Head Hunter vs. Direct Hire

[jfpe]

I got an email from a head hunter earlier today. He didn't give a lot of details, but it's a small world and I recognized the opening he's trying to fill. It's been listed on the company's website for a while and I've been thinking about applying for it.

This might be a naive quesion, but is there any advantage to working through a head hunter? Do they help in the negotiation process or do they just try to make a quick buck and move on?

Thanks,
John

 

[ctopher]

When I was out of work, they were useless for me.
IMO, they are for the quick buck. They also have a thousand resumes for each position. They also don't know anything about the positions.

Chris
SolidWorks 09 SP4.1
ctopher's home
SolidWorks Legion

 

[GregLocock]

You might cut through some potential roundfiling of your resume if you work with the headhunter. He will also redraft your resume, in my experience. Take your version along to the interview to explain any lacunae.





Cheers

Greg Locock


New here? Try reading these, they might help FAQ731-376

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[MikeHalloran]

Some companies don't hire _except_ through recruiters, and sometimes only through a particular recruiter. There may be, er, commercial relationships of which you are not aware, or just a comfort level, or more common now, the company's HR department comprises one overworked person who outsources pretty much everything.

A good recruiter will only present you for a job for which you're well matched, may coach you a little on things like what to not brag about, and may do a little selling on your behalf.
A bad recruiter will try to hammer you into any open hole, regardless of the actual fit.
There's no way to tell the difference until the process begins. Some big outfits are staffed entirely by 'bad recruiters'. Some big outfits have some local offices staffed by 'good recruiters', and some not so good. You have to feel your way around, and keep your own list.

Listings on company websites often lead you into third party "resume generators" that mostly manage to present you in the worst possible way, and probably to the worst possible decision maker, that overworked HR minion.

IMHO, even if you can identify the company, you're probably better off with a good recruiter.

Don't do both, i.e. talk to a recruiter _and_ apply directly for the same position. Recruiters talk to each other, and it may not make a good impression on the hiring manager either.


Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[GregLocock]

There's also abit of psychology involved. if they hire you via the headhunter thenthey have to pay him a fair old whack. That may have consequences.



Cheers

Greg Locock


New here? Try reading these, they might help FAQ731-376

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[NomLaser]

i have applied to companies, unknowingly, both ways at the same time. During the interview the hiring manager has said that they received my resume direct first so they weren't obligated to work with the recruiter. Worked out well for me because I was hired by both companies that this happened at. Actually at one company they had my resume for 2 months before they got it from the recruiter so I think the recruiter kind of lit a fire and got them on-board to fill the position.

 

[tygerdawg]

What Mike said has merit. But in a long line of job opportunities for me, I can recall only ONE recruiter who actively took an interest and genuinely advocated me to the hiring company. Most in my experience are utterly worthless & unethical hacks who are filtering the words on your resume, shaving off your square corners and trying to force you into a round hole.

TygerDawg
Blue Technik LLC
Virtuoso Robotics Engineering

http://www.bluetechnik.com

 

[PeterStock]

My current position was thru a head hunter. I do not think I would have got the job thru a direct contact as it is a bit different from what I have been doing in the past. I also caution against going after a position both directly and thru a recruiter, I have lost a postition due to double submittals.

Peter Stockhausen
Senior Design Analyst (Checker)
Infotech Aerospace Services

http://www.infotechpr.net

 

[TenPenny]

I would suggest that the fact that you've seen the posting, and there's now a head hunter calling, means that they've not had any success,and have called in a head hunter to help find candidates.

 

[KirbyWan]

When I was looking about 3 years ago I talked to a few head hunters and they did nothing for me. Ended up submitting my résumé to an ad I found in the newspaper and it was the right job for me. My suggestion is to keep a detailed list of every place you submit your résumé to, so if you do use a recruiter you are not double submitting. I would also suggest you not allow a recruiter to submit your résumé except after checking with you. If the recruiter does help me find a job I wouldn't feel bad about his cut, but I sure am not going to give him a cut for a job I found on my own.

-Kirby

Kirby Wilkerson

Remember, first define the problem, then solve it.

 

[ewh]

My experiences are similar to many here. I have had my resume submitted to a position that I directly applied for. Though my submittal was the first received, they cleared it with the head-hunter before hiring me direct. It was no problem, as the head-hunter was hungry and wanted to keep a good client.
Another time, I've had a job shop calling me at work yelling and threatening me because I had been inadvertently submitted by two shops for the same position. While they wouldn't have been much good at helping me out for awhile, I would have no qualms using them again if I was looking for contract work.
I first saw my current position advertised in one of those free weekly employment papers, and figured it must be a come-on (the company was much smaller at that time). When I saw it again advertised in the local newspaper six months later, I submitted my resume and was hired.
The main thing to get out of this is to keep an open mind and do your best to properly read the situation. If this position is local and for a small to mid-sized company, I would be strongly tempted to apply on my own. Depends on the company itself. If it is a large company, it may be best to use the head hunter, as he will probably be more familiar with their "culture".

