Why
Do You Need a Headhunter Today?
Why
Do You Need a Headhunter Today?
Hiring Clients:
1- Discretion. Discretion. Discretion. You have so many friends and former employees out of work, you just don't want the world to know you are hiring. You need to keep this quiet.
2- Time. You need someone to start in 3-4 weeks.
3- Because you can't drink from a fire hydrant anymore. You post an opening on the web today, you have 700 responses by next Tuesday. HR has been cut by 60%. Who is going to process these for you? (By the way, we can do just that for you, if that's what you want.)
4- Because the person you need is currently employed and not responding to web postings.
Potential Candidates:
1- If you are currently employed, you need to be discreet as well. Every company has had layoffs, and they're not over. Any suggestion that you are not loyal to your employer puts you at great risk. If you're looking, you need to keep it quiet. Your mortgage depends on it.
2- The hidden job market doesn't make it to the web. Never did and never will.
Suggestions for Interviewing, Reference Checking, Selecting, and Motivating
Recruiters, Headhunters, and Search
Firms
There is valid criticism about the recruiting profession, and much damage can be done by an unethical or inept recruiter's actions. However, there are some honest and ethical recruiters left in 2004, and you can find them if you know what you are looking for.
Take a proactive stance in selecting recruiters/search firms to work with! We believe that clients and candidates who do not carefully screen the recruiters they are working with are partially responsible for the quality they accept. We recommend you consider the level of service you want, then interview and reference check several recruiters. Use the interviews and references to determine integrity levels. You must have a candid relationship with a recruiter, or there is no point in working with them. A new recruiter, who is candid and committed to your search, might be the best one of all! Demand ethical service and help the rest of us raise the bar! For Ethics Defined, click here.
Disclaimer: It
is hoped that the information provided on these web pages will be helpful
to readers. We assume that readers understand that any advice must be weighed
against an individual's situation, and that the reader will implement only
what makes sense. Some of the information on these pages may
be inappropriate for your circumstances. And we recognize that people have
different tastes/concerns regarding recruiters. So use your head! Neither
Jim Thomas nor Linda Tuerk nor John Barry can be held responsible
for an individual's particular use of these
suggestions.
Interviewing Headhunters
Potential Clients and Candidates might want to ask the following (not
all issues may be important to you):
How does the recruiter determine which corporate clients to accept?
Do they visit the companies in person?
How does he or she screen candidates?
Does the recruiter meet his/her candidates?
Has the recruiter ever rewritten a resume? (If so, this could signal
that they might repackage and subsequently misrepresent candidates.)
How many fee disputes or lawsuits have they been involved in?
What are their strengths?
What projects are they not good at?
How many "fall-offs"(placements that do not last) have they had?
How many searches do they work on at one time?
What is their "resume policy?" Does that fit your needs for discretion or screening?(see "Notes to Potential Candidates" at end of this page.)
In addition, Hiring Officials might want to address these
concerns:
Does the headhunter recruit from clients?
How does the recruiter define a client?
What happens if a client's employee solicits the recruiter?
With which companies do they have a "hands-off" policy?(You may have a
conflict.)
How many offers fielded through the recruiter are turned down?
How much repeat business do they do?
Checking References
Ask for references of people the recruiters have placed, and those they did
not, who can testify to their discretion and professionalism. Some recruiters
even change their names every few years! Many change "desks" or specialties.
Ask for references from a recruiter's early days. If he or she is not in
touch with anyone that far back, why not? Ask for references demonstrating
a client's repeat business. Ask for references until you are satisfied that
this is a person you can trust.
Suggested Questions:
Was their time respected?
Were phone calls returned?
Were commitments kept?
Were they misrepresented, strong-armed, or mishandled in any
way?
What does the reference think this recruiter is particularly good at?
Will they work with this recruiter again?
Retained vs Contingency: Pros and Cons For Candidates and Clients:
Retained "Executive Search" firms and contingency firms share more of the
market than they used to. For the candidate, there can be advantages with
both types. A firm on retainer will be more likely to show one opportunity
at a time to a candidate. They will also tend to be more
discreet, and can often assist in relocating nationally
and internationally.
A good contingency firm can also be discreet, and it has more flexibility
to show a candidate more than one opportunity simultaneously (since they
usually don't have the "golden handcuffs" of a full retainer). Also,
since contingency fees are rarely flat, a candidate may feel more comfortable
knowing the recruiter has a monetary incentive to negotiate
the best salary.
For clients, keep in mind, the larger a search firm is, the more corporations
on their client (a.k.a. "hands-off") list. Also, negotiate for
certain levels of service instead of leaving the search
open-ended. Ask retained firms what percentage of searches have been completed.
And recognize that retained firms are charging part of their fee on contingency;
contingency firms are charging upfront retainers.
How to Motivate Your Recruiter
Exclusives: It is a good idea for both candidates and clients to
provide incentive by giving the recruiter an exclusive
for a specific period of time. Be wary of a recruiter, or office, who claims
to have the whole market covered; but know it is a reasonable request that
you work with only one recruiter at a time to avoid duplication of efforts.
When two agencies are fighting over date stamps on resumes, no one wins.
(Ask the recruiter what he does in that situation.)
Deposits: Verbal commitments, though well-intentioned, mean very little to
headhunters today. So many projects and requisitions are canceled or postponed
at the last moment that deposits for top-rated service are becoming
the norm even in the contingency search business. Entice a good recruiter
to prioritize your assignment with a deposit, retainer, or exclusive
for a set period of time. Negotiate for discounts in return for
deposits. Clarify what you expect from the recruiter (hours, face-to-face
screening, company visits, reference checks before presentation, etc.).
(Note to Potential Clients: Do not enlist the help of a recruiter
if you plan on penalizing candidates for the fee attached. Only if you are
going to assess all candidates fairly should you actively seek out a recruiter.
The fee should be something you are prepared to pay for the best candidate.)
Notes to Potential
Candidates:
Discretion should be mandatory! We often hear stories
of accidental exposure: a resume ending up on an H.R. rep's desk, and his
next door neighbor turns out to be your current boss! We also hear often
of the same resumes being faxed by 2 or more agencies in an afternoon to
the same company. Weigh the risk/reward ratio of your current
situation and decide what level of discretion is mandatory for you. Then
shop for the recruiter that best suits your style.
Ask recruiters about their resume policy. When do they
send them, if at all? Are they simply submitting resumes into H.R. departments,
or are they actually arranging introductions with the hiring executive or
manager? Check their references on this topic especially. We are hearing
lots of complaints from HR that resumes are being submitted without the
candidate's interest or permission.
Depending on your situation, the answers to these questions/references may
or may not matter much to you. Keep in mind, however, how small Silicon Valley
is. It is reasonable to demand that interviews be scheduled before resumes
are sent for confirmation. Do not work with recruiters that bundle resumes
to companies running ads unless you do not care about your
exposure. Be aware, in that case, that an employer will
probably pass on your candidacy if there is a conflict.
If you are working with a recruiter, never respond to an ad until you have
coordinated your response with him or her. After all, if he or she can arrange
an interview for you, you have achieved your goal.
Invest at least as much time on your job search as you would in buying a car!
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Copyright 1997, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2004 by Linda J.
Tuerk. All rights reserved.