Posted: 5/19/2008 3:59:24 PM EDT
| Anyone have experience with an executive level head hunter? I have been very fortunate to be gainfully employed and never needed their services but the time may have come to move on. I dont have the time to spam my resume across the interweb but would rather pay someone to assist on my behalf and focus my search. Where does one begin these days? Are they not typically paid by the hiring firm? |
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I would perform a serious job search on my own before before I would use an Exec Headhunter (keep in mind that an Executive HH and a Headhunter are two different firms with two different services). Generally - executives have a well-established network of professionals through which they can let it be known that they are in the market. You are probably part of a professional organization (CFO, CIO etc) that can be of good use as well. |
| Thanks all. My situation is such that there are only 2 primary companies in my field who would have an interest in my experience directly. Everyone knows everyone and word would get out if I decided to stay in the same industry. Fortunetly, I feel my experience translates well to other industries. I boils down to Operations & Strategic Management. The issue is that because my current field is so narrow no HH would think to look into it for personnel, even executives unless they were looking to place someone INTO my field. |
Go to theladders.com It is a subscription version of monster.com except for 100K+ jobs only. Just like any job search site, there's lots of crappy jobs on there, but also lots of stuff you won't find elsewhere. I'm not actively searching for a new job but I always like to keep my options open. Just today, I got a call from a headhunter as a result of that site. Good luck. |
I don't mean to be argumentative but do NOT pay.  5sub |
Just wondering...are you an executive of a large corporation? |
In a hardcorps executive recruiting scenario, the recruiter will, in fact, seek out the specialized talent that aren't going to come to the recruiter and the recruiter should never charge them-- the prospective employer is under contract to pay the recruiter's company. I've recruited for General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems, General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products, Lockheed Martin, Bell Helicopter and others of that industry-- you have to hunt for those specialized positions; they're not looking to make a move in most cases and they're certainly not plastering their resumes around on the internet (in most cases). My wife is an executive-level Global Recruiter for a billion dollar company and she'll tell you the same thing: you go find specialized talent. They don't grow on trees, you have to find them. Most of the national firms will have someone that specializes in your field-- I'd suggest Management Recruiters International or Global Recruiters Network. You'll have to meet one of their local recruiters that may not know allot about your industry, but your resume will go into their database and be searchable by all of their offices nationwide. |
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First of all, indeed you should NEVER pay a recruitment firm -- they are paid by the client, often quite handsomely (like 3x your monthly salary OR MORE if you are hired). Look at the C.V.'s of major exec recruiters and you will see very impressive credentials, and not just HR backgrounds, either. A good one who can really connect you does not need a fee that you are likely to be willing to spend. The big-time firms generally do not accept your resume (sorry, can't make an accent so it looks like a verb, but you know what I mean) unsolicited. However, if you check this site www.rileyguide.com/execsrch.html you will see not only some good general advice but also some e-mail addresses at the "majors" that accept C.V.s from potential candidates. You are NOT spamming the web if you do this right -- you'll need to do some research to understand which are most likely to do you some good. Earlier advice in the thread to crank up the networking is important -- sometimes not natural for many people but really the best and most productive job hunt path for most. Also one poster mentioned ladders.com; the riley site mentions this one and many others. Effective sites aimed at exec-scale jobs DO cost money, but you could select three good ones for 90 days and spend less than $300-400. (If you are serious about a $100K+ job, you will need to spend more than that on a suit alone, so decide if this is really something you are going to do right.) I got a great opportunity through ExecuNet. I must tell you, however, that the recruiter who discovered my resume contacted a guy I had worked for eight years ago to uncover a really exciting gig: if I had been networking actively I would have found this anyway for the price of a phone call and a dinner. Good luck -- IM for chat on the topic if you want. I travel quite a bit and, since I cannot access the site through the company laptop, IMs may sit for a week until I get home. |