The right way, wrong way to deal with 'headhunters'

A management-level job seeker e-mailed me: "I am currently working at (company name) as a (job title), and I am looking to make a move. Please let me know if you are interested in providing me with your professional job-placement services."

Because I receive a steady stream of e-mails and phone calls along these lines, I thought it might be helpful to clarify how management recruiters, informally known as "headhunters," work so you can get the most out of your contacts with them, whether they're calling you or you're calling them.

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The first thing to bear in mind is that recruiters work for employers, not job seekers. An employer engages a headhunter to find the person with the best matching skills for a specific position and pays the headhunter either up front (a retainer fee), upon hire (a contingency or success fee), or through a combination of those two methods.

This means that for a job seeker, the right question to ask a headhunter is not "Will you represent me?" but rather, "What types of employers, and what types of positions, do you recruit for?"

Finding the right headhunters to help you network for jobs is tough. Recruiting is a fragmented field with lots of small, specialized, local recruiting and staffing firms. Here are some strategies you might try:

First, search broadly on the Web. Visit the major "job board" Web sites such as CareerBuilder and Monster, but go beyond just searching and applying for openings. Many openings listed on job boards are posted by headhunters, not employers. Look around and see which recruiters are posting jobs that are close to your interests. Even if you don't find a job posting that is a good fit for you, you may find a recruiter worth contacting about other opportunities.

Next, get specialized in your Web search. Professional association Web sites can be extremely targeted, and therefore extremely useful for finding jobs in your area of specialty. For example, production and inventory management professionals might check out the Association for Operations Management Web site, www.apics.org, which has a career center with jobs submitted by employers who are specifically looking to reach that professional community.

Don't limit yourself to combing the want ads online and in print. Network, network, network. Talk to friends who are doing the kinds of jobs you are targeting. Ask them which headhunters their companies use, and which headhunters call them to pitch opportunities.

If you find that headhunters you speak with are not focused on your type of job, ask for referrals to others who do specialize in your target area.

Finding the right headhunters takes persistence. Sometimes, however, headhunters find you. When you get a call from one, here's what to do:

If you are busy or lack privacy, ask the headhunter to call back later or, even better, offer to return the call when you can speak privately.

Ask what industries, functions, job levels and geographies the headhunter specializes in. A headhunter or recruiting firm is only a strong fit for you if all four of these factors line up with your career goals.

If you are not in the job market, say so and keep the headhunter's contact information for future reference. To get on good terms with a headhunter, you could offer to refer friends or colleagues who might be interested.

Ask if the person is calling in regard to a specific position or simply conducting research. Some recruiting firms employ researchers to dial everyone in an industry, often using a professional directory or database, to collect information and spread awareness of the recruiting firm. This type of call can be helpful for getting on the radar screen of a headhunter who recruits in your industry, but it is obviously different from a call about a specific position.

When headhunters call regarding a specific position, they may or may not reveal who the employer is. Sometimes the employer wants to remain anonymous; other times the headhunter wants to prevent candidates from approaching the employer directly. Qualify the opportunity by asking about the location, type of employer and job description. You can also qualify a headhunter by asking for examples of previous job placements made with the same employer or in the same industry.

Before agreeing to send a resum�, ask how it will be used; some recruiting firms use resum�s as marketing tools to convince employers to engage them. Unless you are between jobs, you should never send your resum� to a headhunter without determining that it will be kept confidential and sent only to an employer with your specific authorization.

Once you have identified some headhunters in your industry and they have your resum� on file, you are in a good position to maintain long-term relationships. Don't expect a deluge of job leads - they may not have a good opportunity for you immediately. But it's worth staying in touch and sending them an updated resum� periodically, so they will remember you when the right opportunity comes along.