Finding a good (and using) a job search firm? Worth it?

[Engineer]

Not sure if it's worth it or not but have been thinking about looking into a job recruiting firm (headhunter) but don't know what to look for. Any tips on how to go about looking for a "good" firm?

For those that have used them, are they even worth looking at? Better jobs listed with better pay or comparable to Monster.com stuff?

Any thoughts on this are appreciated.

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

Put your resume out on Monster, Careerbuilder and any other trade specific job site. The headhunters will contact you. You'll know you found a good one when they offer tips on tweaking your resume and don't just shotgun you along the way to an interview without actually meeting you.

 

[EagleKeeper]

Also, ignore any place that wants $$ to assist you (in any form or another).

Many positions that you will see on Dice, Career Builder and Monster are listed by headhunters.

Also contact your state un-employment office. they may have other websites that they can recommend to look at.

You will have to decide between a contract and full time slots.
Also are you willing to relocate?


I have a stable of 10-15 firms that call me once every 3 months to check on availability.

Some firms will be straight IT, others will have a range of specialities.
You may get some leads out of media that specialize in your field of engineering.

 

[spidey07]

Absolutely worth looking at. They can be your best resource to find a job you really want. Best thing is to get hooked up with one you know is good - talk to other co-oworkers or people in your field. Then try to build some kind of relationship with them by sending people his way or if you hear of opportunities that aren't for you, let him know about them.

This is a sure fire way to get and hear about other opportunities that you'll never see advertised. Good recruiters will get you in touch with people that may not even have an open position but they will create one for you.

 

[Engineer]

Thanks for the tips. Very informative and learned a few things that I didn't know or thought of. Will first work up a good resume (haven't really wrote a serious resume in about 17 years so time to pull out all of the stops). Didn't realize that I could even post on Careerbuilder or Monster (pros and cons to doing so? Lots of "false" hits I assume?).

Thanks for the replies so far and look forward to others ideas and experiences.

God, I hate thinking about a job search...but it "seems" to be coming and I need to be prepared (we're down to about 6 people out of 35 or so because they are laid off and no work after next week with a bleek outlook on new work because of our new European overloads....er...bosses).

 

[EagleKeeper]

You will get blind calls from HH that either have not read your resume and/or pick out key words that may be out of context.

Be prepared for a lot of callers that while able to speak English; you will have a hard time understanding them.

And you may get spam emails also -put fresh batteries in the spamdetector.

There are quite a few contractors on the board - most I would expect would be willing to review your papers if asked. Some even have an engineering degrees

 

[AreaCode707]

Headhunters are only worth your time if you are fairly senior. They can be expensive for a company to use and if you're a pretty run-in-the-mill skill set there is no reason for the company to pay commission on you. Because a company cannot hire you without paying commission you could cut yourself off from certain jobs, typically not worth it if you are mid-level.

Definitely do not pay anybody. You are a headhunter's primary resource and they are on the lookout for good candidates.

Look around in your area (many headhunters are local only), don't just rely on the job boards to bring them to you. Companies will often refuse headhunters who are doing most of their sourcing off the job boards because the headhunter adds no value.

I would go browse LinkedIn and see what you can find there as far as reputable headhunters. You can then see their corporate affiliation and what companies you might be able to get in with through them.

 

[SacrosanctFiend]

Originally posted by: Engineer
Thanks for the tips. Very informative and learned a few things that I didn't know or thought of. Will first work up a good resume (haven't really wrote a serious resume in about 17 years so time to pull out all of the stops). Didn't realize that I could even post on Careerbuilder or Monster (pros and cons to doing so? Lots of "false" hits I assume?).

Thanks for the replies so far and look forward to others ideas and experiences.

God, I hate thinking about a job search...but it "seems" to be coming and I need to be prepared (we're down to about 6 people out of 35 or so because they are laid off and no work after next week with a bleek outlook on new work because of our new European overloads....er...bosses).

Just a note to remember: Only 1 in 10 positions are filled through internet job boards.

You're better off building a network and using your field's professional association to garner leads.

 

[RKS]

Originally posted by: SacrosanctFiend

Originally posted by: Engineer
Thanks for the tips. Very informative and learned a few things that I didn't know or thought of. Will first work up a good resume (haven't really wrote a serious resume in about 17 years so time to pull out all of the stops). Didn't realize that I could even post on Careerbuilder or Monster (pros and cons to doing so? Lots of "false" hits I assume?).

Thanks for the replies so far and look forward to others ideas and experiences.

God, I hate thinking about a job search...but it "seems" to be coming and I need to be prepared (we're down to about 6 people out of 35 or so because they are laid off and no work after next week with a bleek outlook on new work because of our new European overloads....er...bosses).

Just a note to remember: Only 1 in 10 positions are filled through internet job boards.

You're better off building a network and using your field's professional association to garner leads.

That's what I have found as well. Most professional opportunities are not advertised.

 

[Engineer]

Originally posted by: SacrosanctFiend


Just a note to remember: Only 1 in 10 positions are filled through internet job boards.

You're better off building a network and using your field's professional association to garner leads.

Thanks. I find that salesmen/women are great at possible leads as they tend to travel around quite a bit and talk to quite a few people and in different industries. It's been awhile since I've talked to many of them but I may talk to a few to put out some feelers.

Also, anyone have feeling one way or another on using "www.linkedin.com"? I've been told by others that they found jobs by posting their resume on linkedin.com.

 

[SacrosanctFiend]

Originally posted by: Engineer

Originally posted by: SacrosanctFiend


Just a note to remember: Only 1 in 10 positions are filled through internet job boards.

You're better off building a network and using your field's professional association to garner leads.

Thanks. I find that salesmen/women are great at possible leads as they tend to travel around quite a bit and talk to quite a few people and in different industries. It's been awhile since I've talked to many of them but I may talk to a few to put out some feelers.

Also, anyone have feeling one way or another on using "www.linkedin.com"? I've been told by others that they found jobs by posting their resume on linkedin.com.

I love LinkedIn. A lot of the progressive people in my field are die-hards about it, and it has opened up many networking opportunities for me.

 

[EagleKeeper]

I have a couple of HH that use it.

I joined but an not active on it. Never really used it - a client recommended that I get on it 2-3 years back; so I did so.