Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with headhunter

Prey seeks hunter

kenzi23 — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 18:06:20 -0800

My head needs hunting...how do I find the hunters in my field? I want to make a move into software training in the legal field and am not finding a lot of jobs in the usual listings (monster, careerbuilders, hotjobs, nytimes). I'm just starting the search for real and calling all my contacts in the legal field, but I also want to put myself in the path of headhunters in this field. My googling looked like this "software trainer headhunter legal new york", and the results were not at all helpful.

Is there a reputable guide to headhunters, maybe with breakdown by field and rankings/ratings? Should I be looking at IT headhunters? or legal headhunters? How do I know I'm getting a good one? If you have actual headhunters or agencies to recommend, please post them.

BTW, I'm in New York City. Thanks!

Usability Head Hunters in California?

cuando — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 09:32:16 -0800

Usability Head Hunters in California? I'm a user interface designer / information architect looking to move to either northern california (San Francisco, San Jose, etc) or southern california (LA, San Diego). Does anyone have any recommendations for a good head hunter that specializes in my field of usability?

Or is it better to just submit my resume on company websites? Or do both?

How can a passive candidate ethically apply for new positions?

cockwaffle — Thu, 29 May 2008 08:45:23 -0800

Let's say you are a mission-critical player for your company, but for a number of reasons, it's time to move on... and of course, you don't intend to broadcast your decision to management while you're hunting. How would you pursue new opportunities while treating your current employer ethically? This is the hypothetical: You've been along since the founding of the business, and your role makes you a "key man" and a senior person. If it were to become publicly known that you were job hunting, there would be internal and external repercussions. Employee morale would take a hit... revenues would possibly be affected... office politics would reach fever pitch... no good could come of anyone knowing what was up, till there were actual transition decisions to be made.

You're thinking of going to another company... one that isn't directly competitive with your employer, but is in a similar sector and could benefit from your talents and experience. There are a handful of companies that seem like likely targets in this area; you've had exposure to them off and on over the years, and feel like they might be inclined to pick you up if the circumstances are right.

There wouldn't necessarily already be a position created and defined and listed on SimplyJobs for you (if so, you could just apply for it and ask the hiring manager for discretion). It seems more like one of these target companies would have to create a role for you. And maybe they wouldn't want to... but maybe they would.

How would you approach one of these companies? Who in particular would you reach out to: the HR side, or the manager who would likely own the business decision to bring you on? How would you make discreet or anonymous contact? A headhunter or attorney? An agent? (kidding) (mostly)

(The problem is that, from what I know of headhunters, they work for the employers, not the candidate. So if I'm understanding correctly, a headhunter would see no percentage in representing someone this way.)

Or, on the flip side: if you were the target employer, and a director at another org that had skills you were happy to add to your stable came onto the market, how would you expect him to reach out to you? Would an anonymous email from "hiremeI'mreallygreat@gmail.com" work for you because you understand the sensitive nature of the exchange... or put you off because it seems amateur?

Input from HR professionals totally welcomed, as is experience from other company-jumpers. Thanks in advance!

Headhunters: Worthless? Yes/No?

chan.caro — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 16:16:17 -0800

Headhunter filter: Do they actually help people get hired? Or are they just blood-sucking low-lives? It's finally happened - I've been let go from a law firm that's had a dwindling amount of deals come in. It was only a matter of time until I was shown the door.

In any event, I'm working to get myself back into the workforce, sending my resume every which way (feel free to toss me some suggestions =) ), but most of the people who get back to me are those cloyingly sweet people from recruitment agencies. I've gone to my fair share of recruiters in New York, and it's the same song and dance: "This is unlike anything you've done, but it's with so-and-so firm and it'd be too great of an opportunity to pass up!"

I know they're in it for the cash-money, so of course they're going to try to send you to interviews for positions that you have no interest in. But I'm curious if people have actually gotten what they wanted from a recruiting agency/headhunting company.

Please tell me I can and should expect more from these people.

Hunting for a headhunter

missjamielynn — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 11:15:59 -0800

Do you know of any good headhunters in NYC? I've been trying to find a good headhunter in New York City and have had little luck. I've mostly worked in the entertainment industry in production, but I've also held positions working as an assistant to high profile executives.

I'm looking to move past the assistant level and find a position where I can learn new things and grow. Unfortunately, most of the environments I've worked in are very poorly managed and there's no upward path. I'm in my mid-20's and desperately want to get out of this rut. Any suggestions?

How does one get on a headhunter list?

jseven — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 21:45:44 -0800

How do I get on a headhunter list? I am an executive in a major call center environment and I'm looking for something new. I would like to move on to something where I am responsible for the entire operation.

How does one get on a headhunter list?
Would one want to get on a headhunter list?

help me pick the right present for a friend I have never actually met.

krautland — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 21:05:15 -0800

help me pick the right present for a friend I have never actually met. my headhunter has gotten me a new job and I want to send her a thank you-note and a present. I've worked with this lady before and we have exchanged hundreds of emails and talked countless times over the phone. I consider her a friend, yet we have never met. (hey, this is a creative industry, people are bound to be a little off sometimes.)

I know she's british, I know she's in her forties, I know she's artistic, I know she's married to a very wealthy guy who happens to be at one of the very top spot in my industry. I also know she's a near enigma to almost anyone I know. very few people have ever met her but everyone I know knows her, everyone has a story. she's the ghost of new york city. it took me a month to get a mailing address for her.

