Working With Headhunters

I remember the first time I heard the word “headhunter” in connection with employment. I had visions of some wild-eyed, wild-haired person running around with a spear in one hand and a cooking pot in the other, looking for unsuspecting job candidates to have for lunch.

Of course, after decades of writing about the workplace I use the term “headhunter” without worrying about shrunken heads and boiling water, but there still needs to be some education about what headhunters do, and how they can help those looking for work.

Headhunters – also known as job recruiters – spend their days looking for people to fill empty job positions. They stake their reputations (and their income) on finding the perfect employee for an employer. If they don’t deliver, then they don’t collect any money, and down the road, they may be looking for new employment themselves.

But the really good headhunters are able to match the the great employee with the right job, and everyone is happy. The employer has a good fit, the job candidate has a new job and the headhunter makes money.

But there are times when the headhunting process can go wrong. Sometimes it’s the job seeker’s fault, believing the headhunter works for them (nope…the headhunter works for the employer, much like realtors work for the home seller), or it can be the headhunter’s fault, because he or she isn’t familiar with the specific industry and doesn’t communicate well with the job candidate.

I’ve interviewed several headhunters over the years, and here are some tips they’ve provided:-

Be honest. Don’t try and exaggerate your accomplishments or fudge on your background.

Headhunters are pretty savvy — they’ll ferret out your lies and move on to someone else.-

Trust your gut. If the headhunter seems a little vague on your industry or doesn’t have a proven track record, then you may want to move on yourself. Don’t tie your reputation or future to a job recruiter that doesn’t seem like the real deal.

Communicate. E-mail the recruiter at least once a week for an update. A recruiter is more likely to keep you in mind for different positions if you are a little bit of a (nice) squeaky wheel.

While there are concerns about the job market getting tougher, most headhunters agree that employers are still looking for key workers. As long as you can make yourself appealing by understanding what your industry is looking for and how your skills and abilities can help an employer’s bottom line, then you will probably be appealing to a headhunter (unless they have salt in one hand and a fork in the other…then you should run.)

How To Get A Job In This Economy - Resumes

Here are some tips I learned from a hiring manager about what you can do to vastly improve the quality of your résumé and improve your chances of getting a job:

1. Ditch the Objective
Obviously your objective is to get a job at my company (and if it’s not, it should be!), so why waste valuable white space telling me something I already know? Your résumé is there to tell me what I don’t know: your unique skills, past experience, education, etc. So focus on selling yourself and forget about outlining your objectives.

2. Forget Fancy Formatting
Unless you’re applying for a graphic design or other artistic position, don’t worry about using sophisticated templates for your résumé. Most HR reps about 2 minutes scanning each résumé and don’t really pay much attention to how pretty it looks. Not to mention the fact that people have different versions of word processing software and sometimes fancy formatting doesn’t always appear the way it was intended. Hiring managers are a lot more interested in whether you have the right skill set and experience for the position than if you can use all the template features in Microsoft word.

3. Bullet Points Are Your Friend
I’ve seen many different résumé formats and have decided that my favorite is the bulleted list. Follow each job title by a list of 3 – 5 bullet points about specific duties or accomplishments you had at that position. I keep a “master résumé” with 10 – 12 bullet points under each job title, 5 of which I then cut and paste into a new document customized to match the criteria of each specific position I’m applying for.

4. Always Include Dates
Recruiters pay attention to gaps in work history. Not including dates of employment makes it seem like you have something to hide and most likely it will come up in an interview anyway. It’s better to just be up front about gaps in employment. Put accurate dates on your résumé and address any issues in your cover letter.

5. Proofread, Proofread, Proofread
I recently had to listen to a friend complain for a full 30 minutes about typos in a potential candidate’s résumé so I thought I’d reiterate the importance of proofing your résumé as well as cover letter. Typos and misspellings can show a lack of attention to detail, casts doubt on your intelligence level and can cause some hiring managers to infer a lack of respect and interest in their company (the thought being that if you really wanted the job, you’d take the time to proof your work instead of rushing through a stack of 50 résumés that need to be sent to 50 different companies).

The purpose of a résumé is to sell yourself to a potential company. If you just stick to the facts and forgo the fancy stuff you’ll save yourself as well as the people who are reading it both time and effort. Something I think both parties can appreciate.

Ref: Jacqui Tom

Job-Search Efforts After a Layoff.

1 in 3 May Sabotage Their Job-Search Efforts After a Layoff
According to Right Management research, one in three people may sabotage their job-search efforts by acting with haste after a job loss. Right Management is a provider of integrated human capital consulting services and solutions across the employment life cycle.

Two-thirds (66 percent) of 1,029 survey respondents recognized that people who are displaced from their jobs should initially take time off to re-evaluate and develop a plan. Thirty-four percent indicated they would immediately jump into a job search, potentially sabotaging the very goal they set out to achieve by being unprepared and reactive.

"You should avoid rushing into the job market," cautioned Douglas J. Matthews, president and chief operating officer of Right Management. "Don't panic. Take time to think about what you want to do next in your career. You may wish to explore career possibilities such as changing functions, industries, or even a range of work-life options such as part-time employment, entrepreneurial and retirement alternatives."

Matthews recommends what NOT to do immediately after a job loss:

1. Don't make calls and send e-mails to networking contacts asking for job leads.

2. Don't contact recruiters, respond to ads or post to Internet job boards until you've carefully reviewed and updated your resume, set clear goals and developed a plan.

3. Avoid making negative comments about your previous employer. Try to project a positive attitude.

Matthews offers this advice to employees facing a new job search:

1. Take time off to reassess your career and determine what you want to do next. Immediately following the loss of a job, many people are not completely prepared, are still too emotional and have no comprehensive plan to launch an employment search. Assess strengths, identify goals, focus on the future and create an action plan before moving forward.

2. Continually build and maintain professional relationships in your network. Successful networking means gathering and sharing ideas and information. A helpful attitude and a genuine desire to be a useful contact or resource for others will make you a valuable connector. Right Management research shows that more than 50 percent of new jobs are found through networking. Leverage online professional networking to expand the reach of your traditional network.

3. Be prepared. Most employees can typically expect to be displaced from their jobs at least once during their careers. Keep your resume up-to-date. It should describe you at your highest level of accomplishment, telling the story of your career, how you can help contribute to an organization and provide solutions to their needs.