Best Headhunting Shops ?
New here in the program at an elite boutique and starting to get inbounds from various headhunters promising me the world. Also have a list that I've accumulated over the last year.
I'm wondering which ones are legit? there seem to be many. Does anyone have any first hand experiences with the ones listed below? Can anyone point to ones that should be avoided and ones that are professional? I don't think it's just about getting the job, but making sure I am not dealing with Pond Scum either.
Best headhunter firms
Here's a list from a long time user about the most trusted head hunters in the community.
from certified user @Sil"
Sil
Sil CD Rank: Human| banana points 12,856
My rule of thumb: if you haven't heard about the firm on WSO before, avoid it. Most headhunters in my experience are completely unprofessional and try to push you into roles that you have no interest in just so they can get their paycheck.Headhunters that I would use (I'm sure that I'm forgetting a few):
- Glocap Search
- Henkel Search Partners
- The Oxbridge Group
- SG Partners
- CPI
- Dynamics Search Partners (good for HFs)
- SearchOne (good for HFs)
- Amity Search Partners
AVOID:
Selby Jennings Forrer & Associates Weatherly Group
As far as the search firms to avoid multiple certified users have seconded avoiding Shelby Jennings and Pinpoint.
from certified user @TippyTop11"
Second Shelby Jennings, I don't think they actually place anyone- they just ask people's comp and are selling that info to 'clients ' for benchmarking. Also Chicago Search Group
from certified user @tropos"
Shelby Jennings once sent me to a BB for an interview- and told me the wrong name of the boss I was interviewing for and the position was not the same as the one I showed up for.
Recommended Reading
My rule of thumb: if you haven't heard about the firm on WSO before, avoid it. Most headhunters in my experience are completely unprofessional and try to push you into roles that you have no interest in just so they can get their paycheck.
Headhunters that I would use (I'm sure that I'm forgetting a few):
-Glocap Search -Henkel Search Partners -The Oxbridge Group -SG Partners -CPI -Dynamics Search Partners (good for HFs) -SearchOne (good for HFs) -Amity Search Partners
AVOID:
-Selby Jennings -Forrer & Associates -Weatherly Group
I have heard of those. Haven't been involved with them directly, but friends say great things about Friedman and Co.
-Weatherly Group"
why avoid these? never heard of SJ or Forrer, friend spoke highly of weatherly.. and a number of others on the list...
I've just had bad experiences with them. They don't return calls, push irrelevant positions, etc.
Is Forrer & Associates the Forrer Group? Can you share any insight into why to avoid? Thanks!
I've consistently had the best experiences with Robin Judson. Always responsive, show lots of stuff and are honest. On the flip side, I never heard back from SearchOne after having a call with them and being told there are a few opportunities they have that might work.
I've never moved forward on anything from Henkel or Amity but also had positive experiences speaking with them.
Vettery is uhh "interesting".
I never personally passed them my information but there were odd emails and calls through campus recruiting a few years ago. Typically I would be told a long/short equity firm wants to bring me in for an interview and they need me to register for the site and take some assessment tests. I'll ignore it and 2-3 months later I would be congratulated on an excellent score or a phone screen I did well in. Could it be I am so good at interviews I've been taking them in my sleep?
The joy of automation done poorly.
I must have been dreaming because those crazy automated phone calls sounded so lifelike.
while we are on this topic, what about this site called Gobuyside?
CPI, and Amity are supposedly the best guys for PE, as far as I know
Glocap is garbage
I say that from the employer's perspective, btw.
What about Pinpoint Partners? Has anyone worked with them before (either from a client or candidate perspective)?
My experience with them is that they are complete shit. Spam me with opportunities that I think they literally just see on the company's career site.
That's the image that I have of them as well. I just wanted to get a second opinion. The "opportunities" they are sending me are all over the place, from an associate position for a lower MM M&A boutique in the midwest to an analyst position for a VC in Spain.
Pinpoint will send you a bunch of useless emails and doesn't really do much to help out.
I've heard Jordan Ross is a bit of a bulldog (in a bad way), but I don't really know first hand.
Best ones IMO are Amity, Henkel, CPI, Dynamics, Oxbridge and Opus.
I've heard that Jordan ross takes people's resumes without their knowledge and sends them out in huge email blasts to potential hiring partners. (Happened to a friend of mine last year and his own boss was on the email list)
Have you actually talked with a recruiter from Pinpoint before? I'd just be curious to know how the interaction went, even though I am very likely to stay as far away from them as I can.
