Posted on 01/10/2007 10:43:13 AM PST by heartwood
My husband was laid off a month ago. Last time this happened, seven years back, he found a headhunter and they had three interviews lined up within a few weeks, from which he got two offers.
Now when you look up "Executive Recruiters" half of them are resume polishers who claim a lot of contacts in the industry and get paid by the job-seeker whether they get him a job or not, and the other half give you an address to email a resume to - and that's the last you hear from them.
NYC doesn't even have the category "Exec. Recruiter" in its Yellow Pages - and I looked under Professional, Placement, Recruiter, Financial, Employment, Agencies, Headhunters, Software, you name it... nothing fit.
There is a lot more hiring going on now than the classifieds account for - have the headhunters all gone unpublicized, like an exclusive restaurant that only gives out its reservation number to the right people?
My husband has done excellent work over the last seven years, improving his resume, so that's not a problem. He's using the internet job-posting and resume sites and writing directly to companies he's interested in, but hasn't gotten too many bites yet. He's looking preferably in NJ, but NYC and Philadelphia are okay. He's had experience in financial analysis, software product development/management, mathematics and statistics.
Also go to the Super Pages for Agencies in NYC
I hate to say it - as much as I hate the NY times for news it has the best Employment section of any paper here in NYC. I'm guessing your husband is looking in NYC right?
Personally I agree with the Monster approach. You might also look into any church career couseling services. I found that a very positive job finding tool. Experience with headhunters were mostly negative.
Many recruiters/companies are now using Craig's List, too. You have to sift through the ads, but there are some serious ones in there.
Both my son and daughter found jobs this way. One in Colorado and one in Ohio.
The want ads can be found on the local paper's website too.
Go from island to island in the Pacific.
Be careful. Every headhunter I ever dealt with (4) would have sold their mothers for a commission. Clarify goals, needs, interests up front and in writing. I had a very uncomfortable experience at an interview as a result of one headhunter setting me up with a job that I never would have considered. About an hour into the day-long interview, the employer and I pretty much admitted to each other that further talking was a waste of time. The headhunter did the set up because the potential commission on that job was much higher than normal, so he didn't care that there was no match between me and the employer.
Well first, check for the bone though the nose.
Oh... You mean the other kind of headhunter. Do you still have the name of the guy he used before? If he found a match before, chance are he'll do well a second time.
My daughter is in a similar situation now in New York with one difference being in that she is currently employed. She's met with a half dozen or so of the "Executive Recruiters" and has had little success so far in finding exactly what she wants.
She feels she's getting further by getting trade publications in the field she is searching and networking with people in that industry. I think the "networking" way is always more successful.
Best of luck to your husband. The financial companies in New York and New Jersey are flying fairly high right now so I'd expect he'll find what he wants soon.
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