Call them headhunters, recruiters, executive search consultants or search professionals, they are all different names for the same job: people who find candidates for employer clients. You may have had them call you, you may wonder why they aren’t calling you or you may be considering submitting your resume to recruiting firms. Either way, it’s best to understand if you are headhunter material to decide if they are worth your time.
Many people will never even talk to a headhunter in their careers. However, this avenue can be a nice addition to your career search
First, according to Liz Ryan, author of Are You Headhunter Material, or Not?, you need to understand that headhunters do what they do to get PAID. The ways in which this happens vary; they may get an upfront fee and a percentage of a hire’s yearly compensation or they may only get paid once somebody gets hired.
Because of this headhunters are very selective on who they choose to talk to and even choosier about how much they will coach each candidate they do select.
Show me the Money:
How recruiters earn their fees really dictates the candidates they will be looking for. Ryan lays out the basic things to understand.
- They aren’t career advisors – they don’t have the time to coach you unless they are really serious about a specific job opportunity. And even then, don’t expect much.
- The job-seekers they are looking for are the ones that won’t be found through the usual methods. That usually means candidates that have specialized technical skills, specific experience or a mix of experiences that most job seekers don’t have.“Our client companies come to use when they want a very specific skill-set and they can’t seem to find the right candidate through their own efforts. When they come to use, they want us to bring them their ideal candidate – they don’t want us to send them candidates that are off the mark in any way,” says Hirestarter.com in its Headhunters – A Guide for Candidates.
- Quirky backgrounds usually aren’t a fit. “When a hiring manager designs a job spec (however fanciful) and commits to paying 25% of a new hire’s first-year compensation to a recruiter, the hiring manager expects the recruiter to show up with a candidate who jumped right out of the job ad.”
- According to Ryan, recent college grads and all-around marketing people, except for social media experts, are not generally headhunter material. Who is? HR and finance professionals with specific expertise (the expertise depends on what the employer is looking for), as well as IT and engineering gurus.
It’s just one Method:
Remember that there are many job search channels out there. Many people will never even talk to a headhunter in their careers. However, this avenue can be a nice addition to your career search, in addition to your other methods, if you happen to be a fit. So, how can you assess your headhunter worth?
“Reach out to a few recruiters in your area and ask them to glance at your professional online profiles. If you make overtures and don’t hear back, that’s a sign that you’re not recruiter material. After all, recruiters only make their money one way. They introduce candidates to employers and get paid when a match is made. If your resume screams “I’m place-able!” recruiters won’t ignore your calls,” relates Ryan.
In addition, you can try it the old fashioned way … e-mail. According to Best Ways to Approach HR Recruiters, sometimes a “cold email” that is highly tailored or infused with job description keywords, expresses your interest in a specific position and your desire to connect for specific reasons directly related to the job. The email should engage the recruiter but should not go overboard.
If you don’t get calls, don’t take it personally. It’s just the nature of the recruiting business. Continue your job search as you have been. Network, network, network. Send out resumes, update your social and professional profiles and keep at it. You never know when the recruiting industry will be looking for your skill set, so keep developing your strengths.