Oxbridge, HSP and Amity are all solid depending on your relationship with them; very important that you make good first impression. Got a few interviews from Vettery and GoBuyside as well but agree they're all over the place. Was placed by Oxbridge and had a few other friends work with them, very helpful and actually cared about the candidates.
Micheal Page - that has to be a joke?
I found a few interviews with them but don't know the employer perspective.
They seem to be alright in continental Europe where they are building up their presence again. I got a few very interesting things with them, but they tend to fall of a cliff sometimes.
Whats the deal with Selby Jennings? I see their postings quite a bit.
They trawl through job postings and repost as their own, so their connection to the job is tenuous. Also, they ask you a bunch of information sot that they can build up their own internal database and hound your boss for positions at your company.
Thanks for the info.
Robin is great. I am on the HY/distressed credit side and there's no one better in my experience.
Did they reach out to you or did you apply through their website?
Adding one to avoid:
GQR - worst freaking firm I have ever seen.
Yeah, they definitely berate you. Told them I wasn't in a job and demanded to know my comp, which is none of their business. Then told me the I should take XYZ job - they are pretty horrible.
For PE my best experience was w/ Oxbridge and for HFs the best experience was DSP. I would reiterate that the first impression w/ the HHs is key because they effectively rank / grade you. I remember interviewing at Oxbridge with 1-2 girls and they brought in 3 more partners because they really liked me. Wanted to make sure the other recruiters knew me, etc. It didn't work out, but I just know that when I've made a good first impression, I've done well with job opps and when I didnt do as well (Amity), I got almost nothing.
Hey guys, any more color on Forrer? Heard from them a few weeks back
Has anyone had any experience with PER? I have talked with their team about a few PE roles and almost interviewed at funds through them before accepting another offer. They seem to be very close to the firms they are working with and knew a lot about them as well as their investment strategies.
Which headhunters are the best for lateraling? (Originally Posted: 04/25/2017)
Hi guys,
I am currently at a boutique bank in the West Coast working on mostly equity raises and I have been here for about 8 months. I am looking to lateral to a BB or top MM in their tech group ideally in SF but I'm open to any other location as well.
Do you guys know any good headhunters that get a lot of lateral openings? Also, any advice for lateraling that is not mentioned in Sil's lateral guide would be greatly appreciated.
The two I've found the most helpful are...
Michael Page The Weatherly Group
What are the best headhunters (experienced hire / SVP) in NYC? Equity research. (Originally Posted: 01/21/2017)
Hi - I have been on WSO since my MBA days and have used this forum in the past to originally break into the sell-side. Fast forward to today and I am a lead coverage analyst on a good TMT sector, having been promoted from Associate to AD to VP and now SVP. And now again I find myself looking for advice from all you WSO monkeys.
I'm looking to connect with very specific banks in NYC - especially specific bulge brackets that don't currently cover my sector - and I'd like to speak to the respective Director of Research. I'm at the point in my career where this is a realistic next step and I do believe these Dor's would want to speak to me - at the very least I want to begin a dialogue with them.
Let's say I want to talk to Goldman, JP Morgan, and Morgan Stanley.
Should I:
1) Work with a headhunter? If so, can someone recommend a shop that has good contacts on the sell-side in NYC? (esp for ER)
2) Reach out directly on LinkedIn? Assuming I would have to go through a recruiter - the problem has been it's difficult to determine exactly what recruiter to speak to for ER, and I don't want to waste time engaging with the wrong people.
Happy to also answer any q's about ER. I'm highly protective of my privacy, so I won't give specifics. Thanks guys.
Perhaps I am wrong, I am just a n00b to the street in ER, but don't you already know the names of some DoRs or even top analysts at some banks to help break this ice for you? The analyst I work for sure seems to know his names at the different banks (but... could be because he actively shops around). I'm not sure how good head hunters/recruiters are at making new positions within a bank that does not currently already have a "TMT product". I think genuine connections within your targeted bank would go further than throwing thousands at a headhunter.
Recommendations: Corporate Finance / Corporate Development Recruiting Firms (Originally Posted: 01/23/2018)
Does anyone have recommendations on top search firms for corporate finance / corporate development? I am looking to transition back to the West Coast. I have 5.5 years experience in IB and HF (Citi; and an Equity Long/Short fund).
SC11, shame nobody has responded. Maybe one of these topics will help:
If we're lucky, the following users may have something to say: Not not a boutique Kimble44 mn248
Hope that helps.
