Can you help me find a job?
I get multiple calls per week from candidates looking for a new job. Common reasons are:
- My job stinks and please get me out of here
- I’m unemployed and need help
- I’m unhappy about my raise or bonus
- I can’t do this any longer
- I’m stuck with no room for growth
- My job stinks and please get me out of here
- I’m unemployed and need help
- I’m unhappy about my raise or bonus
- I can’t do this any longer
- I’m stuck with no room for growth
There is a better than 95% chance that I cannot actually help you land a job. This is not because I am not a damn good recruiter – I am. But you may be a restaurant worker, nurse, or a truck driver – fields I don’t recruit in. Or maybe you’re a super niche specialist, wanting to switch industries or career path.
Still, I take these calls anyway. Maybe it is empathy or gratitude that candidates choose to work with me, and I do my best to return all these candidate phone calls. (I’m a human with a family, and sometimes there just aren’t enough hours in the day or week when I am swamped.)
Who pays our invoice?
Let’s start here. The Headhunters, and nearly every recruiting firm out there, work for companies not individual candidates. In our case, our company clients usually come to us when they have failed on their own or another recruiter cannot deliver results with hard to fill jobs. Companies hire us to find something they cannot find with a job posting – e.g. the company posted a role and either nobody applied or nobody good enough applied.
We are not cheap, and we do something companies can’t: we find top talent that wasn’t even looking for a job. Oftentimes that means looking at candidates at competitors, vendors, or even customers of our client. And for the record – there is almost 100% certainty that I won’t get paid for the time that I spend helping individuals who call me, whether it’s helping them with their resumes, LinkedIn profiles, or discussing job search strategies.
What should a candidate do?
Feel free to call. I don’t mind helping. Before you call though, please do a little research. Check out the headhunter’s job board on their website or LinkedIn company profile. Does this headhunter actually work on the roles that you are seeking?
Are you trying to make a pivot in industry or job type? A candidate’s most marketable skills are the ones they have the deepest experience in. Companies won’t pay a headhunter to find them an accountant who wants to become a human resources manager. If you don’t have a proven track record of success doing what our clients need, I can’t really even have a credible conversation.
We can stretch a company or hiring manager to overlook a qualification or two, just as we can usually do the same with a candidate for the right opportunity, but there is definitely a line that cannot be crossed if we wish to maintain credibility.
Network. There is still no method that is more successful in landing your next role than networking. Also, be ready with a great resume and a great LinkedIn profile to put your best foot forward.
Conclusion
First, do your homework before you call, so you are not wasting everyone’s time. Second, be open-minded to the recruiter’s advice on your most marketable or attractive skills, and realistic about your compensation targets. Lastly, finding a job is a job, so treat it as your responsibility. After all, it’s your livelihood at stake, not the recruiter’s.
