My Recruiter Hasn’t Found Me a Job – Understanding the Role Headhunters Play in Your Search

Posted on 19. Oct, 2008 by Bill in Employment News

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Is this something you’ve been thinking? If not you, then maybe one of your friends or colleagues has complained about the fact that the headhunter hasn’t come through with anything.

Today we address the number one misnomer about executive recruiters: their job is not to find you a job. They can be of tremendous help, and a good recruiter is a valuable asset. To that end, you should cultivate relationships with recruiters, and you should be on the radar screens of good search firms.

However, the recruiter doesn’t work for you. He or she works for the hiring company.

Companies hire recruiters to fill positions – usually those that they’re unable to fill themselves. They’re seeking highly qualified people with specific skills for particular jobs. Typically, they are looking for candidates who are already employed elsewhere. Because these people are harder to find, hiring companies tap search firms to spearhead the effort.

Therefore, while a recruiting firm has quite a few active searches ongoing at any given time, it’s not a guarantee that any of them will be a fit for your background and experience. It doesn’t mean the firm is “no good” or that they’re not doing their job – it simply means they have nothing for which they can submit you for consideration at that moment.

With retained search, hiring companies contract with specific firms to fill specific jobs. That means if Recruiting Firm ABC is working on Company XYZ’s SVP Marketing opening, ABC is the only firm with that listing.

If it’s a contingent search, more than one firm may be attempting to fill a single open position.

You can see why it makes sense to have a good working relationship with more than one search firm.

Either way – retained or contingent – it’s in a recruiter’s best interest to fill any given position with the best candidate. The headhunter’s job is to satisfy the client; she will do everything she can to present the hiring company with candidates they’ll consider to be of the highest quality, and to cement the deal.

That means if you’re in a recruiter’s database, if your qualifications are a match, and particularly if you have maintained an active relationship with the firm, you can count on getting a call regarding the position. (It also means if you agree to be submitted for consideration, the recruiter is going to work very hard to try to get you an offer.)

This does not mean you must make the rounds and call recruiters on a weekly basis to make sure they remember you. That’s a waste of everyone’s time. It does mean, though, that when they call looking for referrals, you should do your best to provide them with quality names. It also means that your interactions with recruiters need to be professional and based on honesty. These things will be duly noted – and remembered.

Remember the recruiter’s role in the process, and how these people fit into your search strategy. Then help them to help you.

Rebecca Metschke is the author of The Interview Edge, a comprehensive career guide for those who are serious about their careers. Gain a professional advantage using proven tips, tools and strategies that will help ensure you’re as marketable as you can be. http://www.TheInterviewEdge.com