When should you work with a head hunter?

[baydude]

If a recruiter contacts you regarding some opportunity with their client and sends you the job description and company name but it’s already a position you were sort of eyeing on a job board, should you proceed with the recruiter or apply directly on company site?

In my past experience working with recruiters, I find them pushy and not that pleasant to work with compared to internal corporate recruiters. Also, about 90% of the time when I apply for positions I’m qualified for and interested in on my own, I’ll always get at least a reply and an interview so why would I need an external recruiter?

 

[[DHT]Osiris]

If a recruiter contacts you regarding some opportunity with their client and sends you the job description and company name but it’s already a position you were sort of eyeing on a job board, should you proceed with the recruiter or apply directly on company site?

In my past experience working with recruiters, I find them pushy and not that pleasant to work with compared to internal corporate recruiters. Also, about 90% of the time when I apply for positions I’m qualified for and interested in on my own, I’ll always get at least a reply and an interview so why would I need an external recruiter?

Headhunter's more likely to try to bribe you into the job, rather than the job board. Play him/her like a fiddle.

 

[purbeast0]

I'd definitely go with the internal recruiter. There's no need for a middle man if you have direct access to the company resources.

I don't see why you wouldn't just be honest with the head hunter and say you're already talking to the company about the position and to stop contacting you.

 

[AznAnarchy99]

If you can get your foot in direct definitely do that. The headhunter pushes hard cause they make a commission by placing you there, getting a cut off the top of your agreed salary.

 

[deadlyapp]

I've been contacted out of the blue a few times by recruiters and they usually have much better clout within the hiring company then I would, and usually give pretty great feedback that I wouldn't otherwise hear on my own. I've had a handful of interviews as well. So in my book, they're pretty useful if you don't have someone inside the company already helping you.

 

[Tweak155]

Either way I would send the head hunter an email asking the salary range. They freely tell you.

 

[SearchMaster]

Of course they are pushy - they're salespeople.

That can work to your advantage. While you are unlikely to personally contact the company pushing for an interview or a post-interview follow-up (other than a "thanks for talking to me"), the headhunter can and will talk to them and push you as a good candidate. But as others have said, they could end up taking a chunk of your potential salary as a fee. I say "could" because most companies have a different pool of money for salary versus recruiting expenses, so the position may pay $XXX regardless of whether or not a headhunter was involved.

Since you have had no trouble getting your foot in the door in the past, I'd probably bypass the headhunter and go through the normal application process at this point.

 

[Rumpltzer]

I agree with the advice to go the direct route if possible. In some cases, the recruiter has an inside ear with the company, and they'll get you noticed instead of you being in a pile of resumes.

My experience is that recruiters are looking to place a body into a position, and they're not too selective about the details of whether you really are a fit for that position. For instance, a recruiter that I worked with in the fall got me on the phone with four or five places, and I didn't think it was a good fit for what I do (or what I want to do), but I was happy to talk to these places to see if there's something I'm missing. In most cases, I was right.

BUT, I did get an on-site interview from it, and I even got an offer from one of the random places... and if I wasn't already in SoCal making a good salary, and if I didn't have a family to be concerned about, I might have taken the offer... where these people really, really wanted me to come help them... but in southern NJ. As others have said, the recruiter was super-pushy about me taking the offer, but I understand where he's coming from, and I don't take it personally.

- Try to do it without recruiter
- Work with recruiter if you need/want to
- Be aware that recruiter will be pushy if an offer is made

 

[Tweak155]

I have landed 3 different jobs through recruiters and have interviewed for probably 3-4 more, one of which I declined the offer and have not had any "pushy" experience at all. It all depends who you work with.

 

[DietDrThunder]

My problem with recruiters is that they tend to always contact me for positions that I’m way over qualified for. It just seems like they don’t really understand the job requirements.

 

[purbeast0]

My problem with recruiters is that they tend to always contact me for positions that I’m way over qualified for. It just seems like they don’t really understand the job requirements.

A lot of recruiters clearly don't even read resumes from my experience.

 

[Genx87]

Recruiters are an interesting bunch. Contact me, we have a job, either take the interview or turn them down. Never hear from them again. I find it kind of interesting though. In my line of work 6 figures is pretty easy to attain. Think they would like the commission\payout on something like that. But what do I know?