In addition to the benefits of being placed, you should be aware of the other services a headhunter provides:
- Hidden Job Leads: Recruiters can put you in touch with immediate openings as well as opportunities arising later, when you might be looking more passively. This extra pair of eyes and ears alerts you to positions you might not otherwise access. Companies using recruiters often won't advertise directly, which is why headhunters deal in what has been called the "hidden job market." Though you shouldn't bank everything on a headhunter finding your perfect job immediately, it is nonetheless a potential source of leads to add to your own search efforts. A highly placeable candidate may be presented with so many opportunities that they needn't pick up a paper or move a mouse ... a major consideration when trying to hold down one job while looking for another.
- Interview Preparation: You will generally present yourself better to a potential employer after being coached by a headhunter on the company-what they are looking for and how to best address those needs in the interview. If you haven't looked for a job in a while, a simple brush-up to get into the "interview mode" is a lifesaver when putting yourself on the auction block again. Being reminded of the rules of the interview game and how it is played can quickly bring you back up to speed. Advice on attire, resumes, sample questions, opening and closing the interview ... and much more are provided by the headhunter who, like an expectant mother, is anxious for you to deliver this baby.
A recruiter's experienced insight into the mind and culture of an organization goes beyond company history and products/services, which you can research yourself on the Internet. While corporate research is valuable, a headhunter is often privy to the employer's human element-especially the people you might interview with. At the end of the day, this factor is often the clincher in getting a person hired.
- Negotiation: How comfortable are you conducting face-to-face negotiations for a higher salary or more perks? Many may think they're pros, yet I would say all but the shrewdest salesperson would be hard-pressed to press hard, while remaining cool and composed, to successfully bump up the figures. First, you may feel that you actually need or want this job and, regardless of the words you use, need or want is easily perceived by a hiring company - to their advantage. Secondly, though you might be a great negotiator in your professional work, this particular negotiation involves you and your well being. It's darn-near impossible not to take that personally even when you know it's "just business." Here a headhunter assumes the impersonal role of intermediary to represent your best interests. Because their fee is generally based on your starting salary, recruiters have a vested interest in making the best possible deal for you. The more you make ... the more they make!
- Buffering: During the interview stage, and once you're on board with a company, a headhunter assists in the new job transition by being a buffer of communication between you and the employer. Because both of you may have some initial perceptions or concerns that are not always fully expressed, the recruiter can relay and translate that information in a safe, professional way - alleviating potential problems before they arise. Recruiters often "save" placements by operating as a channel of communication between employees and employers. They have a vested interest because client and candidate satisfaction depends on a successful placement as does their fee!
