Headhunters Explained - Copeland Coaching

Headhunters Explained One of the most common questions I receive from job seekers is, What is a headhunter and should I use one? I hope I can break it down for you here and demystify this profession. When youre job searching, youll hear a number of terms to describe people who will help you to look for work. One is recruiter. One is headhunter. Others are placement agency or placement firm. You may even hear someone described as an internal recruiter versus an external recruiter. Are you confused yet? An internal recruiter is one that works for the company youre apply to work for. They may source (find) candidates for the hiring manager (the future boss). Very often, they do the first official company screening call. Theyre also the ones that help to shepherd you through the interview process. At the end of the search, theyre also often the person youll be negotiating a job offer with. But, there are times when the company wants to (or needs to) enlist a little extra help with their search for great candidates. When this happens, theyll hire external recruiters. External recruiters are sometimes called headhunters. Youll find that external recruiters either work for a recruiting firm or staffing agency â€" or they may be independent. A few well known staffing agencies are Robert Half and Korn Ferry. There are many more national agencies, and local agencies that you can pick from. There are a few times when recruiters seem to be the most helpful: in senior level executive searches, for contract work, and for technology jobs. If you choose to work with an external recruiter, there are a few things you need to know. First, they should be free for you to use. The company pays the recruiter for their services. This is great news, but remember â€" the recruiter works for the company. They may seem nice, but every call with them is an interview. Another thing is, most recruiters will force you to disclose either your salary history or your future salary requirements. If youre looking for a contract role, this is an hourly number. Be prepared with how you want to answer the question. Recruiters say theyll help you negotiate. The more you get paid, the more they get paid. This is true, but â€" theres more. Think of how a realtor works to sell a house. If the house sells for $10,000 more or less, the realtors commission is only marginally impacted. The same thing applies to recruiters. Their number one goal is to form a match between a company and a job seeker. The exact amount of money is less important. Headhunters can be a valuable resource to your job search. But, dont make them your only resource. Keep looking on your own. And, keep checking in with the recruiters if you dont hear back. If you dont stay in touch, theyll assume you found a job. I hope these tips have helped you. Visit CopelandCoaching.com to find more tips to improve your job search. If I can be of assistance to you, don’t hesitate to reach out to me here. Also, be sure to subscribe to my Copeland Coaching Podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher where I discuss career advice every Tuesday! If youve already heard the podcast and enjoy it, please consider leaving a review in iTunes or Stitcher. Happy hunting! Angela Copeland @CopelandCoach