I just got off the phone with a gentleman who was following up with me on a résumé he had e-mailed to my recruiting business, Welzig, Lowe & Associates. It seems he had recently signed-on with a “career management” firm and the follow-up phone call was one of the steps they had recommended he do.
I can just imagine the conversation between him and his “coach” inside this company; “You need to get your résumé in front of all the Headhunters so they can work with you to get you into interviews with their client companies. I mean this is what Headhunters do for a living and they'll be glad to see an e-mail from someone like you. After you e-mail the résumé, call them on the phone to see if they have received it and have a conversation with them regarding your experience and what you can offer to their client companies.“ This advice isn't totally flawed but let's take a quick look at why this was a waste of time for this particular job-candidate.
This candidate had been laid off from a large corporation in 2001. He then pursued a completely different career, since 2001, in a field unrelated to his previous experience. He now wanted to return to his previous work and pick up where he left off. His “coach” stressed the importance of keeping his résumé to one page and one page only. As we chatted it became obvious that his work career went back about 30 years, but the résumé only covered the period from 1993 to 2001. I'm not positive but this was probably due to advice he received to make him look younger than he really was. Under “Education” he listed his degree and the institution he received it from but didn't put what year he graduated; another attempt to conceal his age perhaps.
Now, let's put ourselves in the shoes of the Headhunter receiving this résumé. I'll lay it out in detail so you can see why a Headhunter will not, actually can not, work with this candidate.
· Headhunters are paid a fee by their client companies to find very specific candidates with very specific skill sets. A company wants to see a continuous path with increasing responsibilities within that skill set. A candidate who has a 2 or 3 year “hole” in his background will most likely not be a fit for their open position.
· Client companies pay Headhunters a fee for successfully finding candidates that fit their exact job specifications. The fee runs from 20% to up over 30% of the first year's annual salary. For example, a company hires a candidate through a Headhunter for $100,000 per year, the fee will be $20,000 or more. A fee of this magnitude will probably never be paid for a candidate who is unemployed and hasn't worked in his previous specialty for close to 3 years. This seemed to come as a bit of a surprise to this gentleman but he agreed that it did seem reasonable.
· True Headhunters search for candidates who are exceptional in their niche, who have many years experience working in that niche, and a record of taking on more and more responsibility as they progress through their careers. There are those companies that call themselves Headhunters who, when they get a résumé, will blast it out to every company in their files hoping that something will stick. Most of these pretenders were put out of business during the recent collapse in job hiring and I say “good riddance”.
· Another little known fact about Headhunters is when they send a résumé to a company it is dutifully entered into their computers as a candidate who has a fee attached to hiring that person. This can create serious problems, if at a later time, the candidate approaches that same company through their own efforts. You should always instruct the Headhunter you are working with to never send your résumé to a company without first contacting you with the details of the position. Stay in charge of your résumé and always know exactly what companies it has been sent to and for what position.
· In today's job market, it can be a serious drawback to have a fee attached to your name. I work as a Headhunter and I've got to tell you that this is just a fact of life. Now, having said that, if you fit the description of a candidate that Headhunters are seeking, and they are working with a company to find someone just like you, then the fee is not a problem.
· Companies do not want to receive résumés from candidates who have been laid-off or are otherwise unemployed from their Headhunters. In my 23 years I have never submitted such a résumé to one of my client companies. The companies expect you to submit your own résumé without a fee attached. This is what www.NewJobCoach.com recommends you do. You can act as your own Headhunter and get a much better response.
· Companies sort their résumés into two piles: those with fees attached and those who have no fees. If your Résumé ends up in the pile with the fees attached you had better be exceptional. Companies go to great lengths to avoid paying Headhunter fees when they have other qualified candidates. It only makes sense.
· One last note on résumés; the advice to keep it to one page is utterly ridiculous. You should use an “Objective” and a “Summary” section at the top of the résumé to capture their immediate attention. After you have their attention, they are now interested in the details of the work you have done. You must learn to be concise and not ramble on about each assignment you have completed, but you must give them sufficient details to convince them you are a good fit for their position. It's impossible to do this in one page. On the other hand, I still chuckle over the résumés delivered to my office by special courier that have run as high as 22 pages! This sort of detail is best saved for the face-to-face interview and even then, you must learn to be concise and to the point quickly.
So, if you're sending your résumé out to Headhunters and not receiving any response back, this article helps you to understand why. The best approach, unless you are specifically called by a Headhunter, is to do the work yourself and to put your energies into getting yourself in front of a hiring manager. This is the odds-on best approach with the highest chances of success. That's what my website is all about.
