If you made the decision that it is time to take on a new job, then among the first things you have to ask yourself is if you reached out to recruiters. When talking about the career service industry, there are big differences between headhunters, recruiters, and career coaches. A headhunter, who is also known as an agency recruiter, works for a number of companies, a recruiter works in-house and will acquire talent for a specific company, while a career coach provides advice on things related to your career.
Acquiring the services of a headhunter has many benefits, as it provides a clearer path towards getting your name out there. Working with an agency recruiter can offer you some insight into what the company wants, some tips on how to go through an interview successfully, and even tips about salary negotiation. Headhunter will receive a commission, which means it’s in their best interest for you to get more money, because the more you earn the more they earn. In some cases, you might be contacted by a headhunter out of the blue, as they tracked you down and see potential in you for a certain opportunity.
Are you looking for sales staffing agencies? There are certain things you need to do beforehand. First of all, try to put yourself out there. Make sure your resume is up to date and share it with your network in order to increase your changes. If you have social media accounts make sure they are clean, and maybe consider investing on building a personal website – you can either acquire the services of an someone online or build it yourself.
Before contacting any headhunter agency you will need to figure out which one is right for you. Ask friends, maybe some of them worked with certain agencies in the past, in case you have a career coach consult him about it, contact the HR professionals you might know, or simply do as much online research as possible to find more about agencies and weigh out pros and cons and see where you need to make the first step. Agencies should have all the necessary details on their websites, so a quick glance should show you everything you need to know, and you can see if they are able to help you.
Look into their reach (nationwide, regional or local) and pay close attention to the levels at which they usually place candidates (temp, entry-level, etc.). Once you made an informed decision and found the right agency which fits your industry reach out to them. You can contact recruiters through their LinkedIn profiles, or send an email, or even make a phone call. Depending on the type of agencies and what their website looks like, you might have the option to upload your resume, which will get you into the candidate management system for opportunities in the future. Make sure to point out your experience and past accomplishments, and to be clear about your career goals and what you are looking for.
