In general, search firms will not be interested in job candidates unless they are employed. Most agencies are not concerned with employment status and may even prefer unemployed job hunters, since they feel such candidates are easier to control and will accept a position more readily. This is part of a complex formula that some firms use to determine the greatest probability of filling a position. The formula involves a candidate's willingness to accept a position weighed against his marketability, or what the headhunter perceives to be his strengths and weaknesses. Remember, an agency headhunter usually doesn't get paid unless a candidate is hired. Thus the agency may weight a job hunter's willingness to accept an offer heavier than his marketability to a PE. A search firm, by contrast, usually gets paid whether or not a candidate accepts a position and is in a monopoly position regarding a given search assignment. Such a firm will usually consider marketability more important. Therefore, if you have established a consultancy to mask your unemployment, you should retain this mask in dealing with a search firm and consider dropping it in dealing with an agency (after you have had a face-to-face interview with the agency headhunter to assess the situation).
Although many agencies place highly paid executives, they usually prefer to work with candidates making less than $60,000 a year. The faster agency headhunters can move their human merchandise (after all, that's why they're called headhunters), the more money they will make. If they spend too much time with one difficult-to-place candidate or one difficult job order, they will lose money. Statistically, if you're making less than $60,000 a year, you will be easier to place than if you are making $60,000 a year or more. If you fall into this easier-to-place category, it is in your interest to work with agency headhunters. Spend some time with four or five good agencies in your area. Search firms and agencies will rarely work with new graduates unless they have had prior full-time work experience. However, this is not always true... there are exceptions to this rule. One of my undergraduate students started her career as general manager of a small company. She got the job through a headhunter.
Agencies vary greatly in the training given their employees, the contacts they have, and how much they can do for you as an executive job hunter. Even within a single agency, the capabilities of individual headhunters will vary. Therefore, it is well to check out an agency and its employees thoroughly. An inept headhunter not only will waste your time, but may make serious mistakes that hurt your campaign.
You can check out an agency by calling your local Better Business Bureau and asking if any complaints have been registered against it. You can also ask friends and members of professional organizations to recommend agencies in your area. Finally, you can simply call the agency and speak with the specialist in your functional area or industry. Ask how this individual works and get an idea about his honesty and representation of your interests to the agency's clients.
What to Do When You Are Called by a Headhunter
You may not even be thinking about a new position when one bright and sunny day you are called by a headhunter who attempts to recruit you or seeks your help in finding someone else. What do you do? Even if you are secure in your job and uninterested, you never know what the future will hold, so do not be abusive, no matter how inconvenient the call or how bad a day you are having. The headhunter may have some truly lucrative opportunities. Even if you aren't interested, you may be able to help out a friend, and you will be making a valuable contact for the future. Be aware, too, that the headhunter may be using the indirect approach. Even if he asks for recommendations, you may be a potential candidate yourself.
Let the headhunter give you as much information as he wants, but don't reveal information about yourself during this first conversation. Ask the headhunter to call you at home, and set a definite time for him to do so. It is much safer and fairer to your employer to discuss a job opportunity from your home. You will have time to organize yourself and decide if you are interested in the position.
Then you receive the headhunter's call, your primary objectives are to learn all you can about the job and to find out where the headhunter got your name. There are many sources of your name other than recommendations. The headhunter may even be shooting in the dark, knowing only your name and function. If this is the case, you may have to go through a lengthy qualifying process before being interviewed for a job.
In this telephone interview you should appear neither overly coy nor overly eager. Tell the headhunter that you are doing extremely well in your present position, but would be prepared to consider a superior career opportunity. Keep your dignity. Do not "spill your guts" about anything, and make certain that a superior opportunity exists before giving out extensive information about yourself.
If you are not interested in the position, say so and say why. If you know some friends who may be interested, it cannot hurt you to recommend them. Describe a few of your outstanding accomplishments and the kind of job that would appeal to you. But do not send the headhunter a resume or any other information unless you are thinking about leaving your present job and unless a specific opportunity exists.
If you are interested in the position, make certain that the experience and accomplishments you describe fill the requirements. Ask intelligent questions shout the job. Use techniques outlined elsewhere in this book for interviews and other steps in the hiring process.
Headhunters do make executive placements, lots of them, or they wouldn't be in business. However, it is a mistake to see a couple of headhunters, then sit back and wait for results. Use headhunters to your advantage in getting a great job, but remember that they are only one part of your job campaign. They should not be considered the most important part.
