Make Recruiters
Work for You

I put recruiters in the same family tree as headhunters. But there are slight differences.

Many "experts" will claim huge differences between the two.

The real question to ask yourself is..."who do they represent and whose best interests do they have in mind?".

This website is devoted to helping you, the job seeker. And in my experience, it's all the same.

For the sake of argument though, let's say that headhunters represent a variety of job candidates (you) and a variety of companies. And quite often, employment agencies work directly for an organization (usually part of the Human Resource department or HR).

No matter what term you use, the recruitment process is the same. A third party is trying to find a candidate with a specific set of job skills, career education and/or career training to fill a particular position.

Here are some recruitment tips to consider:

• Recruiting personnel usually work directly for their company and are responsible for locating and attracting qualified people into their organization.

• Headhunters may be hired by the company (or not) for the same purpose.

• The main difference is how they make their money.

• According to Human resources at About.com, "both third party recruiting managers are paid by the hiring company.

• They are paid a portion of their fee upfront with the balance paid when the search is over".

• Retained recruiters are typically used for executive level positions.

• Contingency recruiters don't typically have an exclusive relationship with the company.

Why am I telling all of this to you? Well, when I was looking for a job, I had the impression that headhunters worked solely for me to help me find a job.

This is not entirely true. Most of them work for an organization (or themselves) and are responsible for (and get paid for) bringing in new people.

Totally confused? Don't worry about it. Just remember some simple rules.

• Cast a wide net.
• Use recruitment agencies to your benefit.
• Mix it in with other job search strategies.
• The more people who want to help you out the better.

Take a look at the recruitment process and employment agencies section for a better understanding of how the professional employment process works.