​Career Management: Working with Recruiters

External recruiter = headhunter = search firm consultant = third party

For job-search resources at different points in your career, you may consider working with recruiters, headhunters, search firms, third-party agencies or doing contract work. In this section we will use the term recruiter to indicate anyone acting as a third party between the candidate and employer. This person may source, screen, and/or interview potential candidates for a client company.
Considering Contract Work
Contract work, freelancing, or temporary assignments can be a flexible way to pursue your career, gain relevant experience, and/or tide you over until you land a full-time position.
  • Opportunities are expanding as the peer-to-peer marketplace expands
  • Short-term work can be a great way to build your experience and broaden your skills.
  • The recruiter may ask you to revise your resume or profile to target a particular assignment that he or she is considering you for.
  • Assignments can range from a small task to a big project, a few days to a few months.

Recruiters will continue to place those candidates who effectively fulfill the job duties, fit job requirements, and build a high-level of credibility and accountanility. Candidates need to reflect on how successful they can be in a position and demonstrate the ability to complete an assignment before accepting one.
Identify potential recruiters by asking people in your network for referrals of recruiters they have worked with or have heard about. LinkedIn [Link to www.linkedin.com] is also a good resource for reviewing the background of suggested recruiters and for identifying recruiters in a given industry

Recruiters seek candidates whose qualifications best match those typically needed by their client companies, and they are likely to present you for only the closest matches. Some recruiters may serve principally one or two industries or occupational fields. 
To develop an effective relationship with a recruiter, we offer the following suggestions:
  • Write a resume that clearly demonstrates your skills and accomplishments, in order to help recruiters represent you well.
  • Recruiters need to know you before they can present you to their client companies. During your first conversation, be prepared to identify your top – and possibly second-tier – job targets; project confidence in your ability to succeed in those job targets; support your assurance with examples from your professional experience; share your goals; and, discuss salary range.
  • Do your research in advance and know the salary range for the positions you're targeting when evaluating and negotiating the job offer; also recognize your bottom line.
  • When you meet with a recruiter, ask about the types of positions they see, how often they work with the kinds of positions you're seeking, and how they collaborate with their client companies and candidates. For example, how long will they keep your resume active?
  • Follow up with recruiters periodically in a professional way. Be certain that you are one of the candidates they remember as a well-qualified, motivated individual who understands that recruiters' client companies drive the hiring needs. Make sure your resume stays at the top of the stack.
  • Remember, it's less likely that a recruiter can help you if you're changing careers. More often, recruiters represent candidates with at least some experience in the occupational field and/or industry, since these candidates will best meet the needs of the recruiter's client companies.
Contingency vs. Retained Search
According to the Directory of Executive Recruiters by Kennedy Information:
"Both [the contingency and retained search] charge the client employer a fee and neither should ever charge the prospective employee. While many agencies engage in both types of search, the distinctions between retained and contingency searches/firms” are as follows:

Retained Search Firms:
  • Retained recruiters are hired by a client company for an assignment, typically for 90-120 days, and are paid regardless of the results of the search. They may also be kept on retainer by their clients to fill whatever assignments they have.
  • One retained firm is hired by a client company for a given job opening.
  • They are more often used to fill higher-level positions.
Contingency Search Firms:
  • Contingency recruiters receive payment only when their candidate is hired.
  • Contingency recruiters do not usually work on an exclusive basis with their clients. 
  • Since they are competing with other recruiters to provide candidates for each assignment, they tend to work fast and to submit to the client company as many qualified candidates as they can. This means you may be one of a group candidates for a given job.
Adapted from material that originally appeared in the University of Illinois Alumni Association's Virtual Career Center
© 2020, Julie L Bartimus Consulting, Naperville, Illinois