How to Work with Head-hunters
Working with a Head Hunter/Recruitment Consultant is one of the best ways to fast-forward your career. It’s a one-on-one relationship with a career professional. You may have an accountant, a lawyer and a doctor to handle particular areas of your life. Why not have a career counsellor handle your work life?

Here are ten tips from BLF - straight from the front lines of recruiting – that will help you get the most out of your consultant.

1. Be Professional “How you work with a consultant is a direct correlation of how you will work with your boss, colleagues, and vendors. It is a window into the real “you”. A good consultant will always measure this as part of your qualifications and convey his or her impressions to the prospective hiring company.”

 
2. Be Honest “Be upfront about the extent of your job searching efforts and results. Your consultant has a vested interest in placing you in a career that could potentially change your life. You will gain nothing from being dishonest with your consultant.”

 
3. Be Forthright “Tell your consultant all of your requirements and preferences, for example, in regard to salary or relocation.”
“When an interview is completed, give us your feedback – good, bad, or indifferent! This is the only way we can facilitate the process. We must talk with you before we get back in touch with the hiring manager. We will want to know a) what was discussed, b) how did the manager leave the interview with you, c) are you interested in the position and d) do you want to proceed to the next step. If you are not interested in proceeding, we’ll want to know your reasons. This will help us in screening other opportunities for you.”

 
4. Be Committed “Don’t be casual with what you agree to or commit to. Your attention to commitment will not go unnoticed. Know what you want, say what you mean, and do what you say.”

 
5. Be Pro-Active “Get to know whoever specialises in your industry. (Our consultants work in specialised niches. Be sure you contact the appropriate person!)

 
Place a call to them and get familiar with them. Be sure to send them your resume. You don't even have to be looking for a job right now but it is good for them to have your resume on file. You never know when they might have that ideal job opportunity that might be better than the job you currently have.”

 
6. Be Inquisitive “You will likely have questions about housing costs, insurance, relocation, etc. Ask your consultant. We want to make sure all these questions are answered before the interview. ‘Do I want to work here?’ and ‘Do I want to work with these people?’ are the only questions left for the final interview.”

 
7. Be Prepared “Prepare for the interview by reading materials that your consultant has sent you and by doing research on the company.”

 
8. Be Cooperative “Don’t play games! Regardless of any past experiences you have had with consultants (recruiters), take your current consultant seriously. If you are not comfortable with your consultant, tell him/her and move on. There are 5,000 consultants in our network!”

 
9. Be Patient “A smart consultant knows how frustrating it can be to search for a job. Be patient. We’ve got your best interest in mind, and we’ll call you as soon as we can.”

 
10. Be Enthusiastic “I still get excited about a truly marketable candidate. I like to see enthusiasm in the candidate as well.”