Are Headhunters still useful?
If so…
How would one find a good one?
Would a person have to have 10+ years experience for one to be useful?
TIA!!!
Word of mouth is the best way to find a headhunter.
In my DH’s field of engineering, these folks have info for entry level as well as exec positions. Some specialize in placing folks with a ton of experience.
So…ask others in the field who they use.
I worked for a top HH firm years ago… Russell Reynolds Associates. They have offices all over the world and have top-notch people with expertise in specific areas, including non-profits. They place mid- and high level executives. The partner I worked for handled high visibility searches like CFO of Kodak and CEO of Pepsi. They also found the first Executive Director for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum in Cleveland. 
My mom and dad both work as one, my mom a general one and my dad a technical recruiter, in cyber security pre sales.
My dad and other colleagues in the same field are the best when they are finding people jobs in the fields they previously working in due to the massive amounts of connections they have (my dad worked in cyber security pre sales for 20+ years).
Word of mouth is definitely the best way to find someone, but if you don’t know any, I guess google could be pretty helpful.
Our DD2 has a profile on LinkedIn and was approached about 4 months ago by a headhunter about a particular job in her area. She is starting with the new company next week with a substantial salary increase.
Keep in mind that headhunters are paid by a company for finding someone who fits the bill. They are not paid for by the candidate. (At least, that’s how the legitimate ones work.) This means that the HH will love you if you match a position they are trying to fill. But they won’t give you the time of day if you don’t match a position they’re currently working on. They might keep you in their database for later, but they are not going to try to find jobs to satisfy you.
Thank you for the info. I’ll pass it on.
I think headhunters could be very useful if you have a lot of experience, not so much for new grads. My youngest son has been virtually ignored by tech recruiters in NYC that he has tried to make contact with. My oldest son, with three years of experience, feels so hassled by recruiters that he won’t even answer his phone, because he’s not looking.
What a world of difference a bit of experience makes.
@busdriver11 very true! My dad thinks 3-5 years of experience is pretty much the prime time for candidates because that level of positions have the most openings, mostly because companies can’t actively recruit like they can for entry level positions at colleges.
That makes sense, Jpgranier.
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My oldest son, with three years of experience, feels so hassled by recruiters that he won’t even answer his phone, because he’s not looking.
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That fits the individual …she has 4 years professional experience.
@Busdriver Does your son have LinkedIn? Is that how the recruiters know about him to contact him?
yes, mom2collegekids. He does have a LinkedIn profile, and has worked with a number of recruiters in the past.
LinkedIn definitely helps. Make your profile as professional as possible (think of it like your resume). I get contacted constantly via my profile.
IME once you respond to a recruiter they’ll put you in their personal database and you’ll have a friend for life. They’re about as aggressive as realtors :))
I’m thinking of using one to hire a sales rep, but I’m not sure they’re any better at determining what makes a good rep than I am. And it’s a big chunk of change to make a mistake, though the time wasted is actually worse. I’m just looking to hire 1 or 2, not a team.
Every working professional these days should have a LinkedIn profile. I know when I receive a resume, if I think I’m going to bring the candidate in for an interview one of the first things I do is check their LinkedIn profile. If they don’t have one - or if it’s significantly different from their resume (I expect some minor differences since resumes should be tailored to the job) - that’s a red flag. We also provide a list of names a candidate will meet with - if the candidate does not look those people up on LinkedIn (and also research the company) then I wonder how seriously they want the specific job or are they just applying for anything.
Once you’re on LinkedIn, you can decide how visible to make your profile. You can also use the LinkedIn job search app.
If you have a skill set that is in demand, the recruiters will find you. There are also many established companies that specialize in different skill sets that you can contact - but every one of them will expect a candidate to have a presence on LinkedIn.
Employers are unlikely to use a headhunter for an entry-level position as it just doesn’t make sense to pay the fees. We only use headhunters for specialized skills and/or highly experienced people.
@eyemamom generally, head hunters are like contractors who you’d only pay commission on the employees starting salary (usually 20%~) if you end up hiring their candidates. If you find employees first, you can tell them the position is filled and you shouldn’t be out any money.
Head hunters just find candidates and send them your way. You’ll have the final say on who is a great fit for your company.
Another thing, it might be hard to find one to work for just one or two positions then a promise of no more. They like to find accounts for fast growing companies (think start ups) that will constantly have posistions to fill.
I just met someone whose son, a recent SUNY grad, works as a HH for accounting and finance, soI guess the field still exists.
Over 30 years ago, I got my job of 20+ years through a HH. I wasn’t hired at first, but about a month later they called and hired me. My then boss told me that they paid the HH because the company had an ongoing relationship with him even though they didn’t officially hire me through him. I found the HH in an ad in The NY Times.
Questions - does the thing about Linked in apply to all professional field?. I’m an attorney and I don’t have an account. I’m also planning on staying where I am now (here almost 10 years) till I retired, but then again, I thought that about my last job, too.
Yes, LinkedIn is for virtually all professional fields. Look up a few of your colleagues. Chances are good that you’ll find them on there.
I thought you couldn’t look people up on Linked in without them finding out about it?
For me, personally, I don’t really have any interest in it. I guess if I needed to find a job, I would have to do it. Then again, I am not on Facebook and I didn’t have a Myspace and I never IM’ed back in the day, either.
I don’t do any other form of social media. LinkedIn is different - I consider it essential for anyone in a professional capacity. And IM is an integral part of life, at least in the technology sphere in which I work.
You cannot look someone up on LinkedIn without being logged in, however you can control what displays. Unless someone is paying for the Professional version of LinkedIn, they may or may not see that you looked at their profile (it tells you how many views you’ve had, but is coy about other information since they want you to pay up). Not sure why that would be an issue. I have no problem with someone I’m interviewing for a job seeing that I looked them up on LinkedIn.
And that’s the context of this post, is people looking for jobs. If you’re not, then no, you don’t need it.