"Good to know you got shoes to wear when you find the floor." - [small]Robert Hunter[/small]

 

[PhilBW]

My experience with recruiters is from the hiring side. I did not contact a recruiter to fill the position. He saw my ad for the job opening and contacted me with a candidate. I ended up hiring the guy he was representing, and it was not a good match.

For one thing, the candidate's qualification in his resume had been stretched beyond what he was really capable of. I also found out during negotiations the salary requirements the recruiter had given me were much lower than the candidate was willing to accept, and the salary range he had given the candidate was much higher than I was willing to pay. The recruiter had references he said he checked, but the guys performance after I hired him didn't match what the references supposedly said.

I'm sure there are good recruiters and bad recruiters and everything in between. However, I have heard a lot more bad stories about recruiters than good stories.

Phil

 

[SNORGY]

Never make the mistake of thinking or believing that a recruiter works for *you* and is *your* agent. the recruiter works for the following people, in this order:

(1) the recruiter;
(2) the company asking the recruiter to forward candidates;
(3) then, and only then, the candidate.

I have never had a positive experience with any recruiter or recruitment agency from any angle. To them, it's all about making the sale and getting the commission, and nothing whatsoever to do with ensuring the quality or suitability of the product being marketed.

Regards,

SNORGY.

 

[ColonelSanders83]

I was hired at my current position through a recruiter here are my observations.

1) My recruiter in particular was an excellent coach in preparing me for the interview at the company I now work. I know of another recruiter in the same firm who was absolutley terrible at this, your results will vary wildly.

2) His advice regarding salary discussion was to ask for thier "best competitive offer". I didn't know why right at the time but this became clear soon enough.

3) After passing the two rounds of interviews the recruiter worked with me on salary. By this I mean he asked me what my minimum was. This was at the depths of the stock market collapse in may 2009. I added up all my costs, tacked on $500 a month plus taxes and an extra $5000 for the year and told the recruiter that was the absolute lowest I go and still support myself and my Wife. When the offer came in it was exactly for my minumum for my salary (no surprise there).

4) Up till this point things were great, but heres where he made a mistake. The offer had a two day expiration for acceptance, since I was still working this gave me one evning to read through and mull over thier 48 page employment contract. The recruiter called up and put a huge amount of pressure on, to which I responded "I sign nothing without reading it first". This was apperently not enough because he claimed there was another candidate who was cheaper (not as much experience), and I would lose the spot if I didn't hurry. This was a bold faced lie. I confirmed this after about six months of working here.

Be warned, and always look out for yourself.


A question properly stated is a problem half solved.

Always remember, free advice is worth exactly what you pay for it!

 

[TheTick]

Headhunters often have the ear of the hiring manager and are more likely to land you the interview. Some are paid based on the hiring salary, so they have an interest in getting you the max.

 

[TDAA]

"based on the hiring salary, so they have an interest in getting you the max."

No, they have an interest in negotiating a deal. A bit here or there is not an issue as much as getting a deal. To do that, they need the buy in of the company. They have a better shot a repeat business from them, not you.

 

[GregLocock]

There's a big difference between chatting to a few headhunters, and actually being headhunted.

By the latter I mean a cold call asking to you to apply for a particular job.



Cheers

Greg Locock


New here? Try reading these, they might help FAQ731-376

http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?

 

[TheTick]

Fine, TDAA. It never happened to me. I'll throw away my direct experience in favor of what you think.

 

[ImminentCollapse]

My experience was along the lines of TheTick.

Went through the whole process with the headhunter, nailed the interview, and the headhunter told me they would get back to us. He and I had talked salary ranges, but nothing specific. A week later he brought me "their offer". It was fantastic, so I accepted. I only found out later that he had played hardball with them, using me as the stiff.

Well the co-owner on the finance side never let me live it down
"For what I'm paying you you can't get this done in XX hours",
"We lost a bid becuase we were too high, no wonder with your salary" and on and on.

He had other issue too, but 4 years of this was no fun.

IC

 

[vc66]

Usually, if you're going for a contract position, the company pays a particular hourly rate to the headhunter, they take their cut off of that, and you get paid the rest, hourly.

If you're going for a direct hire position, then TheTick is absolutely correct. They get their cut based on your starting salary, i.e. it's in their best interest to get you the most money possible.

V