If you’ve made the decision that it’s time for a new job and have started to reach out to friends about possible openings. It’s nearly inevitable that you’ll soon be asked, “Have you reached out to recruiters?” Ironically, although the question seems straightforward, it’s a tough one to answer. I’ll admit, before entering the career services industry I couldn’t tell you the difference between a recruiter, a headhunter, and a career coach.
Simply put: A career coach provides advice on anything and everything related to your career, an in-house recruiter acquires talent for their organization, and an agency recruiter, which is also known as a headhunter, helps a multitude of companies find talent. So, when someone asks if you’re working with recruiters plural, it’s safe to say they’re referring to headhunters.
Working with a headhunter comes with a number of potential benefits. Most importantly, it provides a clear path to a hiring manager’s inbox. In addition, this person can give insight into what the company’s looking for, tips for a successful interview, and even advice on salary negotiation (though career coaches can do this, too). Most receive commission, so the more money they get you, the more they’ll receive in turn.
Oftentimes, headhunters will find you. You may receive an email or call on your cell or at work—seemingly from out of absolutely nowhere. In reality though, they’ve tracked you down in a highly intentional manner and see you as a possible fit for an opportunity.
While most recruiting agencies pay to subscribe to sites providing company org charts, emails and phone numbers, there are some ways to increase your visibility to up your chances of being contacted.
1. Get Yourself There
First, is your resume up-to-date? If not, here’s how to do it fast. If yes, share it with your network in order to increase your chances of receiving a referral.How about your social media? Is it shiny and SFW? Have you thought about building a personal website? If you haven’t yet, spent time building one out.In addition to getting your social media platforms in great shape, you’ll want to design a LinkedIn profile with keywords that’s attention-grabbing while maximizing your experiences and accomplishments.
2. Figure Out Which Headhunter Agency Is Right for You
Good first steps in finding agency names include: Asking friends who they’ve worked with in the past, your career coach (if you have one) for recommendations, HR professionals in your network for a referral (they often partner with agencies), or search for ‘recruiters’ or ‘recruiting agencies’ via LinkedIn or Google.Check out agency sites online to find the necessary information on whether they’re able to help you. Recruiting agencies aren’t one-size-fits-all, so start by researching the industries in which the agency specializes.Then take a look at their geographic reach. Some are nationwide while others are regional or even local. Lastly, be sure to look into the levels at which they typically place candidates (i.e., temp, full-time, entry-level, director level). Please check our list of the 50 main Headhunters:https://thespinemarketgroup.com/category/headhunters/
3. Get Your Name and Goals Front and Center
Once you’ve found the agency that fits your industry, location, and level, be brave and reach out. Since recruiters are extremely active on LinkedIn their profiles should be well-developed, that means you should take the time to research who you’re dealing with.You can either send a LinkedIn message or email (you can usually find an email address on the agency’s site). Or, another option to know about is that many agencies have an area for job seekers to upload a resume for consideration. This step gets you into the company’s candidate management system for future opportunities without you having to do much work.In addition, you can also reach out via phone. Although most industries discourage unsolicited calls, “pounding the phones” happens to be a recruiting industry standard, and calls in this scenario are accepted and even encouraged. Regardless of your approach, you want to be sure you’re able to highlight past experiences and accomplishments and specify what you’re looking for next.
4. Follow-up Like It’s Your Job
Set a reminder on your calendar to check in with the headhunter regularly. Whether you’re being considered for a position, and the process seems to be dragging, or if you’re waiting for the next opportunity to come along that may fit your profile, don’t be afraid to reach out and politely ask for an update.A recruiter may be dealing with hundreds of candidates spread out across a number of roles that they’re looking to fill, and your goal is to make sure you don’t get lost in the mix. One trick I like to suggest is to be generous yourself.If they’re having trouble filling certain positions outside your area of interest or skill set, suggest people in your network they might reach out to. This will make you a mutually beneficial asset and increase the likelihood that your name is thought of when a position that fits your qualifications comes about.
As you get comfortable adding headhunters to your job-search approach, remember not to take anything personally. And also understand that this is just one part of your strategy—don’t make it the only thing you do and expect everything to fall in place just like that. Rather, think of it as a valuable tool that’ll get you even closer to landing your dream job.
