Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Should I meet with a Headhunter?

Should you meet with that headhunter who just contacted you? From past experiences, you have probably dealt with many recruiters who never called you back, had the attention span of a five year old, and ended up losing that email you sent them.

Before you begin, consider the position of a headhunter/recruiter. Their job is to connect you with the employer. The relationships they want to build are with the employers since they are their ultimate clients who write them their paycheck. Hence, they will operate in the best interest of the employer, and not always the candidate seeking employment. Think of them as the listing agent and you are the prospective home purchaser going through them.
So why bother with the hassle of having to submit to the endless forms their agency requires you to fill out with personal and professional information? Why hassle with those mindless interviews they want you to come in for? Why begin to enter into an agreement with an agent who might not have your best interest in mind?

The bottom line is you have to filter them out to save you both some time. They want you as a client and broaden their database of candidates, so bringing you in begins that relationship and creates more of a connection. You should only want to build this relationship if that headhunter comes highly recommended from a colleague or if there is a job they have posted where you feel strongly about, and have not already seen. This is a critical point. If you can locate the same job on a search engine or job aggregator (such as indeed or simplyhired), you should first apply independently without using the recruiter. Why you might ask? Everything else being equal, hiring you will be costlier for the employer to use the recruiter for his/her services. Although none of this will be explicitly stated by the recruiter or employer, using the recruiter may ultimately lead to a lower offer during salary negotiations.

If you do not value building a relationship, but applied for a specific position and the headhunter requires you to meet with his/her agency first, consider asking a few key questions over the phone with the lead recruiter (not the receptionist or junior recruiter who knows very little about the position).  You will find cases where they will be persistent for you to visit their offices. You can be positive and assertive at the same time, by keeping the conversation focused on the position until you gather enough information for you to make a go/no-go decision to meet with them.


Otherwise if you get some random call asking you to come in to find out more about your background and career goals, you may want to put that meeting low on your list of priorities. This headhunter has no immediate position in mind but is hoping to find a fit for you, which will probably waste your time.

Sunday, June 10, 2007

How to Spot Dead-End Job Postings

There are plenty of shady or manipulative employers looking for new unsuspecting candidates to sell an awful product or service. You can save yourself some time by weeding out these dead-end jobs right away. Here are some red flags to look for while searching for opportunities in the paper or online:

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket1) The ad sounds like an infomercial. The language says it all. “Our business has been growing by over 100% every month” or “You can’t afford to miss out on this business opportunity” Those pitches may work well for some stackable Rubbermaid product, but not for your career.

2) The company will be holding an “information session” held in some dingy hotel conference room. Same thing as an infomercial except you get a free pen and waste two hours of your time.

3) The message talks more about being entrepreneurial/being your own boss instead of providing information about the actual position.

4) The salary is commission only. Do not even consider this option unless you are in a financial position to forego a steady salary for a while. While some commission only jobs can work, and are standard in some industries, you really have to do your homework.

If you decide to meet with this company, bring a list of specific questions to the meeting. Most importantly, meet with people who have recently come on board and find out how successful they have been, and determine the biggest challenges in the beginning. Put yourself in the customers shoes and have them respond to every hole you can find in the product/service (better yet, run the idea through colleagues prior to your meeting). If they can’t answer all of those questions (you should have a comprehensive checklist) convincingly, don’t bother wasting your time.


5) The same job is posted every week. This could mean the place is a revolving door. After a few weeks, new employees leave after recognizing there’s no compelling product or service.