Anyone here ever use a headhunter to find a job??

[z0mb13]

Discuss

 

[Yossarian]

yeah. the only con is that companies can be reluctant to hire you because they have to pay a big percentage of your starting salary to the HH right off the bat.

 

[Conky]

I have used them and found some good jobs.

Upside, they find good jobs you couldn't find on your own.

Downside, the fees they charge(typically 30% of your first years salary) make it an expensive decision for the potential employer.

 

[AreaCode707]

Originally posted by: Yossarian
yeah. the only con is that companies can be reluctant to hire you because they have to pay a big percentage of your starting salary to the HH right off the bat.

Yep. Although, if the company is working with a headhunter they've probably already made the decision to pay the fee.

<--- is in recruiting

Note that there's a BIG difference between headhunting companies and staffing companies.

 

[DaveSimmons]

Unless you're upper management or have some high-level specialized skill set, the HH you'll get probably has no special connections and will work from the exact same job listings

If they ask for a fee up front, you're probably just paying them to email your resume to monster.com. State Attorney General offices across the country are always going after these people for claiming to have "secret inside connections" that don't exist.

(Note hiring your own HH is the opposite of the situation HotChic describes, where the company has hired someone to look for people like you.)

 

[z0mb13]

so its the company that actually has to pay the head hunter the fee??

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: z0mb13
so its the company that actually has to pay the head hunter the fee??

yes.

I've used head-hunters before. The good ones get you tons of good opportunities (they really are in the know, basically they are salesmen...they sell talent and as such have built up good relationships over the years).

For mid career moves they are in valuable. Finding a good fit for a high paid professional position is very important and the head hunters do a good job at it.

Think of it this way - at a very professional position a paltry 20-30K (20% salary) is a good investment to find a great person that meets all that you need for that position.

 

[puffff]

i got my job through a headhunter. was a good experience, i got the feeling that he did a lot of work to get me the job, cuz if i didnt get hired, he didnt get a fee.

 

[z0mb13]

so basically me as a employee have nothing to lose if the hh cant find a job for me, right?

 

[puffff]

Originally posted by: z0mb13
so basically me as a employee have nothing to lose if the hh cant find a job for me, right?

yeah. dont ever go for a headhunter who requires you to pay up front.