(Job) Recruiters - Totally Worthless or Worth a Shot?

[Porsche-O-Phile]

I've had several unsolicited calls (an automatic "first strike") from employment recruiters/headhunters who I'm guessing have come across my resume online and are looking to rope me in as a potential referral. In the past, I've never even given these people the time of day - either as a job seeker or as an employer. My experience is that they're basically professional time-wasters that are out fishing for easy commissions. The downside from an employer point of view is that you could get stuck with someone who's a poor match for the position, end up having to can them (lots of time, effort, $$$, etc.) and then you're right back where you started. Also these guys tend to not know very much about the specifics of my profession, yet they pretend to.

That said, a couple of the individuals that have called do claim to be specifically tailored to the field of architecture/design/construction and as such, I'm wondering if I should bother returning their calls. My gut instinct says "don't waste your time - you can do more and get better results on your own" but I don't want to exclude them if they might potentially be of some benefit in a particularly tough market right now.

Any thoughts/insights?

[nostatic]

As long as you're not putting up any money, what can it hurt? I would certainly never pay a headhunter.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Mostly I just don't want to be jerked around. But you're right - normally their commissions are paid by the hiring company AFAIK.

[JeremyD]

In this market don't limit your options. Some companies only hire through 3rd party recruiters (headhunters) some headhunters/recruiters are full of crap (just like some Architects I've met are dolts). Trust your instincts - interview them just as they are interviewing you.

I'm in the temporary help business (which is different from headhunters) some recruiters are worth their weight in gold, some I wouldn't slow if they entered into a crosswalk.

[stomachmonkey]

As with any industry there are winners and losers.

My sis in law is a financial recruiter. She started/owns the firm. She does well, extremely well, because her clients trust her. They trust her because among other things she interviews each and every candidate in person.

If they don't stack up for her the client never meets the candidate.

In my experience with recruiters she is an exception.

Still, with the current state of affairs you are better off availing yourself of any potential opportunity.

[cl8ton]

I’m in the IT biz and recruiters are worth the callback!
The employer pays for there service so it cost you nothing but a phone call.

If the recruiter turns out to be knuckle head, the employer realizes this and holds nothing against you.

I have used them in the past and will do so in the future if need be, just my 2 cents worth.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

My big concern (from both employer and job-seeker perspective) is there's sort of an inherent conflict of interest:

These guys don't make dollar one unless they land a "sale" (hire). As such, they almost seem to have an incentive to pair anyone up with anyplace they think they can stuff 'em in.

I just might call a couple of these guys back though just to see what they've got.

[the]

Depends on your industry. Some industries use recruiters almost entirely.

[JeremyD]

Originally Posted by Porsche-O-Phile

These guys don't make dollar one unless they land a "sale" (hire). As such, they almost seem to have an incentive to pair anyone up with anyplace they think they can stuff 'em in.
.

They won;t be successful if that's their attitude. Really you make your money on repeat transactions. The only thing you really are selling is your work ethic and integrity.

[BGCarrera32]

In my experience it depends on entirely who they are.

You need to be able to have a short conversation with them and be willing to do so once you've put your resume on line. Develop a couple quick key questions you can ask them to see if they really place people with your qualifications/line of work/location, etc. What I'm driving at is that you can often ask some pointed questions innocently enough- but tell if they even read your resume, or if they've placed anyone like you.

I've had a couple recruiters contact me for jobs that were over an hour away.
I had one contact me and say "oh, we placed so-and-so at your location, do you know him?" yes
I had one recruiter get me an interview at an outfit that didn't result in a job, but the interview was good- I would have declined it anyway.
I had an interviewer ask what I make, then tacked on like 20 grand which obviously would be way out of line for what I do.

It just depends.

[ruf-porsche]

Originally Posted by nostatic

As long as you're not putting up any money, what can it hurt? I would certainly never pay a headhunter.

+1

Don't ever pay for a head hunter to find you a job. If they start asking for a retainer, tell them to take a hike.

Most recruiters don't get paid unless you have been on the job for at least 90 days.

[aigel]

Many companies do not do their own searches but rely on recruiters which they are connected to very closely. They usually deal only with recruiters that bring them good people repeatedly.

"Don't want to be jerked around"? You think these guys are in the business of jerking you around? They only get paid if they place you. Sure, they'll try to figure out if you are a good candidate, but any company hiring directly will "jerk you around" just as much. It usually starts with their web page, phone interviews, interviews, drug tests ...

If you are unemployed, you need to get a more positive attitude. You need to be open to any possibility out there. Call each and every one of those guys back - finding a job is your job now. You should have plenty of time to "waste". Nobody says you have to come across desperate when you return their calls but you have to realize that you are selling yourself and they are interested in the product even if they are just middlemen.

Good Luck!

George

[aigel]

Originally Posted by Porsche-O-Phile

These guys don't make dollar one unless they land a "sale" (hire). As such, they almost seem to have an incentive to pair anyone up with anyplace they think they can stuff 'em in.

You do not have to take any of the jobs you find through a recruiter. If you think you are a bad fit, don't take the job. Just like your buyer's agent in a real estate transaction, they find you the house, but you buy it and live in it, they don't force you to ...

George

[911Rob]

Use your emotional guideance system..... if it feels good, go for it, nothing to lose? imo

[RoninLB]

only for some info you might want to know

some "architecture/design/construction" firms that cater to big NY private RE families are laying off 50%. These aren't corporate firms, these are multi $B families with interests country wide. The problem has been collecting rents and replacing losers with good tenants.

I consider a big family one who spends $1M+ for outside auditing/year.

[Jim Richards]

I used a headhunter back in the mid-'90's and it worked out quite well. His recruiting focused on jobs specific to my field. I had talked to him on/off for about a half dozen years before actually using his services, so, he knew about my career growth and what my employment preferences were. It didn't cost me anything (new employer paid him) and I landed a job I liked, in a location I liked, with a salary and benefit package I liked.

[azasadny]

My current position was found for me by a "headhunter" and the way I found them was through a fellow Pelican. Use the headhunter and build a network and use it, too! Good luck!

[gprsh924]

What do you have to lose by calling them back besides time (which you have a lot of as you are unemployed)?

One of my good friend's mom is a recruiter in Chicago. She's doing alright seeing as how they built a $2mil+ house a few years ago.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

I actually have less time now than when I was working!

I'm not one of those people to sit around and do nothing - I've been putting in 6-8 hours a day of nose-to-the-grindstone job hunting and another 6-8 hours a day of improving my skills (learning a couple new software packages, studying up for my last couple of exams, etc.)

It's amazing how much having a job gets in the way of actually getting a lot of the stuff done in one's life - right now I'm sifting through the backlog! To think that "unemployed" means "having a lot of free time" is extremely naive. Come over here sometime and you'll see! I haven't even TOUCHED my 911 in weeks - no time!

[legion]

Originally Posted by JeremyD

In this market don't limit your options. Some companies only hire through 3rd party recruiters (headhunters) some headhunters/recruiters are full of crap (just like some Architects I've met are dolts). Trust your instincts - interview them just as they are interviewing you.

My thoughts exactly. You can always bail on a recruiter if things go sout.