Top 10 WSO Recruiters (Originally Posted: 11/18/2008)
Based on feedback from some of WSO's users (reputation) and the number and quality of jobs posted by these recruiters on WSO, we came up with the Top 10 WSO Recruiters that you should check out if you're in the job market:
If you are a recruiter and feel you were unfairly left out, please make sure to post more jobs from your work account so that we can tie it back to your firm and your user name. We will be posting new recruiter ranking every 1-2 months to highlight the recruiters that are posting the best jobs for WSO members.
Good luck out there! Patrick
Very helpful, Patrick.
Can you suggest a legit finance recruiter? (Originally Posted: 05/25/2012)
Can you guys suggest a good recruiter? the ones that randomly contact me are a waste of time. thanks!
Depends on specialty.
I can tell you for real estate private equity, I recommend Bachrach, Bellcast, and Sousou.
For generalist private equity, I recommend Amity, Bellcast, CPI, Dynamics, McKibben, and Oxbridge. Glocap has some good middle-market connections.
Hedge funds and investment banks use a different set of headhunters, but are also a little less focused on using search firms than the private equity funds are. One general recommendation: highlight an interest in one field to each search firm; if you tell a headhunter you are interested in any finance position, they will present you no finance positions.
What would be a good Ibank recruiter? Are there any you recommend for experienced hires?
Headhunters are a bunch of leaches. And by your profile you haven't even started in banking. You need to network and go direct to the companies.
Re-ib-ny talks about PE in real estate, but there are headhunters in all walks and ways of life depending on what you want to do. To give you an idea - I work in London, in a specific area of sales trading. There is just 1 or 2 of me in each BB. That makes roughly 15 of us in London (we all know each other as competitors) I know when someone leaves and i would go direct if am interested. I have contacts for 23 head hunters (just counted), and all of them are more shitty than the other. Long story short - go direct. Head hunters will call you if they have a mandate, and they will find you if you are worth finding
In a highly specialized area like Disjoint's with a very narrow set of candidates that are well known to each other, headhunters offer little value. In more generalized spaces (like private equity), headhunters get used much more. PE funds don't have the manpower to go dredge the lake for all the qualified banking analysts, so they'll tend to outsource it.
Also, bulge bracket banks have large in-house recruiting teams that don't need to rely on headhunters, especially for analyst and associate classes. The exception is for experienced hires, which is to UFOinsider's point. When I was in banking, and we needed lateral associates, our group did engage outside headhunters. Unfortunately I don't recall the firms we used. I would suggest reaching out to some firms on my list and see if they can refer you if they don't do i-banking recruiting themselves; some headhunters will do this.
It's obviously better to be found by the headhunter or have a friend who knows a good headhunter refer you. If you work at a bulge bracket, you'll automatically get calls because the good headhunters will get their hands on the class list and just cold call everyone. My friends at smaller shops rarely get calls, though, and often have to reach out themselves. This has gotten a number of them jobs, so I would have to disagree that you should always just wait to be found. Also, a lot of shops just ignore spam resumes, so in many cases you really need to be introduced either by a headhunter or, better yet, a mutual friend.
Thanks guys, really appreciate all replies. The thing about going directly to someone doesn't guarantee one will get a job just because one wants it/excellent candidate for. There's probably 100 other candidates for that same job with more connects. That's not to say I haven't gone directly, just haven't had much luck (especially being 1 year out of school).
I think best is to tell what you want to potentially get involved with. For my business I would just go to my old undergrad, get on bloomberg and look for people PEOP that are in the field I am looking to work in. And just shoot them emails or call.
Looking for CorpDev Analyst - best recruiter? (Originally Posted: 02/16/2018)
I'm at a fintech company out of Vegas and we'll likely be looking for a corpdev analyst fresh out of banking in the next few months.
Anyone know which recruiters are best known for corpdev on the west coast / southwest?
Hi bonobochimp, the silence is deafening, sorry about that.... Any of the threads below helpful?
If we're lucky, the following pros may have something to say: hoanghoi Mkkhan SouthLoopMonkey
I hope those threads give you a bit more insight.
In your same position. Also wondering this.
Best headhunters (Originally Posted: 11/12/2011)
So i have finally given up on finding a job solo and am looking to send my resume to a recruiter to do the damn thing for me. Here are my questions (feel free to answer any of them but i'm particularly looking for answers to #1):
Any advice/ experience with this would be great. Thanks
its nearly impossible to get a headhunter for a ugrad or recent grad unless you have a good connection.
Headhunters, almost exclusively, don't work on entry level jobs. The only time they do is generally if you know someone at the firm and even then it's hard for them to get you a job because they haven't been given a job order for an entry level job.
Working with a headhunter as an applicant is a painless process and everyone should do it when looking for a new job. They get paid a percentage of your first year salary but that doesn't come out of your pocket the firm pays it. That's why the firm doesn't use them for entry level jobs.
