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WHO'S IN YOUR CORNER?
It often pays to have a headhunter - also known as a recruiter - enlisted for your job search
Want to add real power to your job search? Put a recruiter on your team. With a professional recruiter you gain an ally, an expert and a guide through the job-search and career-management jungle.
"If you're in business, you should always have a recruiter on speed dial, as a resource for yourself, your friends and family," said Eric McMath, vice president of sales for SearchLogix Group, an Atlanta-based executive search firm. "It's a tool you want to have in your career toolbox."
To reap the most rewards from the recruiting industry, it's best to understand what recruiters do, where to find them and how to get their attention, according to Darrell W. Gurney, a certified personnel consultant who wrote "Headhunters Revealed! Career Secrets for Choosing and Using Professional Recruiters" (2000).
Gurney debunks the myth that headhunters are interested only in working with CEOs and top-level executives. Recruiters exist for virtually every occupation and professional level. Establishing a relationship with one working in your industry could be your best long-term career asset, he said.
"If you think of the search industry as a pyramid, employment agencies are the broad base. Many are retained by companies to fill temporary or permanent entry-level positions. Contingency firms are in the middle. They usually place people at a slightly higher level -- most often middle- and upper-level management positions -- and are paid by the client company when a placement is made. At the top are retained search firms, which are hired exclusively by a client to fill top executive talent, such as a CEO, and the client pays a fee, regardless of whether a placement occurs," said Paul R. Ray Jr., vice chairman of A.T. Kearney Executive Search, which specializes in high-level, retained searches for senior leadership from its 25 offices in 13 countries.
"Obviously, employment agencies have more positions to fill than retained firms, but all three levels are willing to be contacted by job-seeking candidates," Ray said.
While search firms are providing their services for employers, they can't do their jobs without a good pool of applicants. Although their first loyalty is to their clients, knowledgeable headhunters also can be powerful friends for job-seekers.
"A recruiter is a broker of information," said Jackie Glover, certified personnel consultant, president of Jackie Glover Associates Inc. and past president of the Georgia Association of Personnel Services. Glover has specialized in placing administrative support staff for almost 20 years in the Atlanta market.
"It's always best to approach a recruiter in your niche (and most specialize today), because that person has a thorough knowledge of the industry and market. A headhunter does a lot of work behind the scenes. She knows where the jobs are, who to contact, where you might want to work and where your personality will be a good fit for the company culture," Glover said.
When Glover recommends someone, she's also checked references, work history, experience and whether the candidate has an interest in the position.
When a potential candidate approaches her, Glover asks to see a resume and then asks him or her to complete an online application, fill out a form to release references and take some tests.
The Internet has made it easier to approach recruiters, because most firms have online portals where candidates can register. Electronic information is easier to store, access, update and search, so that resumes don't get lost as they did when they were on paper. The Internet also makes it easier to research companies online and keep abreast of market changes.
Find the right match
Target your requests carefully. A recruiter isn't going to be interested if he or she doesn't work in your field or at your level or if you have unrealistic expectations. Because recruiters match people based on past experience and accomplishments, they rarely work with career-
changers, and they can't place anyone without a job that fits his or her credentials and needs.
What they can do is gather enough information to know when there is a possibility of a successful placement.
"Sometimes I tell candidates that I don't have anything right now, but if something comes along that I know she'd jump at, I'll call her in a heartbeat," Glover said.
"Information shared will be kept confidential, but a great deal goes into making a good match, so you need to establish an open and candid relationship with your recruiter," she added. "I'm going to aim at finding you a job that fits two or three of your top five parameters, so I need to know what those are."
All recruiters will ask candidates details about their work histories and their work parameters, which include their desired type of job, location, company size and type, salary range and benefits as well as whether they are willing to relocate, travel or work night or weekend shifts.
"Your resume should be complete -- if there are gaps, be prepared to explain them -- and accomplishment-oriented. A good recruiter will be probing for the things you've accomplished in your various roles, to see how it matches up with the potential positions they're searching to fill," Ray said.
A good candidate/recruiter relationship is based on honesty and a respect for the process, McMath said. "We ask a lot of questions for two reasons. We're trying to get information, and we're gauging how you come across in an interview situation, because one of our roles once we have a job opportunity will be to prepare and coach you through the interview process. That's one of the advantages of working with a recruiter."
'Looking all the time'
Another is having an expert pair of eyes involved in your search. "It's very hard to find a job when you are working, and that's when having a relationship with a recruiter you trust can be especially helpful," Glover said. "It may take me some time, but I'm looking all the time, and when the right job comes along, I'm going to call."
When a recruiter calls, you can expect that your chances of landing an interview and a job are greater than if you had submitted a resume on your own. Employers often have long-standing relationships with headhunters and employment agencies based on past hires that were successful.
A professional recruiter will keep job-seekers informed throughout the matching process and may call them sometimes as sources for locating candidates for a job that doesn't fit their criteria.
"It's always a good idea to help the recruiter if you can. You're helping to establish the relationship, and he'll remember the favor," Ray said.
To find experienced, effective recruiters who specialize in your career niche, ask for referrals from colleagues in your field, attend industry meetings and trade shows, network, and check out organizations that establish standards for search firms. The Association of Executive Search Consultants (www.aesc.org), the National Association of Personnel Services (www.recruitinglife.com) and the Georgia Association of Personnel Services (www.jobconnection.com) are good places to start. Most search firms have their own Web sites.
Ray advises candidates to ask questions about how the recruiter works, his or her success rate for placing clients and the standards by which he or she operates.
"It doesn't take many questions to be able to establish his level of professionalism," he said. "And you should never put your job search in the hands of a recruiter alone. You should keep researching and networking on your own."
Communication lines open
Even after you've found a job, it's a good idea to maintain a relationship with a headhunter who helped you. Keep him or her abreast of your career progress and any changes in your parameters and needs. You never know when the recruiter might have a better opportunity. If you're lucky, your recruiter might become a "lifetime career manager," Gurney said.
In today's ever-changing workplace, it's not unusual for recruiters to place people several times throughout their careers. Most are in the business because they enjoy using their knowledge to put the puzzle pieces together, and they like helping people.
"It's fascinating to me that organizations thrive because of their ideas and people. When I can help a corporation find the talent that will improve their bottom line, I love that," McMath said. "I also love putting a candidate in a place where he can make more money, have a better opportunity to improve his and his family's life. I feel like I'm helping both sides."
