Should I avoid head hunters? 8

[EEfromOU]

Long time lurker first time thread starter so please excuse any transgressions that might follow....

I have been with my current employer for over 6 years and see the signs it is time to move on do to management changes that I do not see as being any good for my department in the future. There are plenty of opportunities to apply to in my area along with other states that could work out well.

My question is before I start throwing my resume out there and sabotage enlisting the help of some recruiters should I consider using one to search for opportunities per my requirements and needs? I ask this because it is my understanding that if I have already applied at a company the recruiter can't or will not approach said company typically.

Also any of your experiences with recruiters is greatly appreciated. No references needed either.

 

[Tunalover]

I had a friend who worked for Aerotek as an ANSYS analyst with an MSME. He was getting $40/hr until the hiring manager (my boss and friend) demanded that they pay him $100/hr. They were charging the company $140/hr for this guy who is a top ANSYS analyst. They knuckled under and changed his pay to $100/hr. BTW, the principal owner of Aerotek owns the Baltimore Ravens. He got rich off the backs of needy scientists and engineers generally working for MUCH LESS than he was getting from his clients.


Tunalover

 

[EEfromOU]

When I graduated with my BSEE I could only get the ear of Aerotek back in 2008 until I went to a job fair where I studied up on the employers and chose my current employer by asking the representative there multiple questions regarding they product, history, mission, anything I could think of really.

My experience with Aerotek before that was in the way that they were throwing any possible candidate at a job opening especially since it was entry level but now with a few years experience and an MSEE in Power I feel I can directly apply for jobs but didn't want to discount possible worthwhile opportunities from a recruiter.

Again thanks everyone for sharing your experiences, I will have to check out some Herbie Hancock while I am searching.

 

[MikeHalloran]

Aerotek asked me to their office for a personal interview.
They weren't interested in my technical bona fides.
The purpose of the interview was clearly to discover the color of my skin.

They never actually did squat for me.




Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[sibeen]

I had a friend who worked for Aerotek as an ANSYS analyst with an MSME. He was getting $40/hr until the hiring manager (my boss and friend) demanded that they pay him $100/hr. They were charging the company $140/hr for this guy who is a top ANSYS analyst. They knuckled under and changed his pay to $100/hr.

I'm sorry, but I just don't believe you. I've run companies, and there is no way I'm going to charge someone out at $140 and pay them $100. Well, I suppose I could have, but I wouldn't have been running a company for very long.

 

[Tunalover]

sibeen,
Are you saying that $40/hr net revenue would not be worth your while IF you were running a contract engineering firm (which obviously you aren't)? In that case the alternative was to let the analyst go then turn around and hire him through another contract agency.



Tunalover

 

[GHartmann]

Charging $140 an hour for someone getting $40 is highway robbery. Such practices won't last long in today's market where the contract agency mark-up is fairly competitive.

I wouldn't necessarily put a contracting agency into the same category as a recruiter, although many fulfil both roles.

As far as recruiters go I suppose they are a necessary evil. I had a recent experience where a recruiter left me a voice mail, but when I called back he didn't remember the call and had no notes regarding the same. I just chalked that up to the recruiter being very busy and it being almost impossible to remember everyone they called (thus the need for good note taking).

I am feverishly applying to jobs, and I can't remember them all 100% either.

I always refer to one of "the four agreements": "Don't take anything personally"

 

[zifos]

Tunalever, I think what Sibeen is saying is that if a firm is making $140/hour and paying a person $100 per hour they will be loosing money rapidly. An income of $40/hour off one person sounds good until you take in to account taxes, benefits, overhead, etc. and realize that it is costing $240/hour (maybe a little exaggerated) just to pay that person $100/hour.
What with all the taxes and other costs of doing business (at least in the US) simple math does not work for calculating "net revenue" as you have in your counter example.

GHAartmann, believe it or not but the job I have now was one that I didn't remember applying for when the hiring manager called me for a quick interview. Image my embarrassment when his first question was what I know about company X, and my response was, "uhhh, what company?"

When I was looking for a job I put my resume everywhere I could, online or in person, filled out online apps for anyone that had a website. I would sign an exclusivity agreement but otherwise if it's an option try it. In the end I had applied to places I didn't remember applying (see previous paragraph).

 

[looslib]

When I was working as a consultant, I was paid in the $50/hour range and the company was billing me out at $125/hour. Some others in the company were being billed out at $140/hour. There is a lot of overhead involved when sub-contracting labor.


"Wildfires are dangerous, hard to control, and economically catastrophic."

Ben Loosli

 

[Tunalover]

These job shops can run on a razor's edge profit margin. When I worked contract for a top ten manufacturer 2012-2013(which was the lowest rate I'd EVER received) I saw what the job shop was charging for me. They were making $10/hr! Whether or not they broke even I don't know.



Tunalover

 

[moon161]

My best gigs have been contract via agencies.
Invoices I've seen have been for 1.5X my hourly.
Some agencies seem better run and more honest than others. Once I got a reference check message on my answering machine, should have gone to my reference, who only got the call after I straightened the agency out, for the sake of things going ahead. I've also been quoted a high rate, only to be haggled down. Stupid, really unemployment insurance obligates one to take 80% of your last paid rate.

I'm happy to speak well of Advantage Professionals. We have worked well together.