I know they get a commission off your salary and typically the company pays that fee and typically you have to sign a contract stating you'll work for so long, but I've never looked into a job that I was contacted by a head hunter for. Any experience with using one? I know BR is one.
And do they just give you a BS salary range to get you interested in the job?

I hate dealing with recruiters/head hunters. Honestly, a lot of the times my biggest problem is after I tell them exactly what I'm interested in, including position, industry, salary, they STILL will send me crap I don't want and waste my time.

I've had good and bad experiences.

Just realize they will tell you whatever the fuck you want to hear and you're just a pawn to get them paid.

I had one send me into an interview about a month ago. Total waste of time. I was under qualified. They wanted established relationships in my industry that people 15-20 years older than me have. It was a fucking joke. The recruiter had to know this, but just threw me in there hoping something would stick because I have some specific qualities they were looking for.

I knew I was 100% out of the running after the interview and flipped out on the recruiter and cut ties. I was mostly pissed because I took a full day of PTO.

My issue is the salary. For one its range is 50,000 difference. Second even its low range is much more than I make now. I'm wondering if I'm wasting my time getting an offer and the salary is a lot lower than the supposed range.

Automatik;1794948 wrote:I've had good and bad experiences.

Just realize they will tell you whatever the fuck you want to hear and they you're just a pawn to get them paid.

I had one send me into an interview about a month ago. Total waste of time. I was under qualified. They wanted established relationships in my industry that people 15-20 years older than me have. It was a fucking joke. The recruiter had to know this, but just threw me in there hoping something would stick because I have some specific qualities they were looking for.

I knew I was 100% out of the running after the interview and flipped out on the recruiter and cut ties. I was mostly pissed because I took a full day of PTO.

This. I was sent to an interview and the position required SQL and other programming knowledge, I have none and the interview lasted maybe 20 minutes, total waste of time. The recruiter kept telling me I was qualified just to get me in the door.

Automatik;1794948 wrote:I've had good and bad experiences.

Just realize they will tell you whatever the fuck you want to hear and they you're just a pawn to get them paid.

I had one send me into an interview about a month ago. Total waste of time. I was under qualified. They wanted established relationships in my industry that people 15-20 years older than me have. It was a fucking joke. The recruiter had to know this, but just threw me in there hoping something would stick because I have some specific qualities they were looking for.

I knew I was 100% out of the running after the interview and flipped out on the recruiter and cut ties. I was mostly pissed because I took a full day of PTO.

Raw Dawgin' it;1794955 wrote:This. I was sent to an interview and the position required SQL and other programming knowledge, I have none and the interview lasted maybe 20 minutes, total waste of time. The recruiter kept telling me I was qualified just to get me in the door.

This could be the issue to why its way more than I make right now.

Depends on your head hunter I guess. I think the biggest benefit is they have opportunities that aren't always open to the public. In addition, if he's not an ass he won't send you stupid jobs you aren't a fit for, and you should have a phone interview first anyway.

The major downfall is they just want to place you. So one, of the job is on a job board, you could negotiate more yourself because they don't have to pay commission on you. Also, you never really get to negotiate with the client yourself, so it's hard to get a feel on asking for more signing bonus, moving expenses, vacation, etc. That said, I will use one when I look for a job because I hate scouring job openings when I don't have to.


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ZWICK 4 PREZ;1794945 wrote:I know they get a commission off your salary and typically the company pays that fee and typically you have to sign a contract stating you'll work for so long, but I've never looked into a job that I was contacted by a head hunter for. Any experience with using one? I know BR is one.
And do they just give you a BS salary range to get you interested in the job?

Don't hold your breath. He is going thru one of his pouting QQ boycott phases to come and post here most likely.

like_that;1794987 wrote:Don't hold your breath. He is going thru one of his pouting QQ boycott phases to come and post here most likely.

Eh, he'll be back. Just like Tiernan's rash, it never stays away for too long.

Automatik;1794948 wrote: Just realize they will tell you whatever the fuck you want to hear and they you're just a pawn to get them paid.

This

I have had friends they have worked for. However, the best thing you can do is reach out to people with connections. It is who you know.

What does Zwick need a headhunter for?...thought his union brotherhood was all he needed to succeed in life.

bases_loaded;1795039 wrote:What does Zwick need a headhunter for?...thought his union brotherhood was all he needed to succeed in life.

I've never been in a union so I don't see why they would help me?

I've had good and bad experience as well. My current job was acquired via a recruiter, and it was a pretty good experience.

Years back, however, I was working with a woman who was just anxious to get me in somewhere. I had told her that I was in digital marketing. She apparently thought that meant outbound sales of tech equipment. Tried to push me onto some company that solicits businesses trying to sell fax machines and postage machines. I didn't even realize that was an occupation. Selling fax machines?

