"Headhunters" that work for you?
So this may be the wrong place to ask, but I’m curious if anyone has ever heard of headhunters that work for a candidate? Almost every recruiter and firm that I’ve seen only works on behalf of a company, or only cares if you match a role that they’re searching for.
I’ve always wondered if there are services were people will search on your behalf. Paid is fine as it is a pain now with everything being distilled down with AI.
I only have a single direct experience with a headhunter agency, and they were actually quite nice.
In the end I basically just gave them my resume, told them what jobs they forwarded sounded interesting (a handfull each week) and then went to the interviews that came up.
They also managed to negotiate a higher salary for me (due to their fee being based on my first year salary).
So at least in that case they did work "for me"
Feel free to throw out any names. I’m also considering EU too
Look, in the end, headhunters whether they freelancer or work for an agency, only work for their own wallets. They usually get paid when there's a match, i.e. when a role gets filled or (same thing) when the candidate gets hired. To make this happen, headhunters work for both sides. Yes, usually the hiring company pays, but in a competitive market, the candidate dictates the deal.
You can totally approach a recruiter to find you a role for that suits you. if you present valuable skills and, they'll work their network for you. Usually, you can even get this service while the other side pays the fee. You just have to find a recruiter who has both the time to work with you and a network of relevant hiring mangers.
Sure, those recruiters that message you on linked in may not be interested beyond that one role they are hired to fill; but good recruiters are excited to know about talent that's on the market.
Twice I've had the real pleasure of this. A business had hired a headhunting firm, and I applied for that job. They did it so well thrt next time I wanted a job, I called up the guy from that headhunting firm and asked them to place me. They found a great match.
Feel free to throw out any names.
What is your field of experience in? Healthcare, engineering, etc ?
Senior/Executive level IT
Both my wife and I found industry specific headhunters with them being healthcare and engineering focused. I would think high level IT has some bleed in with Engineering. X4 Engineering recruiting was the most aggressive company I worked with and had me with an interview within a week or initial contact. Google was our friend to start with, and I'll be the first to say that recruiters are extremely hit or miss. Some I feel do nothing...
As an industry, headhunters have a vested interest in selling you since that is their business model. You aren't the client, you're the product.
That's an inaccurate statement. You're a client because you can fire them and hire someone else. This is also true for basically any type of agent.
Just because they have a vested interest in your success doesn't make you a product.
I mean, it's kinda both ways. You are the product since they'd be selling you. You are also the client since the deal cannot happen without your consent.
The only Headhunter that works for me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1cRGVaJF7Y
Edit: to answer seriously, I've not heard of this personally but a friend was headhunted to a part time role that paid almost as much after commute as her previous position. So, it can work out for both parties at least