would reply, but I would only reply to headhunters frequently discussed on WSO. 99% of headhunters are completely useless and downright unprofessional. If it's not a place like Oxbridge, Amity, CPI, SG Partners, etc., I would not bother replying. Just my two cents and experience.

How about under circumstances where Oxbridge, Amity, CPI, etc., aren't knocking down your door. You might have to roll with some of the smaller players.

 

You can always email places like Oxbridge or Amity. Most of them have headhunter profiles on their websites. That's what I did when I was at a MM, and they sent plenty of stuff my way. The reason not to work with other headhunters is not because their opportunities will not be as prestigious, but rather because they will try pushing you into roles that you have no interest in or to lateral from a MM or BB to a tiny boutique that pays next to nothing. The quality of roles just is not there.

 

One thing I would be doubly sure of is that the recruiters won't pass around any of your information without your explicit permission. I have heard stories of recruiters forwarding around candidate lists which can get you into trouble if it gets to the wrong person. Another reason too why I'm hesitant to send out my cv when I receive and inbound from a recruiter unless I've has a couple conversations with them on a particular opportunity to get more detail. Sometimes they're way too keen to get your cv.

 

HHs are literally the only ppl that respond in my experience. I'm sure you know how the HH business plan works, they make money off YOU. So it really makes perfect sense imo that they'd actually be responsive.

Regarding your 3rd paragraph, imma have to slightly disagree. My friend took 5 years to finish up his comm degree at a sub non-target with a sub 3.0 GPA and had a HH meet with him. .

GBS
 

Not all headhunters are created equal and some just spam your resume to companies with postings, which is not much better than you doing it yourself. However, a good headhunter with relationships and, better yet, an exclusive retainer infinitely enhances your credibility.

Many companies just don't have the time and manpower to review every resume that comes over the transom, and a lot of those are garbage anyway. The candidates who have time to read and apply to passive postings tend to be more desperate and less qualified than the ones actively sourced by a recruiter. When a headhunter brings in a resume and recommends a candidate, it carries a lot more weight.

The headhunter is hired by the employer and is paid to fill jobs with candidates, not get candidates jobs. If an employer interviews you and gives you good feedback but doesn't hire you, the headhunter will probably still keep you in mind for any roles that come up that fit you, but they're certainly not going to go out of their way to find you a job.

 

A reputable head hunter and a strong resume will get you very far. As stated above, if the head hunter has established a good reputation then they will not just take a chance on a candidate just because they like you. If the head hunter has a good reputation and recommends you, you will likely land an interview.

tl;dr: Strong Resume + Reputable Head Hunter = Job Interviews

 

I'm gonna take a sec to clarify between having a HH "work with you" (i.e. meet, hold your resume, etc.) and giving you opps. I was refering to the former. HHs have nothing to lose by "working with you", they arguably have something to lose by the latter. Said friend wasn't sent anywhere, lol.

GBS
 

I'm sure Rocky Mountains will give you some perspective on this. But being one who has used numerous HH's in the past, they aren't all the same, and you need to be explicit on what you want to do. The incentives are their for them to place you in a role where you won't completely suck (which reflects negatively on them), for you to have a decent shot at getting the job once in the interview, and to help you in any way they can because they will get paid if you get the job. If you don't get the Job, they will most likely get feedback on how you did in the interview from the employer and they will keep that in consideration if/when they set you up for a different interview. So it is not a one shot deal.

Yeah if you suck bad the headhunter will most likely not waste their time, however, there are Jobs for people that suck and they will place you accordingly... Because after all they get paid when they place you. So that is why you need to be explicit on what you want to do because they are just looking to place you asap; even if it isn't the role you want they will try to convince you otherwise.

This is coming from a person who has used HH's and is deducing what is going on behind the scenes. A lot of people are down on HH's but I believe they are useful especially if you have the experience which makes it easier to place you (i.e. having a job really helps).

Fear is the greatest motivator. Motivation is what it takes to find profit.
 

Thanks for the tips. The headhunter I used told me ' we of course are still interested in working with you, even though you didn't get the job ' but some of the feed-back was that the employeer didn't think 'I wanted to get into the details'.

I was kind of shocked that they gave this feedback b/c I am looking for a highly analytical role, but am not completely surprised b/c once I went into the interview they told me the actual job listed online was temporary (someone was taking a 4 month leave to travel) and that when they came back I'd be assigned to a different group. I am not great at hiding my facial expressions and considering I come from an accounting backround (thus the possibiliity of being reassigned to general accounting, financial reporting, etc) I am sure my face said something different that 'I'd be open to that', which is what came out of my mouth.

I am just thinking whether or not I should go back to this same headhunter, seeing as how they now have the impression that ' I don't want to get into the details ', not to mention the fact that they were completely oblivious to the fact that the actual job listed was temporary, thus allowing me to walk into a situtation comletely unprepared.