I want her to get a present but feel like being a bit more creative than flowers or chocolate. I am thinking $100-300 for my budget and I am looking for ideas.

your suggestions, please.

Hiring a headhunter to hunt for me?

anastasiav — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 08:27:29 -0800

Headhunter filter: I know that companies can hire headhunters to fill available positions. I'd like to do the opposite: Can I hire someone to find a job for me?

Legal headhunters - the real deal?

elquien — Thu, 17 May 2007 17:59:29 -0800

Looking for advice and/or anecdotes about a legal recruiting company called Pemberton Co., and about legal/corporate recruiting companies in general. So, I'm pretty miserable in my job as an attorney at a small speciality firm. And I keep getting calls from legal headhunters asking if I'm interested in applying for various positions at large law firms in my city (mid-size Midwestern city, for reference). Until recently, I was turned off by the idea of using such a company to get a job, but because of recent events at work, I've become interested.

My questions are:

1) Has anyone had experience with Pemberton Co. specifically?

2) Has anyone had experience with legal or corporate headhunters in general?

I already told them that I'm not paying them anything, and they said of course, the law firm pays if I get hired. I don't see the harm in talking to them, but I'd like advice from any others who have experienced this process.

Non-tech Headhunters in Austin

zackola — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 13:14:21 -0800

I have a friend who lives in Austin and is looking for a good headhunter in general business and/or education industries. Her experience has primarily been with education companies, both test preparation and K-12 education supplementation, etc. Can you recommend a good headhunter in the Austin area to help her out? She is not exclusively looking to stay in education and in fact, is excited about the possibility of doing something new. Any help will be appreciated.

Go with a headhunter?

aladfar — Wed, 09 Aug 2006 07:53:19 -0800

Yesterday, I interviewed with a headhunting/creative talent agency. Should I sign up with them formally? The agency places design geeks, freelance writers, and folks of similar ilk into freelance and fulltime jobs. I've yet to sign any contracts with them, but am planning to do so today. I don't care for the 70-30 split when it comes to my hourly wages, but if it's work that I otherwise wouldn't have received, it might be OK. And should they find me a permanent gig, that'd be entirely swell.

Is there anything I should be looking out for? Any horror stories that people care to share? The worst case I can think of is that they're a glorified temp agency. If that's the case, I can always sever my ties with them.

London beckons

askingaboutlondon — Mon, 17 Jul 2006 23:13:30 -0800

LondonRelocationFilter: Help me find a headhunter in London! I’m very seriously considering relocating to London from NYC later this year. I have a few leads already, but I would like to discuss my options – legal and business positions – with a London headhunter (and of course it would be great if said headhunter could help me find a good job). Any recommendations as to good headhunters or ways of finding one?

I’m wary of getting into more detail here, but please feel free to contact me at askingaboutlondon at gmail.

P.S. I'm a UK citizen.

Umgawa!

ZenMasterThis — Fri, 16 Jun 2006 03:00:17 -0800

Help me get to Austin. Know any good (or bad) headhunters in Austin area? My academic background: BSEE, MBA. Currently working as a product manager for a high-tech company in the northeast. Looking for a headhunter who can connect me with marketing/product management or business development work in Austin. Your experiences good/bad? Thanks!

How to deal with headhunter

curiousleo — Tue, 19 Jul 2005 01:41:38 -0800

How do I deal with headhunters? I work in fairly specialized industry where most of us know or know about eachother all over the world. (we are talking about a dozen companies total in the world)

Anyways... I have been working at one of the company for 9 years or so... Recently I have been getting calls from a headhunter who specialized in this industry. She has called me about once a month for last few month telling me about the opportunities at other companies, asking me to send her resume and samples. I haven't sent her anything yet, but appreciative of her letting me know about the opennings. The problem is I sometimes find out those opennings through word of mouth or ads. I understand the headhunter receives commission from the company who hires me. What is ethical way to handle this. because i also know many companies don't want to give out commissions and deal directly with me.

Should I just contact the companies directly? Would I get blackballed by this headhunter in the future? Can the headhunter sue me? (since she called earlier... even though there are ads on the net)

second question is ... can i use second headhunter at the same time? (there really are only these two headhunters for this industry) How shoud i handle this with out creating bad blood with me.??

How do I find hidden job openings?

yesster — Mon, 28 Feb 2005 10:46:55 -0800

I've been unemployed for a few months, and have been actively looking for work, with no luck. All I have to go on are classified ads and limited online resources. I have two sneaking suspicions: 1) there are lots of jobs that don't show up in those venues, so how do I find them? and 2) HR departments are generally an impediment to getting a foot in the door, so how do I get past them? This is a sort of follow-up to a post from a while back, when I had a job: http://ask.metafilter.com/mefi/7519

I'm now living in the town where I want to work. I think I'm reasonably intelligent, and put together a decent resume (thanks, pomegranate!). I'm guessing that employers see me as underqualified for the more senior/management positions, yet overqualified for the entry-level jobs for which I've applied.

Employment agencies don't seem to know what to do with me, and don't call back.

It's been six months now, and my partner and I are both terribly frustrated. I'll be broke really, really soon.

I'll do just about anything at this point, with a few exceptions: I won't do sales of any kind, even retail; I won't work with children (in the literal sense of "child," that is!); I won't do ethically suspect or ethically ambiguous work (e.g. telemarketing), and I'm rather averse to shift work.

What am I doing wrong? What creative approaches have worked for you?

I'm losing it here, folks.