Good Headhunters vs. Bad Headhunters: What You Need to Know

Crawford Thomas Recruiting Blog

Most professionals dream, at some point or another, of being noticed by a headhunter. Headhunters bring better job opportunities and exciting new positons with major companies, but how do you tell a good one from a bad one? While there are thousands of headhunters working in the U.S. today, these tips can help you determine which ones are worth working with and which aren’t.

  1. Good headhunters are straightforward

A good headhunter will tell you everything you want to know about the job and organization in question. They aren’t secretive, convoluted, or cagey. Because so much of a headhunter’s job comes down to finding the right candidate for a position and ensuring that the candidate is actually interested in the position in question, it pays for them to be as open as possible. This increases their success rate and helps them outperform their competition.

  1. Good headhunters take the time needed

It doesn’t behoove a headhunter or their clients for them to be in a rush. Because of this, a good headhunter will always take the time needed to describe the details of the job and answer any questions you may have.  A great headhunter should also take the time to pay attention to your questions and be sure that they’re addressing any concerns you may have.

  1. Good headhunters know your background

Headhunters don’t interview clients and they shouldn’t be contacting you if they don’t already know a great deal about your background and qualifications. This means that any headhunter who contacts you about an open job should have a definitive reason for contacting you. The reason may be your skillset, your affiliation with another company, or your past job experience. Under no circumstances, however, should a headhunter quiz you about what you’ve done. This simply proves that he or she hasn’t done their homework.

  1. The headhunter wants to get to know you

While a headhunter should have extensive knowledge about your background and qualifications, he or she should also take the time to get to know you on a personal level. In doing this, the headhunter is better able to ensure that you’re a great fit for the company and the position in question. This helps save time and energy and ensures that the interaction is profitable for both of you.

  1. A good headhunter can relay your traits accurately

Once a solid lead has been found, a headhunter’s job is to take that person’s resume back to the company with the open position. Because of this, it’s incredibly important that a good headhunter be able to accurately represent you to the company in question. If you feel, after talking to a headhunter, that he or she is incapable of this, it’s a solid indication that the headhunter is sub-par.

While working with a headhunter is a dream come true for many professionals, these five tips can help ensure that you know what makes a good headhunter worth his or her weight in gold. To learn more about headhunters, contact Crawford Thomas today.

Crawford Thomas RecruitingGood Headhunters vs. Bad Headhunters: What You Need to Know