No, headhunters won't take their pay from you, that's not how the industry works plus they haven't been given any jobs for entry level grads. You can contact a headhunter and ask if they have anything for you, but it won't happen.
At this point you need to find whatever job you can and work your way up. Do not be picky and network. You can find a job if you have a decent ugrad resume, it will probably just be one you don't want. But if you work hard, do well, and work you way up then you can try to lateral into something more desirable or go back to for an MBA.
Best Job Recruiter sites (Originally Posted: 01/06/2018)
Hello all,
What are the recommended AM and finance recruitment firms/sites nationally? `My job search is primarily in North Carolina and New York City
Betseat-Getachew, sorry about the lack of response. Maybe one of these topics will help:
If we're lucky, maybe these professional users will respond: jt10228 FailedMusician bryanmiller
Hope that helps.
what is a good head hunter for Structured products trading? (Originally Posted: 06/08/2010)
what is a good head hunter for Structured products trading? I am currently working in NYC and looking to either get into a bigger shop or move to San Francisco or London?
Technology Search International
Best Headhunters (Originally Posted: 08/23/2006)
What are the best PE headhunters in NYC/Midwest?
I will be publishing a headhunter database on the site shortly for registered users. probably by this weekend.
ok thanks.
best headhunters published...most based in NYC, but not all.
is this list still available? thanks
headhunter recommendations (Originally Posted: 12/07/2007)
which are the more established headhunter firms with experience placing investment bankers (associates) into private equity positions?
Are SG Partners and the Oxbridge Group. Another good one is CPI (client list here: http://www.cpiny.com/clients/index.html).
Be aware that if you're not at a BB these guys will not pay much attention to you. If you are, though, they can work wonders.
Mergers & Inquisitions
Thanks! I am at a BB, and I've heard of CPI. I'll check out the other two.
Headhunters - Finishing up first year at a top BB (Originally Posted: 06/27/2008)
I am currently finishing up my first year at a top BB in HY research and am looking to make the move to a HF ($5+bn), preferably distressed. I am working with GloCap but was wondering what other headhunters are out there that are good and how to contact them.
Please post or pm me. thx.
Dynamix, CPI and Options Group. To be honest, none are very solid options- a lot of HF jobs go through networking etc. I would also suggest you apply online for the big funds that take online apps, they actually do look at them.
Good headhunters (Originally Posted: 02/16/2010)
Hi guys, I was wondering if anyone can recommend any good headhunters. A little background about me, I graduated out on the west coast in May of 2009. I've had internships in IB and a brief internship at a PE but wasn't able to secure a banking job out of college. I'm currently at a economic firm and was wondering what types of headhunters I should use to get a job in finance, pref banking.
I've heard that things are starting to pick up and there are more hirings going on right now. Just wanted to know what the best way around this is. Thanks
-- I'd focus more on leveraging your network but here's to get you started
Innovations PSI
Innovations Personnel Services Incorporated (PSI) 345 California Street, Suite 1750 San Francisco, CA 94104
Tel: (415) 392-4022 Fax: (415) 392-4164
Apply Now: Candidates should direct any further questions to (415) 392-4022 or send a resume to [email protected]
Thanks, anyone else?
if you cross out "hunters" you get end up getting "good head"... fyi...
Anyone know of a good headhunter for Human Resources in Finance industry? (Originally Posted: 12/19/2013)
I have a good buddy who is an HR business partner - senior level and henisminterested in head hunters who specialize in Financial Industry - anyone know of any head hunters like this?
Pinpoint Partners
Headhunters for NYC ER (Originally Posted: 02/01/2016)
I'm searching for a new Associate role due to layoffs at my firm, does anybody know any ER headhunters for NYC?
bump
http://www.ejlance.com/
are you on linkedin? May be able to help
Founded in 2009, Harrison Rush was established to help the many financial services professionals, who had been displaced by the dislocation in the credit markets, find sustainable employment. We have always differentiated ourselves by our ability to move quickly in response to our client’s needs and changing market conditions. Today, Harrison Rush has grown into a leading global financial search firm that provides a wide range of services to a substantial and diversified client base that includes investment banks, asset managers, hedge funds and operations groups. Staying true to our original mission of helping people, we are proud to offer a dedicated practice towards the recruitment of women and minorities in financial services.
Harrison-Rush is headquartered in New York and maintains offices in all major financial centers around the world.
I'm down
Pinpoint Partners
Someone needs to tell those people to cease and decist. I get 2-3 emails PER DAY from them...
I have tried with no avail...
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