 

Guys, as a HH myself I will tell you this - choose us carefully. Test us too do we make sense, do we know the sector and what we are talking about. Generally the more questions you ask us and the more you try to establish a connection with us – we will like you more and push your case. For us all it takes is to drop your name at the right time to the right client sometimes to get things going. Please stay away from HH who clearly “don’t have time to talk”, who are putting your CVs though a conveyor belt without writing a profile about you and personal recommendations. Stay away from HHs who could potentially be “spraying your CV around” its usually the guys who speak fast and never have time to ask you about your background and previous experience. When you do find a good HH, stick with him/her take the time to speak and get a general catch up, share if you have heard some friends getting hired in other companies and he/she hasn’t mentioned. One of my latest clients I found out about from a candidate who told me his friend has interviewed there. I called I introduced myself got the mandate and got my candidate interviewing there. But please: do not ever share with us the exact names and positions you are interviewing with elsewhere through other HH, this is a competitive business and you would be tempting us to call this client and get other candidates in....

 

ZaZa tellin the truth! I actually encourage some of my candidates to reach out to me before they apply for something, however if they go into a process that i am not involved with the only thing i ask of them is to let me know who it was if they didnt get asked to the next round so i can see if i can get the mandate - most people are cool with it since they arent in the running.

So to address some points - legitimacy might not be the right word here. You give yourself legitmacy! What someone like me can do is package it up and present it in a way that is a stark contrast against just blazing your resume into portals and then be able to offer some more insight to what is going on in the process rather than just waiting for the phone to ring and not being able to ask things like - have you done business with them before? compensation? anyone they are far along with? FEEDBACK!!! You dont get feedback from a portal... Sometimes it can take a minute to get feedback from a recruiter but you know you will always at least get a definite yes or no and perhaps even a why.

As far as a first round screening goes i wouldnt call it that but i see what you're saying - i call it qualifying or vetting a candidate. Making sure that it is time well spent for me to intro the guy, my clients are paying me top dollar for top talent so just throwing resumes at a job bc someone "could do great" is not what they want to see and just gets everyone nowhere. A good HH will say that you are not a good fit for the role or that he doesn't want to waste your time getting you interested in something you dont have a shot at getting.

As for sticking with someone through the job hunting process - absolutely - especially if you are a very placeable candidate. I will never turn down the opportunity to speak with someone and see if they are someone i think i can help or might have an opportunity for in due time... It's just about the timing and relationships and how the stars align. The tough thing for a recruiter like myself is that i need to pick and choose my clients so i can leave enough talent on the street to pick from.... So i wont have relationships ever with every BB in the market bc then who would i steal from? lol so one thing i mentioned in my first article - work with multiple HH's

prob the only recruiter on the planet who would be that honest - prob gonna bite me in the ass one day too lol

Robert Shaw Recruiting Consultant Lakeshore Denver, CO
 

Question. Do you guys think that by not using HHs you are missing access to a lot of opps because they are holding them? I ask because if your barometer of job opps is postings on career sites, it would lead you to believe that there is minimal hiring. But then I talk to alumni etc, and they say essentially that it's not that firms don't need ppl but that they rarely post like that. I guess what I'm saying is, by expanding your search to use HHs do you believe an entry-level searcher would gain many opps or would you say most of what you fill is geared towards "higher level" execs?

GBS
 
GoldmanBallSachs:
Question. Do you guys think that by not using HHs you are missing access to a lot of opps because they are holding them? I ask because if your barometer of job opps is postings on career sites, it would lead you to believe that there is minimal hiring. But then I talk to alumni etc, and they say essentially that it's not that firms don't need ppl but that they rarely post like that. I guess what I'm saying is, by expanding your search to use HHs do you believe an entry-level searcher would gain many opps or would you say most of what you fill is geared towards "higher level" execs?

Well this one is difficult - generally HH do not concentrate on entry-level, since there isn't much to hunt for yet other than academic background. For me to actually start HH a role a first need to get the understanding that the role is difficult to fill, I get paid a lot more and then i call people in random places around the world to find the exact right background. For entry level positions, I will definitely do the "trust yourself approach" and go out there and speak to the companies directly. A HH wouldn't normally tell you about a position they don't think you are suitable for, but then again a HH only repeats what the client says and the clients needs change, thats where the direct approach is also pretty good. My personal view is a good job hunt is a good balance between a couple of good HH, your personal network and a couple of direct approaches.

 
[Comment removed by mod team]
 

I'm still in school so take with a grain of salt but why don't you reach out to the boss who transferred and helped you get your position. Approach it as keeping in touch or something along those lines and if he broaches the subject or talks about his new position tell him you enjoyed working with him if only for a short period of time.

If you aren't actually that close to reach out to him then I would tread carefully.

Just my two cents.

 

to marauders4's point, why don't you touch base with the boss and straight up mention that you have been contacted by a headhunter regarding a position at his new firm and you would like to talk to him about it. Be upfront and mention that you are interested and that this new firm is one of just a few that you would consider, but you are concerned about leaving your current firm after being there for only a short period of time. ask his advice on it.

but, if you aren't close enough to him to do that, just let this one go -- more opportunities will come.

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