I’ve had my fair share of job hunting escapades and know the frustration that goes along with the search. You know what your skills are, but if you are not effectively communicating those skills through a resume, you could find yourself out of luck and out of a potentially good job.
For a brief period in my life, I worked as a headhunter. Not in the aboriginal sense 
– mostly I found jobs for professional people. I specialized in placing candidates in manufacturing jobs and surprisingly, I was quite good at it, having made three placements in an unusually short period of time. I learned a lot during the little time I worked at this profession on an all-commission basis. One thing this experience taught me was that it could actually be quite useful and worthwhile to work with a professional to locate that right job for you.
If you’re a professional or if you’ve got management experience and find a need to change your job, it may be in your best interest to contact a professional placement agency to send them your past job information. Most agencies charge the clients (i.e. the hiring company) any fees that are associated in the placement. You, as a candidate, have the opportunity to discuss your qualifications and experience with an actual person, who can then assist you in creating a resume that is up to par with your actual abilities.
In the past, people would typically find jobs through classified ads, through word-of-mouth or via referrals. However, with time, we now find ourselves using the internet for our job searches. For certain industries, it’s pretty much inevitable that resumes are fielded by recruiters and headhunters. Nevertheless, we can still take a look at how headhunters may add value to our job hunt, thereby making us more keenly aware of ways to leverage their expertise to our benefit.
5 Tips on Using a Job Placement Agent (or Headhunter)
#1 Check if a headhunter can actually help you.
Headhunters generally work to place professional, managerial and skilled positions. Find out if your job search will benefit from the help of a placement agent working on your behalf.
#2 Leverage the job recruiter’s experience and network to get yourself the best placement.
In general, these recruiters (as they are quite commonly called) will help you communicate more effectively with your potential employers in areas such as salary, benefits, and relocation assistance. Because professional placement agents have dealt with many companies and candidates, they often know how to barter a better deal than you could on your own. They can be your mouthpiece who speaks on your behalf, and advisor who can also coach you on how to deal with employees and interviewers from hiring companies.
#3 Save time with your job search.
Another convenience is that you no longer have to hit the pavement looking for a prime opportunity. The headhunter will present it to you. If you’re interested, they will submit your information to their client companies and if any company finds you a good match, the process will move forward.
#4 Make yourself stand out: get yourself past first base with your job search.
Many companies don’t even hire directly anymore but rather rely on the expertise of a good headhunter. They may have a good working relationship with an agency and the only way you’ll get through the door of the company is through the placement agency. While you may not have to do as much legwork looking for a job as you would on your own, you’ll still need to impress the placement agent — not just through a well put together resume, but also through a favorable screening interview. Consider headhunters as a “dry run” for getting yourself noticed for certain job placements. Headhunters receive a ton of resumes every day so it’s important that you stand out in some way. After all, they’ll need to notice you first before they can decide if they’d like to work with you going forward. Ah, the competition!
#5 Consider the quality of the placement agency you’re working with and keep in touch!
If you’re starting to get the itch for a new job, consider researching good placement agencies. Not all of them are highly reputable so make sure you check them out carefully. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and stay on top of things as much as possible. Make sure you always keep your contact information updated because you never know when opportunity will come knocking!
Guest Post By Tisha Kulak
Image Credit: College Recruiter
Interesting. I found my current job through a headhunter and have considered getting into the business myself after seeing how much money can be made from one placement. I know the company paid well over $30,000 for me!
I’m interested in getting back into the job market again. Any suggestions for a good headhunter??
I, too, found my present job through a headhunter friend.
Now that I am planning to quit the rat race, this all commission job hunter thing seems interesting.
Perhaps you can tell tell us how you got into this job of headhunting.
I once had an interview with a head hunter and it went pretty well. Just keep in mind that the head hunter is working for his client (which is NOT you!).
He is compensated when he finds the right person for the right job, not the right job for the right person
However, it is always a good thing to have in your network when you are looking for a new job.
Very useful..if you are one of those people who have a “job”…right Digerati?
It’s much better not needing one of them!
I was headhunted as well for my last job. Looking for something new at the moment so fingers crossed someone finds me again.
I read this post a couple of times and thought, wow, SVB doesn’t seem to be the Headhunter type. And then I noticed the author… I almost missed it.
Just to let everyone know — I’m not the headhunter here, but my contributing writer is!
Lazy Man really knows me fairly well I guess…
I’d be interested to know how to find a top-notch headhunter myself, not that I would need it. But like anything else, I’d guess there’s a ranking system out there for this sort of thing?
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