Anyway, I told her I was going to look on my own, because she didn't get what I do.

ZWICK 4 PREZ;1795054 wrote:I've never been in a union so I don't see why they would help me?

Z4p profession is not a union type field... He has moved a few (4) in the pass few years which is not a bad thing. At some point however this could create a problem. If you are the best at what you do, those that know of you will come to you or be very open to hire you when available. I take the view that if I want to work for a company I or someone I know will let then know I'm up for hire. .....net working works

Belly35;1795122 wrote:I take the view that if I want to work for a company I or someone I know will let then know I'm up for hire. .....net working works

tell us more about "net working"

I've had nothing but poor experiences with headhunters (2). I was looking to get moved out of Houston and 1 headhunter was trying to line me up for jobs in Houston (seriously, like 5 jobs he was trying to pitch were in Houston), while the other was trying to get me to interview for a position that had nothing to do with my discipline (but it was in Shitsburgh). Headhunters play a numbers game, they likely have 3 people interviewing against you every time they set you up.

What Belly said is right. I have had 3 or 4 unsolicited calls from companies (not headhunters) call/email me asking if I'd be interested in coming to work for them. This is based off of my reputation in the industry. Ultimately I stayed put with my current position, but I am confident that those calls had way more potential to make me happier than anything a headhunter could have done for me.

I have industry experience. The good, successful ones won't screw you. The biggest issue is a lot of these companies hire people right out of school and it turns into a glorified call center. People banging out calls trying to slam as many deals together as possible to appease the sales metrics they are held to.

The best head hunters understand your needs and that they don't always have the perfect job for you. These are the guys you want on your side. They can confidentially tap you on the shoulder if a truly great opportunity comes about (many times jobs that are unadvertised). You should have a relationship with the guy (or woman). They should tell you the name of the company before sending your resume. They reason they don't, is that a lot of candidates will turn around and apply directly to the company to try to cut them out so they have to protect themselves. The good ones have a good enough relationship with their clients where that isn't an issue.

The way I get my best candidates is referrals from other people I have helped. This doesn't work if you try to screw people over. I value people's time. I let my client's sell themselves and if somebody isn't interested and wants to turn a job down, I let it go because it just wasn't right for the person at that time.

To say an entire industry is bad because you have talked to a few idiots isn't fair. Plenty of good people out there. Plenty of people doing exactly what has been said in this thread, too. So, you just need to find people you trust. You have to realize, yes, they want to put people into jobs...it's how they make their living. But, they can't force you to take a job. And if you are looking for new jobs, taking some time off to interview is going to have to happen, anyway.

A couple other things-

1. You should never have to pay. The prospective company should pay the fee's. If they said you need to pay....run away.
2. You shouldn't sign anything that states you have to stay with a company for a certain amount of time- unless it is for a signing or relocation bonus that you would have to give back- which is fairly standard. Ohio is an at-will state so just like the company can let you go...you can leave if you want.
3. They should tell you the name of the company before submitting your resume. Not, "I'm going to send you to my confidential client who is a leader in the XYZ industry.
4. They should be able to tell you about the job and the company. If the person is stammering around it-you probably have yourself a rookie. Talk to that person's boss if the job sounds remotely of interest to you.

TBone14;1795260 wrote:
A couple other things-

1. You should never have to pay. The prospective company should pay the fee's. If they said you need to pay....run away.
2. You shouldn't sign anything that states you have to stay with a company for a certain amount of time- unless it is for a signing or relocation bonus that you would have to give back- which is fairly standard. Ohio is an at-will state so just like the company can let you go...you can leave if you want.
3. They should tell you the name of the company before submitting your resume. Not, "I'm going to send you to my confidential client who is a leader in the XYZ industry.
4. They should be able to tell you about the job and the company. If the person is stammering around it-you probably have yourself a rookie. Talk to that person's boss if the job sounds remotely of interest to you.

I agree with all but the 2nd one.

I, as an engineer, have worked with a certain head hunter in the Cleveland area before that ONLY places technical jobs (engineers, engineering managers, etc) and they get paid 1/3 of the yearly salary that the person accepts. If the engineer accepts a 100k/yr job the head hunter gets 33k.

No end company is going to be ok with shelling out $33,000 for someone who may quit 1 month later.

It is rather typical for this type of head hunter agency to have a contract with their customers (the end employer) an agreement of 6 months or 1 year if the employee leaves on their own accord that the employee has to pay a pro-rated amount of that fee they paid the head hunter.

I can't speak for head hunters helping people find $15/hr jobs, but I don't believe you will find many reputable ones landing high end technical jobs without some sort of 6 or 12 month contract.

