How to Find A Head Hunter

The first responsibility of every good headhunter is to fill positions and not help people find jobs. A headhunter is first and foremost responsible to the company who will be paying them their commission. In some cases the headhunters are hired by employers when companies are too busy working on specific assignment to find employees with specialized skills. So don't be surprised or put off if the headhunter does not immediately return your call or it requires you to call several times.

The opposite is also true. If a headhunter sends you for an interview and you are not hired they may never call you again. That's just the nature of the headhunters business and you should not expect any more. However, working with a headhunter can be powerful and easy if you can accommodate the system you may be able to expect very positive result.

There are several websites where you may be able to find a headhunter who is searching for someone with your qualifications.


http://www.onlinerecruitersdirectory.com/

http://www.headhuntersdirectory.com/


Another approach to finding a good headhunter is to use their techniques when they are looking for employees. First, pick out five or six companies that you really want to work for and identify the manager to whom you would be reporting if you worked there. Do your best to speak with that individual personally, but if you get the administrative assistant this can also work.

Your objective is to introduce yourself and ask for their advice. In other words, something like: "I am Jane McGee over at Landmark Bearings. I would like to ask for a little advice. I am searching for a good headhunter in (insert specialty here). I value your suggestion. Can I ask what headhunter you use and would recommend for filling positions in (insert it shall see here)?"
This kind of question is very rarely asked and can get you noticed. Not everyone will provide you with a recommendation but some will, and some will admire your initiative to call and invite you in for an interview, saving the cost of a headhunter's fee.

The downside is that some headhunters won't speak with you unless they contact you directly.

When you are looking for a headhunter remember that they are your career partners. They are helping you to fit with a particular job and it is in both your best interests to represent yourself accurately to the potential employer. If you enter an interview without being prepared or qualified it sends a bad message to the employer about the headunter's ability to ferret out the best employee and you lose credibility with the headhunter.

And while the headhunter will call you only if there is a position that they feel you are qualified to fill, most headhunters work in the same field. In other words, a headhunter doing searches for marketing will hear about marketing positions.

When you find a recruiter, or headhunter, with whom you can work you must develop a basic element of trust. This is a basic human relationship in which they are sharing information about a company and you are sharing information about your qualifications, past history and interest. If there isn't a basic trust between you then the relationship is doomed to failure from the start.

It is for this reason that most headhunters won't reveal too much information about a company or position on the first call. They anticipate that you may do an end run around them and contact the company directly which means they lose their commission.

When you are working with a headhunter be sure that you are able to develop a reasonable relationship with the recruiter and that both of you learn to trust each other. In time, if an open and honest relationship doesn't begin to develop, then you may want to reassess your choice of headhunters.

Presented by Trish King
You can also find Trish at www.trishking.com or http://blog.stayathomebizreview.com