Seven Things A Headhunter Won’t Tell You
Love them or hate them, at some point you may find yourself working with a headhunter. So it’s helpful to understand how they operate. A headhunter has something you don’t have: inside information from the job market and knowledge about openings that will never be advertised. An experienced headhunter can search more efficiently for jobs than you can. Our goal is to match you with a job. Choose and use us wisely and we can be a catalyst for your career.
If you get that job, we get our fee. Plus we leave a trail of happy people – you and our client company – whose recommendations are good for business.When a headhunter contacts you about a job, your chance of getting it is 25% to 33%.
In an ideal world, headhunting is a win-win. But here are some things a headhunter probably will not tell you.
1. “Three months ago, I was selling shoes.” You cannot study headhunting; we have all done another job before. Therefore, we might not understand what you do for a living or what the job we’re recruiting you for entails. Although we will gladly accept the assignment to search for a CIO, for example, we might have no idea about what makes a good one or whether this job will advance your career. In other words, we are generalists in a world of specialists. So do your research and do not expect us to give you well-informed answers to your questions about the company or job responsibilities.
2. “I haven’t read your résumé or cover letter.” Our decision about whether to call you for an opening is based on a 5 to 10-second glance at your résumé. So make sure we can quickly spot the essential information. Boil your bio down to a maximum of two or three pages. Consider adding an executive summary at the top, letting us know what makes you special. For instance, “MBA, 15 years sales leadership, fluent Spanish,” will get your message through, even if the recruiter doesn’t read the rest of your résumé. Avoid hackneyed words like, “dynamic,” “proven track record” or “team player.”
3. “You don’t make a good presentation.” Based on your outfit, the way you carry yourself, or the way you speak, a headhunter might decide not to put you in front of a customer. Although only one candidate will be hired, our aim is to get positive feedback on all of them. Our fantasy is for a client to say, “The four candidates you presented were all fantastic. I will retain A and B and as a back-up also C and D. You wowed me and I will never ever again work with anyone else.”
Recruitment is part science and part art. If we have invited you to meet us, we did so because we thought that you could do the job; that’s the technical part–“the science.” Your motivation, attitude and presentation are “the art.” Once you make it to the interview with us, focus on these three. Impress us, and we will be confident to work with you.
4. “You are not competitive in today’s labor market.” There’s no substitute for a solid education if you want to make a career as a knowledge worker. The good news is that there are excellent alternatives to a Harvard MBA. Online studies have become more widely accepted and decision makers care less about where you earned your degree. Furthermore, executive education such as Ivy League senior management programs (also called “mini MBAs”) can lift your profile to today’s standards. The term “lifelong learning” – though overused – is the No. 1 buzzword for today’s career management. If you want to be competitive for the next decades, you must hop on that train.
5. “I probably will not find you a job.” A headhunter may invite you to meet about a specific job or for a generic interview. To fill a job, we usually see no more than 10 candidates and present the client with a “short-list” of three or four of them. Only one will be hired, so your chances of getting the job when there’s an opening are 25-33%.However, if we invite you for a generic interview, we usually find a new job for 1 or 2 out of the 10 candidates – that’s an industry average. In that case, the probability that we will help you land a job is 20%.In short, although headhunters play an essential role in the labor market and many jobs can only be accessed through recruiters, the numbers are working against you.
6. “I won’t tell you why you have been rejected.” We will present candidates once, maybe twice – but not a third time if they have been rejected. Sadly, you may never learn from your mistakes, since we will not tell you the truth about why you didn’t get a second interview. Our client might say you seemed narrow-minded or out of date, but we won’t pass that along to you.To improve your chances in the future, ask headhunters who you have worked with in the past, colleagues or bosses for feedback. Then take their comments to heart.
7. “You are the missing candidate for my ‘short-list,’ but you don’t have a prayer of getting this job.” Our second invoice is due upon presentation of a “short-list” of three candidates. If we only have two good ones, we have to find a third. The terms we use are “challenger” or “outsider.” If you hear those words, don’t get your hopes up.
Finally, beware of unrealistic career moves or a job that sounds too good to be true. Due diligence is your responsibility–not the headhunter’s. No one cares about your career as much as you do.
SOURCES:https://www.themuse.com , https://www.forbes.com