The recruiter would have to pay the employer back, not the employee. As an employee you should only ever agree to pay back recruiting fees or a signing bonus. I'd also just quit talking to a recruiter if they gave me jobs I didn't want or weren't a fit for. Maybe I lucked out bc my recruiter who placed me here tries to meet for lunch every other month or so (on his dime) to catch up on anything he may be able to help with at my company or if I have any Ohio friends ready to move to work there. He also is strictly in my field, and actually knows what I would be a fit for (for more money) and keeps me updated on those positions as well. It's a relationship that benefits both of us.


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Well I went to the interview anyways yesterday. I may have ran into the "experience needed" situation you guys talked about as the recruiter was vague that they were looking for a sr level (probably why the pay is so much higher) and I only have 2.5 years in this capacity. The owner brought that up too.. But on the flip side the interview lasted an hour and a half and he mentioned a call back later this week to meet with other staff members.. so who knows.
But.. ya.. this guy never mentioned they're looking for a sr level director and he knew damn well I didn't have those kind of years of experience.

ZWICK 4 PREZ;1795323 wrote:Well I went to the interview anyways yesterday. I may have ran into the "experience needed" situation you guys talked about as the recruiter was vague that they were looking for a sr level (probably why the pay is so much higher) and I only have 2.5 years in this capacity. The owner brought that up too.. But on the flip side the interview lasted an hour and a half and he mentioned a call back later this week to meet with other staff members.. so who knows.
But.. ya.. this guy never mentioned they're looking for a sr level director and he knew damn well I didn't have those kind of years of experience.

Well hope you get it anyway...let us know.

TBone14;1795260 wrote:I have industry experience. The good, successful ones won't screw you. The biggest issue is a lot of these companies hire people right out of school and it turns into a glorified call center. People banging out calls trying to slam as many deals together as possible to appease the sales metrics they are held to.

The best head hunters understand your needs and that they don't always have the perfect job for you. These are the guys you want on your side. They can confidentially tap you on the shoulder if a truly great opportunity comes about (many times jobs that are unadvertised). You should have a relationship with the guy (or woman). They should tell you the name of the company before sending your resume. They reason they don't, is that a lot of candidates will turn around and apply directly to the company to try to cut them out so they have to protect themselves. The good ones have a good enough relationship with their clients where that isn't an issue.

The way I get my best candidates is referrals from other people I have helped. This doesn't work if you try to screw people over. I value people's time. I let my client's sell themselves and if somebody isn't interested and wants to turn a job down, I let it go because it just wasn't right for the person at that time.

To say an entire industry is bad because you have talked to a few idiots isn't fair. Plenty of good people out there. Plenty of people doing exactly what has been said in this thread, too. So, you just need to find people you trust. You have to realize, yes, they want to put people into jobs...it's how they make their living. But, they can't force you to take a job. And if you are looking for new jobs, taking some time off to interview is going to have to happen, anyway.

A couple other things-

1. You should never have to pay. The prospective company should pay the fee's. If they said you need to pay....run away.
2. You shouldn't sign anything that states you have to stay with a company for a certain amount of time- unless it is for a signing or relocation bonus that you would have to give back- which is fairly standard. Ohio is an at-will state so just like the company can let you go...you can leave if you want.
3. They should tell you the name of the company before submitting your resume. Not, "I'm going to send you to my confidential client who is a leader in the XYZ industry.
4. They should be able to tell you about the job and the company. If the person is stammering around it-you probably have yourself a rookie. Talk to that person's boss if the job sounds remotely of interest to you.

There is a lot of truth to this. I have had about a dozen friends move companies with headhunters that they have developed relationships with (several with guys they had used for mulitple moves over periods of years). I have never developed any sort of relationship with a headhunter so I could admit that my experiences were doomed to be poor from the start.

rrfan;1795326 wrote:Well hope you get it anyway...let us know.

eh im not too optimistic. When I talked to the recruiter to tell him I got a call back he said "good, most guys haven't gotten a call back but some have" ... so some have gotten a call back and they're still looking.

jmog;1795287 wrote:I agree with all but the 2nd one.

I, as an engineer, have worked with a certain head hunter in the Cleveland area before that ONLY places technical jobs (engineers, engineering managers, etc) and they get paid 1/3 of the yearly salary that the person accepts. If the engineer accepts a 100k/yr job the head hunter gets 33k.

No end company is going to be ok with shelling out $33,000 for someone who may quit 1 month later.

It is rather typical for this type of head hunter agency to have a contract with their customers (the end employer) an agreement of 6 months or 1 year if the employee leaves on their own accord that the employee has to pay a pro-rated amount of that fee they paid the head hunter.

I can't speak for head hunters helping people find $15/hr jobs, but I don't believe you will find many reputable ones landing high end technical jobs without some sort of 6 or 12 month contract.

The firm should guarantee and pay back the fee...not the employee. Why should you be on the hook for 33K if the job you take isn't what you thought it was going to be?