Personnel Agencies and Headhunters and Hiring Managers, Oh My!

July 14th, 2008

I run into this a lot with my clients who are just out of college or grad school and are looking for their first all-important “career” job. These grads get frustrated because they want to work at such & such a type of company or even a specific company and their personnel agency or headhunter (aka executive search professional) keeps sending them on interviews for completely different types of jobs.

Okay, here’s the deal…

Personnel agencies and headhunters don’t work for you.

Their clients are the companies they work for who pay them a commission to find someone appropriate to fill a specific job. They are not going to call Yahoo and pitch you as a candidate in case there is a suitable opening for you. They may want Yahoo’s business, but they won’t be using you to get it.

So what do you do if you have very specific needs- say, a company that you have been dying to work at?

If their website doesn’t contain a job board, you can call the company and schmooze the receptionist into telling you who at the company is responsible for filling the company’s openings. Contact them directly with a cover letter that is specific (about why you want to work at that company and what you have to offer for likely openings) and a resume that shines like a well-polished gem.

Be gracious and passionate and eye-catching and convey the unique qualities that you possess that make you someone they shouldn’t pass up the opportunity to at least interview. (Hire someone to write that cover letter and resume if you are not able to get it done right- it is worth the effort and expense if you really want to get your foot properly wedged in the door to your dream company).

Follow up via phone with the internal person and if they tell you there are no openings, ask for an informational interview to find out about the field, companies like that one and how to get the right opportunity at the right place. You never know. You could end up with a job out of that interview and, at the very least, you will have good solid insider information to help you on your search.

Be gracious with the personnel agency, too, and don’t rule out the possibility that one of their clients may have the exact right position for you. But take my word for it- the agencies don’t stay in business by landing you your dream job. That’s YOUR responsibility. When the two coincide and they find you your dream job, that’s excellent. When they don’t, candidates often get frustrated. Instead, they should just move along.

Related posts:

1. Google Yourself
2. Rule #2- Your Resume Should Have a Compelling Narrative
3. Putting it All Together and Writing the Resume
4. Make a Career-forward Move in the New Year
5. Got Career Advice?

Filed under: career reactivators, college grads, entertainment industry, mid-career professionals, miscellaneous career advice